By Wayne Witkowski
Jackson Memorial High School’s wrestlers won some close decisions to upend Brick Memorial High School for the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV championship Feb. 10. They went on to lose in the Group IV semifinals Feb. 12 to West Morris Mendham High School, 30-28, at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River.
Now they’ll look to regroup in a different element of competition: the state district tournament that takes place Feb. 18.
Matt McGowan, a senior, leads the way as he looks to return to the state championships at 132 pounds, where he is 26-2.
The state has shaken up many teams in district lineups, including Jackson Memorial, which has moved to District 25 from District 21. Its big rivals, Howell High School and Jackson Liberty High School, have been moved to District 22.
The top three place-winners in each weight class advance to the Region 7 meet the following weekend. It’s the first time Jackson Memorial wrestlers would go to Region 7. They had advanced to Region 6 in the past.
Many Jaguars are riding high emotionally from a season that started slowly with some injured wrestlers at 4-6. The team has improved to 15-9.
“A lot of people wrote us off,” said Doug Withstandley, who returned this year as head coach at Jackson Memorial after stepping down to an assistant coaching role for a few seasons. “Right now, I think we’re the third best team in the Shore Conference.”
Tim Hamann started Jackson Memorial’s 34-22 victory over Brick Memorial for its 10th sectional title with a pin in just 37 seconds over Jade Crippen at 152 pounds. Hamann had lost to a different Brick Memorial wrestler, Chris Richardson, by a 6-5 decision earlier in the season when Jackson Memorial had beaten the Mustangs, 33-27, in a Shore Conference A South Division matchup.
It was the lighter weight wrestlers who put the Jaguars in a commanding position against Brick Memorial this time, as Vin Scollo (106), Chris McDonald (113) and Chris DiGiantomasso (126) won decisions to raise Jackson Memorial’s point total to 28 points. Brick Memorial got a pin and major decision in the next two weight classes before McGowan closed out the night winning a major decision at 145.
Jackson Memorial won nine of the 14 bouts — three of them by two points or one — as it thwarted Brick Memorial’s bid for a 17th sectional title.
In the semifinals of Group IV, Mendham got off to a fast start, winning three of the first four bouts in the 160 through 220 weight classes — two by major decision. Heavyweight David Lemay’s pin and Scollo’s decision put the Jaguars back into contention before Mendham won the next three weight classes.
Mendham got the deciding victory when Alex Winant scored a major decision over Ryan Bohringer at 138 pounds with two bouts left. Nicholas Tomasiello won a major decision at 145 for Jackson Memorial and Hamann won by forfeit to close out the meet.
Aside from McGowan, Hamann has solid credentials, as he just missed making the state championships last year with a fourth-place finish in the region. He has 84 career wins.
Scollo, a sophomore, is 26-2, while Lemay, a junior, is 26-3 wrestling at 220 pounds or heavyweight. Senior Dan Bergeron is 24-6 at 160. All are serious threats to advance out of districts to the region.
Every district has its darkhorses and Jackson Memorial has two possible ones in Bohringer, a junior who is 13-10 at 138 pounds, and McDonald, a sophomore who is 14-12 at 113.