The lofty goal of winning championships remains the same for the Howell High School wrestling program.
“The goal is the same focus every year: to be state champions and to win the overall — that is not going to change this year, five years, 10 years, whatever,” coach John Gagliano said. “It is always going to be the goal and objective of the Howell wrestling program.”
Howell will attempt to duplicate a 2016-17 season that will be remembered as the finest in the history of the school.
Howell captured the school’s first NJSIAA group state championship when the Rebels won the Group 5 tournament title.
Howell avenged a loss in the regular season when it edged Hunterdon Central Regional High School, 28-27, in the Group 5 title bout. That victory left Howell with a final record of 30-1.
Last season, Howell also won the Shore Conference Tournament and District 22 titles as well as the Shore Conference’s A North Division crown, which was the 12th straight for the Rebels.
Another highlight during this memorable season came when Eric Keosseian won the 220-pound weight class at the state wrestling individual tournament in Atlantic City. Keosseian took his 133-27 career record and 42-2 log during his senior year to West Point Academy, but the Rebels are still very much well-stocked with talent.
“There is tons of talent. They know what they can do,” Gagliano said. “Just by looking at what they did last year, the experience of the guys who went to the states and the guys who work hard in the offseason, they know what to do. This is nothing different for them. They are competitive.”
The coach said the upperclassmen are good role models and that the team has good captains.
Senior captain Dan Esposito is wrestling at 138 pounds this season and said the championship season makes the Rebels a team others will focus on.
“I feel like it definitely puts a target on our backs this year, but at the same time, I feel like it definitely motivates us to repeat this year,” he said.
Esposito insists Howell has the talent to repeat.
“I feel like we have a lot of talent again this year,” he said. “I feel like we can win out this year, hopefully, if everyone comes together and wrestles as a team. It would definitely be nice.”
Esposito said he feels like this year, the Rebels can be better than last year. The captain said it would be the best way for him and fellow senior Kyle Slendorn to end their high school careers.
Slendorn joined Keosseian in the championship round bout at the state tournament, where he placed second at 126 pounds. Slendorn, who also finished 42-2, said he is feeling great coming off the championship season and is ready to finish first this year.
“Coming into the season as [reigning] champion brings along some pressure because now you got to repeat it, and we have the team to repeat again,” Slendorn said.
Slendorn said the Rebels just need to try and do everything the best they can to try and win the group state tournament championship again.
“It brings the pressure back,” he said. “Right now, there is pressure on us to win it again, but that could also help us too — push us. We want to get back to that spot, so we got to work just as hard as last year to win it.”
Slendorn said it would be special to win the first two group state championships in Howell wrestling history his junior and senior years. He said he wants to be more of a friend and mentor to the underclassmen than a pushy leader.
“If guys need help or anything with wrestling, I know just about everything that is going on [with wrestling], so just come to me, talk to me — we will figure stuff out,” Slendorn said. “We have all the talent, so let’s just keep everything together, keep everything on track and go on a straight path right back to the state championship again.”
Junior Darby Diedrich is wrestling again at 120 pounds and said he feels extremely confident going into this season.
“I know the team we have now is, supposedly on paper, better than we were last year,” he said. “We are kind of loaded and thick throughout [the team]. We lost two guys last year, but everyone else gained experience.”
Unlike his senior teammate, Diedrich said he does not feel any pressure for this year.
“I know our team. I know what we are capable of, and I know how hard everyone works,” he said. “So I am feeling pretty good going into this year, especially on the offseason tournaments the team has really shown.”
Gagliano said they are taking it one day at a time because it is a long season.
“Honestly, it is a new year, and I do not think what we did last year carries on to now,” the coach said. “We have goals we set with these kids. They know what they got to do. I do not feel there is pressure on them or the coaches or anything because if they are prepared and they work hard, things fall into place.”