Jackson Memorial High School senior Dallas Winston (right, above, and top, below), won the NJSIAA state wrestling championship at 182 pounds on March 4 with a 4-3 decision over Piscataway High School’s Tevin Shaw. PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Jackson Memorial High School senior Dallas Winston, an NJSIAA state wrestling tournament runner-up in 2011, ascended to the top rung this season and was one of three wrestlers from Jackson Township who were place-winners in the state tournament held March 2-4 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
The other grapplers who made their mark in Atlantic City were Brian Hamann of Jackson Memorial High School and Nick Zak of Jackson Liberty High School.
Wrestling at 182 pounds, Winston decisioned Piscataway High School’s Tevin Shaw, 4-3, in the championship bout after not allowing a point in his three previous state tournament bouts.
He concluded his senior season at 34-3 after two arduous days against the state’s elite wrestlers. A year ago, Winston lost in the finals at 189 pounds to conclude a 40-3 season. He put together a 109-13 record during his outstanding career at Jackson Memorial.
Dallas Winston followed his brother, Scott Winston, a three-time state champion for the Jaguars who set a school record with 137 victories.
“You look at Dallas’ career and in his freshman year he was a junior varsity wrestler (9-3 in limited varsity action), which shows the quality of this program,” Jackson Memorial coach Aaron Gottesman said. “But once he finished last season as a state runner-up, it was likely that he would be a state champion this year.”
With his victory on March 4, Winston became the Jaguars’ 15th state champion since Jackson Memorial launched its wrestling program in 1966.
In the championship bout, Winston took a 2-0 lead in the first period on a takedown. He scored a reversal in the second period for a 4-0 lead. Shaw escaped as the second period ended and trailed 4-1 heading into the third period. In the third period, Shaw escaped to pull to within 4-2, before Winston was penalized a point for stalling, to make the final score 4-3.
“He was never in danger,” Gottesman said of Winston. “He was in control from the beginning and had a good game plan about what he wanted to do and what Shaw wanted to do. It was not the best he’s wrestled, but I believe that in a situation with a lot of pressure and not looking to make mistakes, it was probably the smartest I’ve seen him wrestle.”
Winston was one of three state placewinners from Jackson’s two high schools.
Hamann, from Jackson Memorial, finished fourth at 126 pounds to put the wraps on a 33-5 campaign, and Zak, from Jackson Liberty, placed sixth at 170 pounds and finished his season at 39-4.
Hamann lost in the wrestlebacks for third place, 6-2, to Kevin Devoy of Burlington Township. It was the second time Hamann became a state place-winner, and he and Winston bring the total number of state place-winners at Jackson Memorial to 57.
Hamann finished fourth at the state tournament in 2010; he missed the postseason in 2011 with an injury.
“To place fourth in an extremely tough weight class and to lose that [third place] bout to a four-time state place-winner after not wrestling in the states last season shows what kind of wrestler he is,” Gottesman said of Hamann.
Zak became the first state place-winner for Jackson Liberty’s program, now in its fifth season.
It was the best showing by wrestlers from Jackson Township since 2008 when four Jackson Memorial wrestlers were state place-winners. Three wrestlers in that group were state champions, including Scott Winston for the third consecutive year, Sean Byrnes and Tyler Biscaha. Byrnes won 40 bouts that year. Scott Winston won 40 bouts in the previous season when he was one of two state champions crowned.
There were four state place-winners at Jackson Memorial in 2006 as well, with Scott Winston winning the title, two others finishing in seventh place and another in eighth place. Three wrestlers were state place-winners in 2002, but none of them higher than fifth place.
Seven wrestlers this season qualified for the state tournament from both schools, four from Jackson Liberty and three from Jackson Memorial.
As for the other state qualifiers, Brad Royle of Jackson Memorial won his opening bout before the senior lost the next two at 132 pounds to finish 29-8 this season and 79-32 for his career.
“He just didn’t wrestle the best he could have,” Gottesman said, although he praised Royle’s superb career for the Jaguars.
As for Jackson Liberty, Zak lost, 5-3, in overtime to Robert Shade of Timber Creek.
“He was disappointed. He gave up points at the close of his bouts, but overall, he and the rest of the guys wrestled well,” Jackson Liberty coach Mike Eddy said.
“Mike Russo (106) was one match away from placing, and Matt Russo (113) lost his opening match, 1-0, to the No. 1 wrestler in his bracket. The Russos were going into the tournament for the first time, and that’s really intimidating, but they did a good job. Some are disappointed they didn’t place higher, but everybody’s good at this point. Hopefully next year will be better,” Eddy said.
Both Russo brothers are freshmen. Matt Russo went 2-2 in the tournament, losing in the second round of the wrestlebacks in a 10-7 decision after building a 7-5 lead off a quick reversal and takedown late in the bout.
Brandon Kosheff, the only senior who saw regular action, also qualified at 138 pounds and finished 35-9.