Jackson wrestling team entering SCT as top seed
Jaguars poised to win conference championship
The Jackson High School wrestling team has its sights set on winning the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT), and the Jaguars realize the road to the title goes through Brick.
Or, more specifically, Brick Memorial.
Jackson enters the SCT as the top-seeded team. The Jags, who enter the event with an overall record of 12-2, hosted Shore in the opening round Wednesday night. With a victory, they would have met the winner of Wall-Ocean in the quarterfinals.
The semifinal and final rounds are scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Southern Regional High School. The semis take place at 3:30 p.m., and the finals at 5:30 p.m.
Brick Memorial, the defending Shore Conference champion, is the No. 5 seed.
Jackson could meet the Green Wave in the semifinals, if Memorial could find a way to get past fourth-seeded Manalapan last night. Jackson High School second-year coach Scott Goodale believes his squad will need to beat Brick Memorial to win the crown.
"If you want to win the prize, you have to beat the king," Goodale said. "They’re a team we’ll have to beat if we are serious about winning the Shore Conference Tournament."
Yet Jackson knows a little about dethroning royalty. Two weeks ago, the Jags knocked off Brick Memorial at its own gym for only the second time in school history. Jackson posted a 27-22 victory on the strength of freshman Steve Rivera’s win at 125 pounds. Rivera scored a takedown with just 12 seconds remaining in the bout to win it for the Jags. The victory clinched the A South title for Jackson.
The win provided the Jags with a boost of momentum and confidence. Goodale is hoping his team can carry that feeling into this week’s tournament.
"That was such a big win for this program," Goodale said. "It did wonders for our confidence heading into this event. We’re hoping that we can repeat what we pulled off at Brick Memorial one more time."
Last Saturday, the Jags beat another quality opponent. Jackson earned its 12th win of the season with a 34-29 triumph over Eastern. Jeff Pascarella sealed the nonconference victory with a 10-0 major decision at 103 pounds.
Jackson posted four straight wins to open a 19-6 lead, but Eastern wasn’t done. Eastern pulled to within 25-21 before Jackson’s John Loff posted a technical fall at 215 pounds to increase the cushion to nine points.
Two bouts later, Pascarella wrapped up the match with a victory.
"We felt confident that he (Pascarella) was going to go out and win it," Goodale said. "It was a good win for our team. It came at a difficult part of the season. We’re fortunate to come out on top and injury free."
The Jags wrestle a difficult schedule. Although Goodale feels it is good preparation for the postseason, he worries about the negative effects. At times, Goodale said, keeping his wrestlers motivated is the toughest part of the job.
"We haven’t had a break in our schedule since mid-December," Goodale said. "It’s unforgiving, so sometimes it’s hard to keep them pumped up. Getting them motivated for tough match after tough match isn’t easy. We don’t want to peak too soon."
However, he likes his team’s chances of reaching the finals.
"They’ve worked hard all year," Goodale said. "We’re doing a good job of getting bonus points when we need them. We’re not giving up a lot of pins. We need to stay focused and intense. That’s what will give us an opportunity to win the tournament."