South River High School wrestling coach Bobby Young credits the late Adam Mongelli for the increased numbers which have populated the program in recent seasons.
But don’t discount how important Young’s efforts have been to once again making the Rams one of the more respectable small school teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference.
Mongelli was a four-time district and one-time regional champion who passed away in September. While earning a degree at Middlesex County College, he served as a volunteer coach for the Rams.
“Our program took a major hit with Adam’s passing,” said Young. “He helped bring back wrestling with his enthusiasm. The example Adam set with his work ethic was an inspiration for our team, especially the new members.”
And there are plenty of them. South River will utilize up to seven freshmen in any given match. These young Rams may be inexperienced, but they understand what hard work can do to help them realize their goals.
The roster looks like this: Tyler Burges, freshman, opens at 106. He placed second in his weight class at the Bears Invitational, Dec. 30; Travis Lyons, freshman, wrestles at 113; Jared Smith or Brandon Pacheco, freshmen, wrestle at 120; and Jon Hart, senior, starts at 126.
Also, Jack Cruz, junior, (18-9 at 119), moves up to 132. One of the top 138 pounders in the conference is returning 125- pound GMC and District 20 champion, Mike Palomba (34-6). Palomba, a junior, finished second in the regions last year and won the Bear Invitational this season; Mike Zyskowski, junior, (23-12 at 135) is at 145 and placed second at the Bear Invitational; and Rowland Knowland (21-8 at 140) will wrestle at 152. Chris Galan, sophomore, and Rafael Mendez, senior, will see action in the lower weights.
At 160, the Rams start Shane Ciesielski, sophomore (15-7 at 145); Xhemajal Camaj, sophomore, will wrestle at 170 and will be joined by Oscar Mendez, sophomore, and John Kenny, senior. Doug Ryan, freshman, will see action at 182; and Justice White, junior, or Ed Mack, senior, will wrestle at 195. C.J. Ryan, at 220, a junior who placed second in the GMCs and District 20, will likely be shelved for the season due to injury. The heavyweight class will be occupied by Dylan Teator, senior, or Davon Moore, freshman.
“We have excellent leadership among our experienced wrestlers which is helping the many new faces in the lineup,” said Young. “The fact we have so many freshmen on the varsity is setting the tone for the future because the middle school athletes are recognizing this is a sport where they can get the opportunity to compete.”
In the Bear Invitational Tournament, Dec. 29, which featured a number of large schools in the 16-team field, South River placed sixth, the best finish for a Group I school. The tournament was won by GMC White Division team, Bishop Ahr, with 174 points while the Rams finished with 103 points.
South River opened the 2012 schedule with a match, Tuesday, at Point Pleasant Beach. That will be followed at home Wednesday against Metuchen. Young says Mongelli’s singlet will be retired and presented to his parents at a special ceremony before the match.
A scholarship has been started in Mongelli’s memory with proceeds from fundraisers to be awarded to a wrestler each spring at the school’s end of the year assembly. All wrestling alumni are invited to a fund-raiser which will be held in conjunction with South River’s match against Carteret, Jan. 17.