WRESTLING: The underclassmen for SBHS can gain a glimpse at the future while the seniors see the end of their high school careers.
By: Ken Weingartner
FLEMINGTON Although the regional tournaments represent the conclusion of the season for those wrestlers who fail to advance, it can produce different feelings for different people.
For underclassmen, it can be a glimpse at the future and a barometer of improvement and potential. For seniors, it marks the end of their scholastic careers.
In either case, though, it’s a time of self-evaluation.
Seven South Brunswick High wrestlers experienced those feelings last weekend.
Seniors Jad Duca, Blake Sframeli and Peter Gibb saw their careers come to conclusion with losses Saturday at Hunterdon Central High School. Paul Strincoski, Michael Fidacaro, Kevin Fox and Derrick Cromartie saw what it will take to further their success in the future.
"I think I should’ve done better, but last year I finished fourth in the district and didn’t even make it here," Strincoski said. "This year, I won two matches here. I’m going to work real hard over the summer, go to as many tournaments as I can, so I can do better."
Strincoski pulled off the biggest upset of the quarterfinals by pinning No. 2 seed Rob Wilkinson of Hunterdon Central. He lost to Mike McGorvin of Edison in the semifinals, then dropped a 6-4 overtime decision to Mike Rodriguez of Perth Amboy in the wrestlebacks.
"I have three overtime losses on my record, all to kids I should’ve beaten," said Strincoski, who finished 22-11 at 103 pounds. "But I guess I had a pretty good year."
Duca, the fourth seed at 140, lost a 6-3 decision to top-seeded Mike Furnari of North Hunterdon in the semifinals, then rebounded to beat Bruno Somma, 6-4, in the wrestlebacks. In the match for third place, the senior was handed an 11-5 setback by Jim Rosinski of Delaware Valley.
Gene Zannetti of J.P. Stevens, who beat Duca by a point in the semifinals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, won the Region 5 title. This was the second straight year Duca finished one win shy of advancing from the regional. The top three in each weight class move ahead.
"I wrestled hard, it just didn’t happen," said Duca, the District 20 champion who finished with a 25-5 record. "I can’t say anymore than that. Some days you’re on, some days you’re not."
Gibb, seeded second at 189, lost 9-2 to Rich Jannuzzi of Bound Brook in the semifinals. He won 9-7 in overtime against Mike Baumann of Voorhees before falling 9-2 to Keith Kubicek of Hunterdon Central in the third-place bout. Gibb finished 21-9.
Sframeli, seeded fourth at 171, lost in Friday’s quarterfinals, but came back to win Saturday morning, pinning Fabian Thompson of Piscataway in 1:51. He lost his next bout in the wrestlebacks, however, 8-6 to Andrey Sharapov of Bound Brook.
Rudy Medini, who beat Sframeli by a point in the semifinals of the GMCT, won the regional crown.
"This didn’t live up to my expectations," said Sframeli, who was 22-7. "I’m disappointed with the end of the season. But the way I figure it, everybody’s got to lose except the guys who win the state championship and third-place matches. So, I guess it’s not that bad."
Fox, who was seeded third at 160, lost 7-5 in the semis to Alex Shallop of Delaware Valley, then fell 9-4 to Jason Mar of Spotswood in the wrestlebacks. Fox had beaten Mar in the District 20 title match last weekend. Mar had given Fox his only loss to that point in the season, a setback in the GMCT semifinals early last month.
"It didn’t go as well as I would’ve liked," Fox said. "My head wasn’t in the (Mar) match. I guess he just wanted it more. I just wasn’t in it today. I didn’t wrestle well at all. It’s a big disappointment to me."
Fox said he had "a lot" to do during the offseason to get to the next level.
"I’ve just got to work as hard as I can, lift as hard as I can, run as hard as I can," said Fox, who ended 25-3.
Fidacaro, who lost in Friday night’s quarterfinals at 130 to eventual champ Ed Gutnik, dropped his first bout in the wrestlebacks to Jose Morin of Bridgewater-Raritan.
Cromartie bounced back from a quarterfinal loss at 215 by pinning Sean McMahon of Bernards in 4:33. He dropped his next match in the wrestlebacks, falling 7-2 to Old Bridge’s Aaron Suozzo.
"It was fun," Cromartie said about the season, which ended 24-6. "I think from being a JV wrestler last year to varsity this year, it wasn’t what I expected, but it was exciting."
Cromartie, who said he weighed in at 180 pounds for the regional tournament, knew he would be at a slight disadvantage.
"I gave up so much weight," he said. "I knew (Suozzo) was stronger. I was quicker, but I didn’t show it."
The junior said he planned to rank among the top 10 in the state next year, adding "that’s a fact." He said he wanted to attend summer tournaments where he knew he could get beat.
"You learn more from losing than winning," he said. "No matter how good you think you are, there’s always someone better."