HHS 160-pounder gains experience on state mats
By: Rudy Brandl
ATLANTIC CITY Frank McLaughlin knew things wouldn’t be easy at last weekend’s NJSIAA Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City. The Hillsborough High junior didn’t need to step on the mat to face an opponent to realize that he learned it with one glance at the tournament draw at 160 pounds.
McLaughlin had just become the eighth Region 5 champion in school history. He was promptly rewarded with a No. 8 seed in the bottom bracket and a date with top-ranked Alex Caruso of Watchung Hills. Caruso, the defending state runner-up at 152 pounds, had already defeated McLaughlin by an 8-4 score back in January.
The 160-pound division was loaded with rugged competitors and McLaughlin suffered in the seeding process because it was his first appearance in Atlantic City. He certainly made the best of the situation, fighting all the way back for a sixth-place finish and a place on the state podium.
"I’m happy I placed," said McLaughlin, whose fine season ended with a 29-5 record. "I knew I had some pretty tough kids. It was a real good experience being down here."
McLaughlin admitted to feeling a bit awed by the Boardwalk Hall atmosphere in his Friday night pre-quarterfinal bout vs. Caruso. He started slowly and never recovered from giving up an early takedown in a 7-3 loss.
"I just came out in my first state match and the crowd kind of got to me," McLaughlin said. "He got a real quick takedown and that was the match."
Caruso continued his journey through the bracket and eventually captured the 160-pound title with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Eastern’s Scott Giffin. McLaughlin started a little streak of his own in the consolation bracket, a place where many wrestlers disappear mentally.
McLaughlin wasn’t about to quit. He came back with three straight Saturday victories to clinch his state placement.
"It’s tough," McLaughlin said. "You’ve got to take it one match at a time. You can’t think about winning a certain number of matches to place. I really wanted to place."
McLaughlin said it helped to get some sleep before returning to the mat.
"You come off that loss really discouraged, so it’s good to get a night to regroup and get your head on straight," he said.
McLaughlin started his surge to state placement with an 11-2 major decision over Cherry Hill East’s Justin Bonitatis in Saturday morning’s first round of wrestlebacks. He kept it going with a huge pin of Kittatinny’s Jim Celli at 1:22. That second consolation victory, which was scoreless before McLaughlin converted a takedown into a fall, guaranteed a spot in the state’s top eight.
"I thought it was going to be a real tough match," McLaughlin said. "He was stronger but he made a mistake and I caught him."
Saturday night’s session featured the winner’s bracket semifinals and two more rounds of consolation action. McLaughlin needed to win both Saturday night bouts to stay in the hunt for third place. He managed to win the first one to move into the 5/6 tier.
McLaughlin broke open a close match with the final five points for an 8-3 decision over Mike D’Urso of West Essex. He escaped to take the lead and tacked on a four-point move in the final 20 seconds to reach the consolation semifinals, where a very disappointed Warren Hills standout Dave Richmond was waiting.
Richmond had just lost an overtime thriller to Caruso in a match many people called the best of the tournament. He somehow managed to hold off McLaughlin in a 5-4 decision.
McLaughlin battled JFK’s Pete Simon for fifth place Sunday in a rematch of the Region 5 final. The bout was very similar to the region match, with McLaughlin taking an early lead on a five-point move before Simon rallied to eventually tie the score. McLaughlin controlled the third period to win the region title, but Simon got his revenge and produced a fall at 5:08 in the state rematch.
"I made a mistake and I got caught," McLaughlin said. "I give him a lot of respect. I don’t know how he beat all those kids."
McLaughlin learned a lot in his first trip to Atlantic City and even looked on the bright side of his last match.
"The loss hurts, but maybe it helps me in the long run," said McLaughlin, who will take a 67-23 career record into his senior year. "It humbles you a little bit. Now I know what I have to do next year. I can’t wait to get back here."
When he arrives at Boardwalk Hall next March, McLaughlin won’t be an unknown entity. This year’s showing will earn him much more respect and a better seeding.
"He had a tremendous tournament," HHS head coach Steve Molinaro said. "Frank beat some quality kids. He knows he can wrestle with the best of them. He just has to turn it up another notch."