Wrestling season kicks off for GMC’s top teams

BY GEORGE ALBANO
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI staff North Brunswick’s Nick Gambino tries to escape the grasps of South River’s Kevin Pereria during a 119-pound bout on Saturday in Sayreville.

The high school wrestling season got off to a fast start this past weekend with numerous local teams in action.

First things first, the South Plainfield Tigers sent a message to the entire Greater Middlesex Conference that they are once again the team to beat, rolling to an impressive win at the Morris Knolls Wrestling Tournament. The Tigers had six first-place finishes, two seconds, four thirds and a fourth to rack up 217 team points, well ahead of second-place Seton Hall Prep.

With their season-opening performance, South Plainfield proved what many already knew — the Tigers are loaded once again.

The team expected to be among the top challengers for the top spot in the GMC, the Old Bridge Knights, traveled down to Southern Regional over the weekend to participate in the Robin Leff Invitational, one of the more competitive season-opening tournaments in the state.

While no team standings were kept, a number of Knight grapplers performed well, starting with senior Justin Obrusniak, who won the title at 119 pounds. Obrusniak was impressive throughout the tournament, getting to the finals via a pin and a major decision, before winning a tough 3-2 match in the final.

Teammate Mike Vander Valk, a junior, placed third at 135 after winning his consolation match, 9-3, over Toms River North’s Anthony Fiorentino. He was topped in the semifinals by the same 9-3 margin by the eventual champion from Blair Academy.

Old Bridge’s John Pagnotta, a senior, took fourth at 112.

It was a solid first showing for the Knights, whose prospects took a serious blow when standout Vin Iodaci suffered a freak knee injury in practice. Iodaci entered his senior year with 92 career wins, and entertaining visions of a state title at 140 pounds after finishing third last year. He will attempt to wrestle this season with a brace on his knee.

Another team that should be among the top teams in the GMC, the East Brunswick Bears, traveled to Neptune over the weekend to participate in the prestigious Neptune Classic. This tournament annually attracts some of the top teams from throughout the state, and is usually a good barometer for a team’s success.

If that is indeed the case this year, then the Bears should be as good as advertised. Head coach Glen Pazinko’s squad emerged with a sixth-place team finish, with a number of solid individual performances. The Bears finished with 96.5 team points, behind Lenape (151.5), Oakcrest (128), Toms River East (126), and a pair of teams that should be among the top competitors in the Central Jersey Group IV section, Middletown North (118) and Manalapan (100.5).

Senior Tim Ackerman finished third in a tough 140-pound bracket, after winning his consolation round match, 3-2, over Central Regional’s Nick Tenpenny. He got to the consolations after winning a semifinal wrestleback over Bridgewater-Raritan’s Drew Ives, 4-3.

Jason Shelsby also took home third-place honors after winning his 145-pound consolation match with a pin over St. Rose’s Justin Sullivan in 2:34. Shelsby lost to the eventual tournament champion, Ricky Carlson of Oakcrest, 6-3, in the quarterfinals before winning three straight matches to clinch third place.

The Bears got another third-place finish from senior Nick Marrone at 160 pounds after he topped Oakcrest’s Ricky Seyler, 13-3, in the consolation round. Marrone also lost to the eventual champion, Central’s Ray Kenny, 17-9, in the semifinals.

Senior Matt Merrigan took third at 171, beating Middletown North’s Joe Sansone, 6-1, in the consolations after losing to the eventual champ, Toms River East’s Anthony Pontoriero, by pinfall in the semifinals.

Junior Corey Ritchings was the top seed in the 119-pound bracket, but ran into the surprise star of the tournament, Middletown North’s Frank Molinaro in the quarterfinals, and lost 3-1. Molinaro, just a freshman, went on to win the title at 119, while Ritchings fought back to finish fourth.

The Sayreville Bombers played host to both North Brunswick and South River on Saturday, and came away with a pair of impressive wins in the tri-meet.

Sayreville dominated the Raiders, 66-9, before putting forth a similar effort against the Rams en route to a 67-12 victory. It was just the type of start Chris Beagan’s Bombers were hoping for as they look to turn the corner after posting just nine victories the past two years.

The Spotswood Chargers participated in a quad-meet with Paul VI, Sacred Heart and Holy Spirit on Saturday, and ended the day with a 1-2 mark. First-year coach Joseph Koslowski’s Chargers fell to Paul VI, 52-24, and Sacred Heart, 54-25, but managed to top Sacred Heart, 49-30. With a very young team, look for Koslowski, who wrestled at Spotswood and later coached at Cardinal McCarrick, to bring the team along nicely as the season progresses.