Making the most

Salem County wrestling teams in action all over the state Saturday with mixed results; Efelis, Baptiste have big days for Pennsville

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Maddox Efelis got the word he was going to be in Pennsville’s varsity lineup for a duals match for the first time in his career sometime during the day Friday. It was plenty of time to get ready and enough time not to get nervous.

When it came time to get on the mat, the junior handled things the way Eagles coach John Starcevich would have liked – like he’d been there before. Efelis won both of his matches, one by first-period pin and one by decision, as the Eagles defeated Oakcrest and Overbrook in their Saturday quad.

“I wanted to get out there and not get pinned and help us get some points,” Efelis said. “It felt good to get the wins.”

Efelis got inserted in the lineup after regular 138 Joey Maurer was an injury default in Friday’s night’s match against Buena. It was Efelis’ first time making weight at 138, having previously weighing in at 144.

He had wrestled with the varsity once before this season, at 150 against Gateway in the Blue Devil Duals, and lost in a technical fall. Most of his mat time has been in the wrestling room and with the JVs.

“I was nervous (today), but I tried to keep everything the same that I do to get ready for a match,” he said.

The Eagles beat Oakcrest 40-15 and Overbrook 51-18. They didn’t wrestle Millville in the quad because they already had earlier this season. Robbie McDade (157) had two pins, Trevor Waddington (285) had a pin and a decision, and Travis Hagan (144), Sky Eppes (150) and Connor Ayars (175) all had two wins via pin and forfeit.

It also was a big day for another new wrestler. The Eagles put together some girls matches and Esther Baptiste, a first-year senior wrestler, won her two matches, pinning Kayla Nicholson from Overbrook in 3:37 and taking an 8-4 decision from Jade McDowell from Millville.

She was especially proud of the win over McDowell, which she called one of her most difficult matches of the season, because she twice escaped headlocks that had her in danger. It gave her a 6-4 overall record this year with four pins, 6-2 in matches against girls.

“Today opened my eyes to more of what I can do better at offensively and defensively,” she said. “I’m proud of myself because I was really tired when I had to wrestle my last match and I didn’t let her pin me and I won.”

Baptiste’s road to the mat is a lot like another wrestler on the Eagles’ roster. After emigrating to the United States from Guyana in 2018, she came to the wrestling room after moving to Pennsville from Houston last year and talking with 190 standout Elias Lussi about the sport. She showed up with an athletic background and a lot of enthusiasm and has been learning on the fly.

Lussi came to the Eagles wrestling room three years ago after moving from Miami with no understanding of the sport and has become the face of the program. “It was because of him that I really wanted to try it out,” Baptiste said.

Now she’s enjoying the experience so much she’s thinking of joining the program at Rutgers-Newark next year depending on how the rest of this season goes.

Pennsville Quad

TEAMS	PVILLE	MILL	OAKC	OVER
Pennsville	PVILLE	NA	40-15	51-18
Millville	NA	MILL	58-18
Oakcrest	15-40	18-58	OAKC	42-37
Overbrook	18-51		37-42	OVER

Penns Grove Quad

TEAMS	PGRV	DEPT	NEGP	STJOE
Penns Grove	PGRV	18-60	48-27	54-18
Deptford	60-18	DEPT	60-24	76-6
New Egypt	27-48	24-60	NEGP	48-18
St. Joe’s (Hamm)	18-54	6-76	18-48	STJOE

PENNS GROVE – Penns Grove went 2-1 in their own duals event, beating St. Joe’s (Hammonton) 54-18 and New Egypt 48-27, and falling to Deptford 60-18.

The Red Devils were set up with multiple forfeits in their St. Joe’s win, but they staged a big rally to take down New Egypt. They lost each of the first five bouts against the Warriors, then won the next eight to secure the win.

Anthony Brown (150) won all three of his matches by pin. Isaiah Upshur went 3-0 with a pin in the Deptford match, a injury default and a forfeit.

PENNS GROVE 54, ST. JOE’S 18
106: Double forfeit
113: Sultan Harris (P) won by forfeit
120: Devine Arce (P) won by forfeit
126: Cameron Vile (P) won by forfeit
132: Mason Hollywood (S) pinned Adan Gonzales, 3:32
138: Double forfeit
144: Anthony Afanador (S) pinned Nasir Garris, 3:14
150: Anthony Brown (P) pinned Colin Steiner, 1:52
157: Jayden Owens (P) pinned Bobby Butkus, 1:09
165: Nicholas Melchiore (S) pinned Antonio Garris, 1:30
175: Christopher Fraga (P) won by forfeit
190: Clinton Bobo (P) won by forfeit
215: Isaiah Upshur (P) won by forfeit
285: Sumir Brown (P) won by forfeit

PENNS GROVE 48, NEW EGYPT 27
106: Jocelin Olivera (N) won by forfeit
113: Gavin Stone (N) pinned Sultan Harris, 1:15
120: Fred Frappier (N) dec. Devine Arce, 9-8
126: Steve Meleg (N) pinned Cameron Vile, 4:28
132: Wyatt Burgess (N) won by forfeit
138: Adan Gonzales (P) won by forfeit
144: Nasir Garris (P) pinned Zachary Peterson, 1:47
150: Anthony Brown (P) pinned Nicholas Johnson, 0:28
157: Jayden Owens (P) pinned Alan Arce, 2:27
165: Antonio Garris (P) pinned Elmer Morfin, 4:25
175: Clinton Bobo (P) pinned Dylan Searles, 0:57
190: Isaiah Upshur (P) def. Morgan Peterson, inj.
215: Sumir Brown (P) won by forfeit
285: Double forfeit

DEPTFORD 60, PENNS GROVE 18
120: Daniel Jimenez (D) dec. Devine Arce, 9-4
126: Ethan Christmas (D) pinned Cameron Vile, 3:10
132: Amir Barnes (D) pinned Adan Gonzales, 1:50
138: Odesa Myers (D) won by forfeit
144: Jaylen Huertas (D) dec. Nasir Garris, 6-0
150: Anthony Brown (P) pinned Nick Childress, 3:51
157: Mel Maguire (D) pinned Jayden Owens, 1:48
165: Antonio Garris (P) pinned Jason Perez, 3:26
175: Drew Ford (D) pinned Clinton Bobo, 4:59
190: Isaiah Upshur (P) pinned Kevin Sokhom, 1:10
215: Nathan Dare (D) pinned Antonio Cooper, 3:40
285: John Griffith (D) pinned Sumir Brown, 2:35
106: Ava Paul (D) won by forfeit
113: Eoin Curran (D) pinned Sultan Harris, 0:36

Emerson/Park Ridge Quad

TEAMS	WOOD	WATCH	HILLS	EMPR
Woodstown	WOOD	38-39	30-36	21-51
Watchung Hills	39-38	WATCH	30-29
Hillsborough	36-30	29-30	HILLS	28-34
Emerson/Park Ridge	51-21		34-28	EMPR

PARK RIDGE – The Wolverines went all the way up near the state line with New York to face some stiff North Jersey competition. They went 0-3, but two of their matches went down the wire.

They lost to Emerson/Park Ridge 51-21, Hatchung Hills 39-38 and Hillsborough 36-30.

The match with Hillsborough was close throughout and was tied three times, the last at 30-30 when Brett Rowand pinned Tyler Margelis in under a minute at 150. But Hillsborough scored decisions in each of the final two bouts to pull out the win.

Rowand gave the Wolverines a 38-34 lead over Watching Hills with a decision at 150, but Cody Pritzlaff scored a technical fall (23-7) in the final bout at 157 to snatch the win away.

Paul Banff (190) and Mateo Vinciguerra (285) won all three of their matches by pin for the Wolverines.

EMERSON/PARK RIDGE 51, WOODSTOWN 21
157: Nicholas Giella (E) pinned Jayden Donahue, 1:41
165: Luke Macfie (E) dec. Zach Bevis, 10-4
175: Jacob Shannon (E) pinned Greyson Hyland, 1:48
190: Paul Banff (Wo) pinned Carlos Rivera, 1:38
215: Cole Hughes (E) pinned Andre Sinou, 0:37
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Leo Danziger, 0:32
106: Evan Constante (E) won by forfeit
113: Joseph Dimotta (E) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Nate Shannon, 1:06
126: Matthew Constante (E) pinned Carson Bradway, 2:51
132: Ryan Messick (E) pinned Alex Torres, 2:48
138: Paul Coombes (E) dec. Willem Groom, SV-1 4-2
144: Laitton Roberts (Wo) dec. Colin Cottrell, 6-0
150: Luel Cutout (E) dec. Brett Rowand, SV-1 9-7

WATCHUNG HILLS 39, WOODSTOWN 38
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) tech fall over Reilly Tallion, 20-5 (5:19)
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Artun Kirgezmis, 0:35
190: Paul Banff (Wo) pinned Alejandro Dilone, 0:43
215: Jake Carfaro (WH) pinned Andre Sinou, 1:26
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Kenneth Ferrari, 1:20
106: Evan Frank (WH) won by forfeit
113: Morgan Torres (WH) won by forfeit
120: Anthony DiAndrea (WH) maj. dec. over Travis Balback, 9-1
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) pinned Vincent Glynos, 1:51
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Max Shaferman, 0:39
138: Jordan Bash (WH) pinned Willem Groom, 1:30
144: Nick Valenti (WH) pinned Laitton Roberts, 0:40
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) dec. Ryan Higgins, 6-4
157: Cody Pritzlaff (WH) tech fall over Jayden Donahue, 23-7 (4:09)

HILLSBOROUGH 36, WOODSTOWN 30
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Andrew Lodato, 0:57
190: Paul Banff (Wo) pinned Michael Bynes, 0:45
215: Matthew Jones (H) pinned Andre Sinou, 1:40
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Nicholas Duarte, 3:27
106: Ryan Spinelli (H) won by forfeit
113: Thomas Kester (H) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Michael Sanchez, 1:46
126: Corey Iannucci (H) dec. Carson Bradway, 13-7
132: Zachary Iannucci (H) dec. Alex Torres, 9-7
138: Owen Miller (H) dec. Willem Groom, 8-2
144: Bregg Lockburner (H) dec. Laitton Roberts, 2-1
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Tyler Marvels, 0:53
157: Kevin Hoefele (H) dec. Jayden Donahue, 5-1
165: Matthew Miller (H) dec. Zach Bevis, 12-5

Schalick Quad

TEAMS	SCWR	BUENA	NBURL	TIMCK
Schalick/Cumb.	SCWR	63-9	13-59	36-43
Buena	9-63	BUENA	11-66
N. Burlington	59-13	66-11	NBURL	60-15
Timber Creek	43-36		15-60	TIMCK