Shorthanded Schalick falls short in challenging powerhouse Paulsboro in South Jersey Group I wrestling finals
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PAULSBORO – When you’re already the underdog and facing a program that practically owns the championship trophy, it helps to have all your weapons.
Schalick was “shocking the world” getting to the sectional final for the first time in school history Thursday. But the Cougars didn’t go in with all their bullets and as hard as they tried to make a stand they fell to Paulsboro in the South Jersey Group I championship match 56-17.
It was the Red Raiders’ 45th sectional wrestling title.
“A lot of things had to happen our way,” Schalick coach Joe Frassenei said. “Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. I’m happy we scored 17 points.”
The Cougars (24-2) set a school record for wins in getting to the finals, but they went into the match without three 20-win wrestlers. They already knew they’d be without 165 Eric Sulik – he broke his nose in last week’s Pennsauken match — but the absences of E’Shion Underwood (120) and Koen Martin (144) were a more recent development they declined to talk about.
It caused Frassenei to get creative with his lineup, tinkering with it all the way up to match time. He already had second-year wrestler and JV undefeated Dezy Purnell in at 165, but dropped Caleb Jenkins from 113 into the leadoff match at 120 right before the call to the mat and plugged Jacob Potts in a 144. All three were pinned.
“We couldn’t make any moves,” Frassenei said. “We had to go strength on strength and their strength was a little bit better.
“Like at 150, I probably would have bumped around, created more opportunities for us, but when you don’t have the checkers to play with, you don’t have the checkers to play with.”
Athena Eberl even volunteered to wrestle at 120 to give the Cougars some flexibility, but if she weighed in at 120 she wouldn’t be able to compete in her regular weight class in the girls regionals, where she is expected to be a contender.
“We have that kind of team,” Frassenei said. “They just want to step up and fill the gap. That’s the kind of kids these are. They are willing to step in.”
The Cougars got behind early and couldn’t get catch up. Paulsboro won the first two bouts with a pin and tech fall to go out 11-0.
Ryan Miller got the Cougars on the board with a second-period pin a 132, but Paulsboro won the next five bouts to stand on the verge of clinching. One of the key results in the run was Kyaire Harvey’s 12-6 decision over Ayden Jenkins at 150. It was a tight bout throughout, but Harvey scored a takedown with 15 seconds left in the third period followed by a near fall to win.
Schalick now had no margin for error. Ricky Watt and Evan Elliot kept the Cougars alive. Watt remained undefeated on the season with a tech fall at 175 and Elliott followed with a pin at 190.
“It’s always winnable so, I went out there (and) I did my best,” Elliott said. “I did everything I needed to do. It was tough going out there knowing it was going to be hard to win but I trusted my teammates and whatever happens happens.”
“I just wanted to try to bring the score back as much as I could,” Watt said. “If I could go out there and get a pin, that’s what I wanted to do. That’s all you really can do is go out and do your part. You can’t really control what your teammates do, you just want to go out and do as much as you can to help your team.”
Their wins, however, just delayed the inevitable. Frank Damminger scored an 8-5 decision over Gerardo Felipe at 215 to clinch the match. The Red Raiders also won at 285 to extend the lead and Schalick forfeited the last two weight classes.
The Cougars were disappointed they couldn’t go farther, but 157 Riley Papiano probably had the best perspective of the night. He said it might have been a loss on the scoreboard, but it was a win in the history of the school and its wrestling program.
“We’re tenth graders, the majority of this team is ninth and tenth graders, we had 10 guys in ninth and tenth grade who started for us,” Frassenei said. “We’re young. We don’t have seven seniors like they do. Audubon (who they beat in the semis) has seven or eight. We plan on being back.”
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I CHAMPIONSHIP
PAULSBORO 56, SCHALICK 17
120: Antonio Chila (P) pinned Caleb Jenkins, 1:51
126: Aundre Hill (P) tech fall over Luke Silva, 19-3 (4:39)
132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Lucas Gazzola, 3:31
138: Julian Sosa (P) dec. Colin Bittle, 14-7
144: Ben Price (P) pinned Jacob Potts, 3:25
150: Kyare Harvey (P) dec. Ayden Jenkins, 12-6
157: Sawyer Cabanas (P) pinned Riley Papiano, 3:03
165: Deano Lucas (P) pinned Dezyon Purnell, 4:52
175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall over Malachi Harris, 18-3 (3:39)
190: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Evan Holloway, 2:21
215: Frank Damminger (P) dec. Gerardo Felipe, 8-5
285: Jared Hazel (P) pinned Julian Reid, 0:26
106: Will Cruz (P) won by forfeit
113: Hayden Holmes (P) won by forfeit
GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS
South: Paulsboro 56, Schalick 17
Central: Delaware Valley 65, Manville 9
North I: New Milford 38, Kittatinny 31
North II: Hanover Park 52, Hasbrouck Heights 23
STATE SEMIFINALS
Friday
New Milford (16-1) at Delaware Valley (17-3)
Paulsboro (15-7) at Hanover Park (16-6)
CHAMPIONSHIP
At Rutgers, Sunday, noon
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP FINALS
Group I: Paulsboro 56, Schalick 17
Group II: Middle Twp. 34, Lower Cape May 33
Group III: Delsea 69, Lacey 6
Group IV: Toms River South 40, Toms River East 28
Group V: Southern 51, Washington Twp. 18
Riverview Sports News 