Pennsville braves the weather, beats Pitman to avenge last year’s one-point loss
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Neither wind nor rain nor gloom of night will keep the Pennsville wrestlers from their appointed round with victory.
While three other Salem County wrestling teams with matches scheduled Tuesday – Penns Grove, Woodstown, Schalick/Cumberland – canceled out of an abundance of caution for the heavy weather expected in during the evening, the Eagles soldiered on with postal service like dedication and turned back Pitman 51-24.
“We really don’t want to miss a match,” Eagles junior Connor Ayars said. “Especially since this is a conference match, so this was a good match for us, especially since we got the win. We really wanted to wrestle this one. They beat us last year by one.”
On the surface it looked like the Eagles were headed for an easy seventh dual win. Pitman had six open weights on the lineup card giving the Eagles a 36-point lead.
They appeared to have clinched it when Sky Eppes stopped Pitman’s mid-match momentum with an overtime decision over Robert Graves at 150. But when Pennsville unexpectedly forfeited at 165, the Panthers were back in it.
The Eagles finally clinched it when Ayars, wrestling up at 190, got a late takedown and took down Dominic Saffioti 3-1. The decision gave the Eagles an 18-point lead with two bouts remaining.
“I didn’t expect (to wrestle) especially when I checked that they didn’t have a 175; I didn’t think I was going to wrestle,” Ayars said. “Earlier this week I asked my coach if I could bump up to 190 and he said we’ll see how it works out, but I really wasn’t expecting it. But it did.”
He was giving up about 15 pounds and muscle mass to his opponent, but the bout was scoreless through two periods. Then Saffioti made the decision that played into Ayars’ hands. He gave up a point to start the period in neutral. Ayers shot the legs and scored a takedown and rode out the rest of the time for the win.
“With the weight defense plans in place and the newer rules in today’s wrestling it’s harder to kind of dance around and shuffle a lineup; you’re more restricted,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “Pennsville teams of old were notorious for bumping and griding and doing what we’ve got to do to get the best matchups to ultimately win matches.
“But with Connor, especially tonight, he had been wrestling well. He got a late start to the season, but every time he stepped on the map he is just getting more confident, he’s getting better, and instead of getting his hand raised for a forfeit tonight we wanted him to compete. He gave up a little bit of weight but we were confident that he would have a good matchup and he executed on that and grinded out a win. He did a great job.”
With Ayars bumping up in class, Elias Lussi, their regular 190, bumped up to 215. He scored twice late in the third period and won a 5-1 decision. The Eagles won the final match at heavyweight by forfeit.
PENNSVILLE 51, PITMAN 24
106: Gina Haubrich (Pv) won by forfeit
113: Vincent Ciccantelli (Pv) won by forfeit
120: Christopher Daniels (Pv) won by forfeit
126: Adriano Platt (Pt) pinned Kameron Drummond, 5:25
132: Ayden Perez (Pv) pinned Ayden Employ, 5:04
138: Jacob Lawrence (Pt) pinned Travis Hagan, 3:27
144: Jonathan Bruno (Pt) pinned Joseph Maurer, 1:40
150: Sky Eppes (Pv) dec. Robert Graves, 4-2
157: Robert McDade (Pv) won by forfeit
165: Chase Rollins (Pt) won by forfeit
175: Justin Oldaker (Pv) won by forfeit
190: Connor Ayars (Pv) dec. Dominic Saffioti, 3-1
215: Elias Lussi (Pv) dec. Aiden Milward, 5-1
285: Trevor Waddington (Pv) won by forfeit
Records: Pitman 2-4, Pennsville 7-2.
Tag: high-school-wrestling
Getting closer
Woodstown wrestlers start the new year with a win over Pitman that wasn’t as taxing as their post-Christmas gauntlet
WEDNESDAY WRESTLING
Woodstown 46, Pitman 26
Schalick/Cumberland 58, Sterling 18
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The Woodstown wrestling team needed a breather.
After putting themselves through a gauntlet of nail biters in their three matches after Christmas, the Wolverines clinched their first match of the new year in the middle part of the proceedings Wednesday night and went on to put away Pitman 46-26.
It was a lot less stressful than their last three matches. In those exercises, they lost to Northern Burlington and Cinnaminson and beat Audubon, and all three matches went down to the final bout.
“We want to win matches, but I thought we wrestled well tonight,” Woodstown coach Adam Hyland said. “I thought over the weekend we didn’t wrestle up to our capabilities. We just didn’t wrestle well.
“I thought tonight our performance was better. That’s what we really focus on – how well are we performing, not necessarily if we win or lose. I thought we performed a lot better.”
Speaking of performing, Ryan Polk turned in one of the Wolverines’ better individual ones. With forfeits locked up in the final two weights on the night, Polk’s first pin of the season, over Ayden Epley at 132, provided the points to clinch the match.
Polk is somewhat a man on a mission, trying to earn a spot back in the varsity lineup. The junior wrestled with the varsity at 126 as a freshman, but was relegated to the JVs last year with the emergence of Alex Torres. He was getting his shot at 132 this winter with Torres injured and made the most of it.
“We need to get Polky going,” Hyland said. “He’s had some tough losses recently for us. Tonight he hit the technique we work on in practice. He did his job. I’m really proud of him.”
It was a breakthrough night for Polk. He pulled off a cross-face cradle he’d been working to perfect all season to set up his pin and second win of the season.
“It meant a lot,” Polk said. “Last year I only had one win on the varsity (in three matches).”
Polk’s pin made it impossible for Woodstown to lose, then Brett Rowand pinned Robert Graves in 1:14 at 150 to slam the door. The Wolverines also got a pin from Travis Balback (120) and a major decision from Paul Banff (190) to open the match.
“We’ve been working hard all season,” Hyland said. “I tell them we’re concerned with the end of the season, not the beginning of the season, so it’s a process and in terms of where we are in that process we’re about where we need to be. We’ve still got a ways to go, but we’re getting closer.
“We just need to get matches and get them in the groove. We just haven’t been competing very much, so I think as we progress through the season, get more matches under our belt, get more experience and get some guys back from being out, we’re going to get better as the year goes on.”
WOODSTOWN 46, PITMAN 26
190: Paul Banff 
maj. dec. over Dom Saffioti, 10-2
215: Aiden Milward (P) maj. dec. over Josiah Mejias, 9-1
285: Mateo Vinciguerro won by forfeit
106: Chase Blandino won by forfeit
113: Skylar Nicola (P) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback pinned A.J. Starr, 0:12
126: Adriano Platt (P) maj. dec. over Carson Bradway, 10-0
132: Ryan Polk pinned Ayden Epley, 1:29
138: Jacob Lawrence (P) dec. Will Groom, 7-4
144: Jon Bruno (P) pinned Angel Hernandez, 3:01
150: Brett Rowand pinned Robert Graves, 1:14
157: Chase Rollins (P) dec. Zayden Donahue, 7-3
165: Zach Bevis won by forfeit
175: Greyson Highland won by forfeit
SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 58, STERLING 18
120: Kamrin Johnson (S) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 3:21
126: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Joseph Rogers, 0:37
132: Chase Williams (SC) pinned Alexander Mexica, 0:12
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Jayden Williams
144: Declan Winters (S) dec. Riley Papiano, 6-3
150: Ayden Jenkins (SC) pinned Jermaine Stewart, 2:31
157: Ricky Watt (SC) maj. dec. over Brandon Rebecca, 17-7
165: Koen Martin (SC) pinned John Beasley, 3:23
175: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Rene Camacho, 2:43
190: Kenny McArdle (S) dec. Eric Sulick, SV-1 3-1
215: Ronald Piernikoski (SC) won by forfeit
285: Nick Gellien (S) pinned Logan Hancock, 1:33
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) won by forfeit
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) won by forfeit
Riverview Sports News 