Setting the stage

Woodstown, Pennsville pick up wins over larger schools to set the stage for their big match Friday

WEDNESDAY’S SCORES
Clayton at Salem
Schalick/Cumberland 63, Penns Grove 18
Woodstown 64, Overbrook 15
Pennsville 35, at Timber Creek 27

By Riverview Sports News

Woodstown and Pennsville are big rivals on the wrestling mat and both picked up big wins Wednesday in the run up to their big match on Friday that carries South Jersey Group I playoff seeding implications.

The two teams went into the day Nos. 4 and 5 in the sectional power points standings, separated by only six-tenth of a point at the end of the night. Woodstown beat Group II Overbrook 64-15 and Pennsville beat Group III Timber Creek 35-27.

“The way we kind of see how things are unfolding it could put us in a couple different positions, for sure,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said Friday’s match. “But it always ends up being a big match.”

The Eagles wrestled what Starcevich called “a complete match” against the Chargers, winning the first seven bouts they wrestled and eight of the first nine.

“This was our best performance of the season across the board,” Starcevich said.

Chris Daniels and Ayden Perez got the ball rolling with two of the Eagles’ most noteworthy wins of the match. Daniels bumped up in weight and took a 6-1 decision at 126 and Perez stepped in at 132 and earned a dominating 10-0 major decision.

“That was very big,” Perez said of his fourth varsity win this season. “I haven’t been wrestling for very long, so going to the varsity level is difficult to me, but I’ve been trying to work as hard as I could. This was one of the best (matches) I’ve wrestled.”

Woodstown built a 28-15 lead through the middle of the match, then won the last six bouts – five by pin – to lock up their third straight win. Willem Groom (138), Angel Hernandez (144), Zayden Donahue (157), Zach Bevis (165) and Greyson Hyland (175) had the pins in the run.

“The kids are trying their best and improving,” Woodstown coach Adam Hyland said. “We’ve lost a lot of close matches, but they’ve stayed the course.”

PENNSVILLE 35, TIMBER CREEK 27
126: Christopher Daniels (P) dec. Naim Mosley, 6-1
132: Ayden Perez (P) maj. dec. over Dominick Wolfenden, 10-0
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Joey Walker, 3:46
144: Maddox Efelis (P) dec. Eric Rambaran, 6-1
150: Sky Eppes (P) won by forfeit
157: Gavin Bates (T) won by forfeit
165: Robbie McDade (P) dec. Zyeir Green, 5-4
175: Connor Ayars (P) maj. dec. over Elijah Green, 9-1
190: Elias Lussi (P) dec. Amir Reason-Dallas, 9-4
215: Josh Bartell (T) dec. Daniel Emmons, 5-0
285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Jayson Ross, 0:31
106: Lucas Thomas (P) dec. Dominic Speakman, 5-3
113: Matthew Steele (T) pinned Ciccantelli, 0:58
120: Devin Karge (T) won by forfeit
Records: Pennsville 13-4, Timber Creek 7-6

WOODSTOWN 64, OVERBROOK 15
190: Karsten Hantho (Wo) pinned Daniel Keyes, 2:47
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Augustus Guzman, 0:29
285: Tomas Sanchez (O) pinned Braiden Gould, 5:56
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Zoe Torraya (O) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Michael Walls, 5:07
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) maj. dec. over Francis McLaughlin, 8-0
132: Michael Rosano (O) dec. Alex Torres, 7-1
138: Willem Groom (Wo) pinned Domiano Redrow, 2:25
144: Angel Hernandez (Wo) pinned Tymere Christmas, 3:52
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) won by forfeit
157: Zayden Donahue (Wo) pinned Randall Ringstaff, 1:09
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Ben Matos, 1:52
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Vance Elder, 1:08
Records: Woodstown 6-10, Overbrook 4-11

SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 63, PENNS GROVE 18
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) won by forfeit
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) won by forfeit
120: Gabrielle Rodriguez (SC) pinned Sultan Harris, 1:29
126: Chase Wiliams (SC) pinned Devin Arce, 0:55
132: Ryan Miller (SC) pinned Raeed Clark, 3:10
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Adam Gonzales, 0:38
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) maj. dec. over Nasir Garris, 18-5
150: Anthony Brown (PG) pinned Riley Papiano, 0:45
157: Michael Carastro (SC) pinned Jayden Owens, 3:07
165: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Antonio Garris, 3:13
175: Hebron Hall-Jones (SC) over Clinton Bobo, DQ
190: Isaiah Upshur (PG) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 1:06
215: Isaiah Underwood (PG) pinned Evan Elliott, 5:54
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) pinned Antonio Cooper, 1:59
Note: SC 1.0 team deduction (157 unsportsmanlike conduct)
Records: Schalick/Cumberland 11-4, Penns Grove 3-6

South Jersey Power Points

GROUP I	REC	PTS	GROUP IV	REC	PTS
Paulsboro	10-2	30.3	N. Burlington	10-1	29.2
Audubon	10-5	27.4	Hammonton	11-5	27.8
Gloucester	8-6	27.4	Cherry Hill-West	9-6	27.2
Woodstown	6-10	27.2	Shawnee	8-4	27.1
Pennsville	13-4	26.6	Moorestown	9-7	27.1
Palmyra	12-6	26	Schalick	10-4	25.9
Haddon Twp.	6-9	24.6	Millville	8-7	25.3
Pitman	6-6	23.1	Central Reg.	8-11	25.2
Buena	3-7	21	Pennsauken	7-9	24.1
Maple Shade	4-8	20.8	Toms River East	3-8	24.1
Penns Grove	3-5	20.29	Clearview	5-7	23.6
Burlington City	4-7	15.4	Toms River South	5-5	22.4
Riverside	1-12	15	West Tech	5-11	21.8
Salem	0-4	9.75	Winslow	4-13	20.6

Through matches of Jan. 24. Eight teams qualify for sectional tournament.

Feels so good

McDade pin clinches Pennsville wrestling’s 57-18 over rival Penns Grove; Woodstown falls in basketball

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Robbie McDade is one of those multi-sport athletes who stays in the moment. He plays for the season he’s in at the time, accepts the results in that season and when it’s over moves on to the next one. But he had to admit it was pretty satisfying what happened Wednesday night.

As a football quarterback, he was on the losing end of Pennsville’s annual game for The Boot with rival Penns Grove in the fall. But he got a measure of revenge on the wrestling mat when he pinned Jayden Owens in 3:29 to clinch the Eagles’ 57-18 victory.

“It was pretty satisfying,” McDade said. “It’s always good to beat a rival. It sucks that we lost in the football, but it’s the next mindset. Wrestling, you’ve got to come in here and win. Can’t wait for next year in football and if we see them again here I can’t wait to beat them again.

“Every time we go against these guys, (in) wrestling, (in) football, it always puts a fire in you to do better and try to win. I’m looking forward to that football season.”

The Eagles had the match well in hand when McDade went on the mat for his 157 bout. They won the first seven weight classes of the match, four by forfeit, to open a 39-0 lead. Tre Brown got Penns Grove on the board with a pin of Sky Eppes at 150, then McDade put the Eagles over the top with his second-period pin.

McDade has pinned his last three opponents and won his last seven dual bouts in a row.

“He’s a sophomore this year so he’s still adjusting to varsity-level competition,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “He’s becoming more technical and less backyard brawler. He’s developing a technique, he’s starting to work the system that we teach and he’s having more and more success with it. He’s dangerous.

“Now he’s wrestling better competition and he’s won a couple matches where his technique is prevailing.”

McDade scored one of four pins by Pennsville wrestlers, joining Kameron Drummond (132), Travis Hagan (144) and Trevor Waddington (285).

All of Penns Grove’s points came via pin – Brown, Antonio Garris (165) and first-year wrestler Clinton Bobo (175).

McDade wasn’t the only Eagles wrestler to exact a little revenge in the match. When Elias Lussi scored his 9-2 decision over Isaiah Upshur at 190 in one of the headline bouts of the night, he beat a wrestler who pinned him in 30 seconds a year ago.

WOODSTOWN 41, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 21: The Wolverines won five of the last six matches to pull away and snap a six-match losing streak. They held a 19-15 lead after eight bouts, then got wins from Zach Bevis (165), Greyson Hyland (175), Paul Banff (190), Andrew Sinou (215) and Mateo Vinciguerra (285) to seal the win. Banff and Vinciguerra scored pins and Sinou’s decision clinched it.

PENNSVILLE 57, PENNS GROVE 18
106: Gina Shinn (Pv) won by forfeit
113: Vincent Ciccantelli (Pv) won by forfeit
120: Christopher Daniels (Pv) dec. Devine Arce, 6-2
126: Gavriel Supernavage (Pv) won by forfeit
132: Kameron Drummond (Pv) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:51
138: Ayden Perez (Pv) won by forfeit
144: Travis Hagan (Pv) pinned Nasir Garris, 3:29
150: Tre Brown (PG) pinned Sky Eppes, 5:34
157: Robbie McDade (Pv) pinned Jayden Owens, 3:29
165: Antonio Garris (PG) pinned Cole Campbell, 1:28
175: Clinton Bobo (PG) pinned Connor Ayars, 2:44
190: Elias Lussi (Pv) dec. Isaiah Upshur, 9-2
215: Dan Emmons (Pv) dec. Antonio Cooper, 7-6
285: Trevor Waddington (Pv) pinned Samir Brown, 3:48
Records: Pennsville 11-2, Penns Grove 3-5

WOODSTOWN 41, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 21
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 0:55
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) maj. dec. over Luke Silva, 9-1
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Chase Williams, 1:03
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) dec. Willem Groom, 11-6
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) dec. Laitton Roberts, 5-2
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) dec. Riley Papiano, 7-0
157: Ricky Watt (SC) dec. Zayden Donahue, 6-4
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) dec. Jake Magonagle, 6-2
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) maj. dec. over Eric Sulik, 11-1
190: Paul Banff (Wo) pinned Gabrielle Rodriguez, 3:15
215: Andre Sinou (Wo) dec. Evan Elliott, 10-5
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Noval Jenkins, 0:29
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) pinned Chase Blandino, 1:00
Records: Schalick/Cumberland 9-4, Woodstown 3-9

Penns Grove’s Tre Brown (red) gets Pennsville’s Sky Eppes upside down in their 150-pound match Wednesday night. On the cover, Pennsville’s Robbie McDade (blue) has control over Jayden Owens on the way to his pin at 157.

Basketball

Overbrook 57, Woodstown 42

PINE HILL – Lamar Little and Nic Johnson scored 14 points apiece and Overbook got off to a fast start and handed the Wolverines (6-4) their second straight loss. Blake Bialecki led Woodstown with 12 points and was the Wolverines’ only scorer in double figures. Overbrook (8-3) has won three in a row.

OVERBROOK 57, WOODSTOWN 42
WOODSTOWN (6-4) – Blake Bialecki 12, Alejandro Vazquez 9, M.J. Hall 4, Garrett Leyman 2, Max Webb 2, Rocco String 6, Elijah Caesar 7.
OVERBROOK (8-3) – Jaden St. John 1 0-0 2, Maki Ortiz 2 0-0 4, Kevin Satchell 0 2-2 2, Lamar Little 5 0-0 14, Zair Green 4 0-0 10, Chris Grier 1 2-4 4, Nic Johnson 4 4-4 14, Amare Kee 0 0-2 0, Shaun Mills 3 0-0 7, Tory Scott 0 0-0 0, Elvin Santiago 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-12 57.

Woodstown	4	10	8	18 –	42
Overbrook	17	11	20	9 –	57

3-point goals: Overbrook 9 (Little 4, Green 2, Johnson 2, Mills).

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

PENNSVILLE 40, OAKCREST 15
215: Jose Anaya (O) dec. Daniel Emmons, 7-1
285: Trevor Waddington (P) dec. Youssef Nosair, 4-0
106: Lucas Thomas (P) won by forfeit
113: Double forfeit
120: Christopher Daniels (P) maj. dec. over Bruce Bellace, 12-1
126: Braden Monroe (O) dec. Gabriel Supernavage, 10-5
132: Heriberto Curtidor (O) dec. Kameron Drummond, 9-3
138: Maddox Efelis (P) dec. George Swoyer, 6-4
144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Erick Montas-Arias
150: Sky Eppes (P) pinned Jorge Curtidor Cornejo, 2:00
157: Robert McDade (P) pinned Ryan Monroe, 2:00
165: Andrew Smith (O) pinned Cole Campbell
175: Connor Ayars (P) won by forfeit
190: Double forfeit

PENNSVILLE 51, OVERBROOK 18
190: Elias Lussi (P) pinned Daniel Keyes, 2:13
215: Tomas Sanchez (O) pinned Daniel Emmons, 1:58
285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Aydin Appley, 5:44
106: Zoe Torraya (O) dec. Gina Shinn, 6-3
113: Lucas Thomas (P) won by forfeit
120: Michael Wallas (O) dec. Christopher Daniels, 10-4
126: KhyRee Hines (O) dec. Kameron Drummond, 9-5
132: Michael Romano (O) dec. Ayden Perez, 6-2
138: Maddox Efelis (P) pinned Domino Redrow, 1:14
144: Travis Hagan (P) won by forfeit
150: Sky Eppes (P) won by forfeit
157: Robert McDade (P) pinned Oscar Calderon, 2:45
165: Cole Campbell (P) dec. Ben Matos, 8-5
175: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Vance Elder, 1:05

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

BRIDGETON – Schalick/Cumberland went 1-2 in its event, scoring a 63-9 win over Buena. Noval Jenkins (285) and Ayden Jenkins (144) both had a decision and a pin for SC on the day.

SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 63, BUENA 9
215: Evan Elliott (SC) pinned Maysen Sandfort, 4:20
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) pinned Brian Ayres, 1:59
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) won by forfeit
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) pinned Nicholas Panaro, 1:21
120: Gabriel McFeeley (SC) pinned Michael Pettit, 1:30
128: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Aden Vai, 1:34
132: Chase Williams (SC) pinned Gionni Sharkey, 3:56
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Lucas Gellura, 0:40
144: Dom DiGiovachino (B) dec. Ayden Jenkins, 9-3
150: Koen Martin (SC) pinned Cole Chinicchi, 0:35
157: Charlie Muzzarelli (B) dec. Ricky Watt, 7-2
165: Jake Magonagle (SC) won by forfeit
175: Louie Drogo (B) dec. Eric Sulik, 12-6
190: Gabriel Rodriguez (SC) dec. Brian Passamante, 6-4

NORTHERN BURLINGTON 59, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 13
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) dec. Manuel Saenz, 3-2
106: Landen Knox (N) pinned Caleb Jenkins, 1:02
113: Rocco Giangeruso (N) tech fall over DeAnthony Harden, 16-1 (5:40)
120: Michael McGarigle (N) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 0:39
126: Nicholas Bruno (N) dec. Luke Silva, 8-2
132: Galiano Zeppadoro (N) pinned Chase Williams, 0:38
138: Justin Marcello (N) pinned Daniel Lloyd, 1:13
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) major. dec. over Gavin Fowler, 17-5
150: Hayden Joyce (N) pinned Koen Martin, 1:50
157: Ricky Watt (SC) pinned Joseph Gervasi, 1:50
165: Brendan Goldmacher (N) dec. Jake Magonagle, 7-6
175: Griffin Goldmacher (N) pinned Eric Sulik, 1:22
190: Sean Falcey (N) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 2:24
215: Grayson Haynes (N) pinned Evan Elliott, 2:27

TIMBER CREEK 43, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 36
190: Amir Reason-Dallas (T) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 0:25
215: Josh Bartell (T) pinned Evan Elliott, 5:52
285: Jayson Ross (T) pinned Noval Jenkins, 2:26
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) pinned Dominic Spearman, 0:58
113: Matthew Steele (T) dec. DeAnthony Harden, 7-6
120: Devin Karge (T) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 0:28
126: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Naim Mosley, 3:04
132: Chase Williams (SC) pinned Josh Wolfenden, 4:53
138: Joey Walker (T) pinned Daniel Lloyd, 0:52
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) pinned Eric Rambaran, 2:27
150: Ryan Kuriger (T) maj. dec. over Koen Martin, 13-4
157: Gavin Bates (T) pinned Ricky Watt, 3:07
165: Jake Magonagle (SC) won by forfeit
175: Eric Sulik (SC) won by forfeit

Weathering the storm

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.

Saturday wrestling

Penns Grove’s Brown finishes second in Maryland tournament; Schalick wins three, Woodstown, Pennsville in duals

By Riverview Sports News

CHESAPEAKE CITY, Md. – Anthony Brown wrestled for a title for the second week in a row and this time finished second to return home as Penns Grove’s highest-placing wrestler in the 27th annual Battle at the Bridge.

Brown lost a 13-6 decision to Ryan Sewell of Harford Tech in the 150 final. It was his first loss of the season. Brown pinned all three of his opponents on the road to the final.

Isaiah Upshur placed third, winning by injury default over Jimmy McLane of team champion Sussex Central in the consolation final. Devine Arce finished fifth at 120, pinning Keegan Allan of North East in 0:46 in the fifth-place match.

Upshur went 4-1 in the tournament with three pins. Arce went 3-2 and all three of his wins were by pin.

Four other Penns Grove wrestlers won at least one match in the tournament – Adam Gonzales (126), Reed Clark (132), Jayden Owens (157) and Clinton Bobo (175).

The Red Devils finished 14th as a team with 82 points.

BATTLE AT THE BRIDGE
TEAM SCORES: Sussex Central 333, Plymouth Whitemarsh 183, Harford Tech 170, Penncrest 155.5, Langley 121.5, North Caroline 118, Marple Newtown 114, Aberdeen 107.5, Conrad Science 100, North East 93.5, Queen Anne 92, Middletown 90, Havre de Grace 86, Penns Grove 82, Concord 79, Howard 58, Odessa 52, Linganore 51, Kent County 34.5, Elkton 22, Bohemia Manor 20, St. Charles 8.

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
106: Austen Decker (Sussex) pinned Hunter Pettorossi (North East), 1:43
113: Tommy Arms (Conrad) dec. Zaden Tablan (Harford), 5-2
120: Malachi Stratton (Sussex) tech fall over Vincent Kirby (Havre de Grace), 4:33 (15-0)
126: Chase Murray (Sussex) dec. Tremaine Jackson (Queen Anne), 5-4
132: Evan Cordrey (Sussex) pinned Joe Bussell (Plymouth Whitemarsh), 0:54
138: Talan Savage (Sussex) dec. Scottie Ford (Kent County), 8-2
144: John Rovillard (Sussex) pinned Nikolai Chervak (Harford), 5:15
150: Ryan Sewell (Harford) dec. Anthony Brown (Penns Grove), 13-6
157: Ty Bokowski (Plymouth Whitemarsh) dec. Justin Negron (Sussex), 6-0
165: Robert Roncskevitz (Langley) dec. Zak Ettien (Concord), 9-4
175: Gabe Cannon (Sussex) pinned Chris Bruette (Penncrest), 1:15
190: Noah Reed (Penncrest) dec. Jack Ryder (Harford), SV-1 6-4
215: Liam Stauffer (Penncrest) pinned Jeremiah Eastburn (Concord), 5:10
285: Donald Kunf (Plymouth Whitemarsh) dec. Brett Cowan (Marple Newtown), TB-1 3-2

Haddon Heights Quad

HADDON HEIGHTS – There’s nothing better for a young team’s confidence than winning.

The Schalick/Cumberland co-op program has no seniors and started four freshmen and won all three of their matches in a quad meet at Haddon Heights to run their winning streak to six.

They beat Haddon Heights 47-24, Mainland 57-15 and Overbrook 62-13.

“The more we win, the more confident they’re getting, which is a good thing for a very, very young team,” SC coach Joe Frassenei said.

Caleb Jenkins (106), Ayden Jenkins (150), Koen Martin (165) and Ronald Piernikoski (215) all went 3-0. Martin scored three pins to run his record to 8-0, Piernikoski had two pins and a decision. Caleb Jenkins had two pins and a forfeit, while Ayden Jenkins had a pin, tech fall and a forfeit.

SC WRESTLING 57, MAINLAND 15
120: Gabriel McFeeley (SC) pinned Justin Mazur, 5:07
126: Chris Mazur (M) pinned Luke Silva, 3:56
132: Chase Williams (SC) dec. Michael Borini, 10-3
138: Nikko Carfagno (M) pinned Daniel Lloyd, 1:14
144: Riley Papiano (SC) dec. Yeshua Martinez, 4-2
150: Ayden Jenkins (SC) pinned Miguel Melo, 4:17
157: Ricky Watt (SC) dec. Tyler Waters, 12-6
165: Koen Martin (SC) pinned Ian Reed, 0:59
175: Eric Sulik (SC) won by forfeit
190: Chase Hoag (M) dec. Jake Magonagle, 6-4
215: Ronald Piernikoski (SC) pinned Hector Gomez, 1:42
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) pinned Oswaldo Mendoza, 5:33
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) pinned Jaxon Serra, 0:23
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) won by forfeit

SC WRESTLING 47, HADDON HEIGHTS 26
126: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Tajon Rivera, 1:10
132: Chase Williams (SC) pinned Benjamin Alexander, 2:35
138: Dom Azzari (H) pinned Daniel Lloyd, 0:59
144: Josh Delgozzo (H) dec. Riley Papiano, 8-1
150: Ayden Jenkins (SC) tech fall over Ryan Bailey, 17-2 (3:47)
157: Liam Wikberg (H) pinned Ricky Watt, 0:36
165: Koen Martin (SC) pinned Adam Marks, 2:52
175: Jake Magonagle (SC) dec. Louis DiNardo, 5-2
190: Eric Sulik (SC) pinned Damian Berger, 4:43
215: Ronald Piernikoski (SC) dec. Nathan Lelionis, 6-4
285: Jayden Trace (H) dec. Noval Jenkins, 5-1
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) pinned Aniello Napolitano, 2:20
113: Cole Denning (H) pinned Jermaine Cannon, 3:07
120: DeAnthony Harden (SC) pinned Michael Ferraro, 5:07

SC WRESTLING 63, OVERBROOK 13
132: Michael Rosano (O) maj. dec. over Chase Williams, 9-1
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Domiano Redrow, 0:29
144: Riley Papiano (SC) pinned Tymere Christmas, 0:37
150: Ayden Jenkins (SC) won by forfeit
157: Ricky Watt (SC) dec. Oscar Calderon, 9-3
165: Koen Martin (SC) pinned Ben Matos, 3:32
175: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Vance Elder, 1:04
190: Daniel Keyes (O) dec. Eric Sulik, 10-7
215: Ronald Piernikoski (SC) pinned Angel Martinez, 4:19
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) pinned Aydin Appley, 4:51
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) won by forfeit
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) pinned John Coia, 0:18
120: Gabriel McFeeley (SC) won by forfeit
126: KhyRee Hines (O) pinned Luke Silva, 3:20
Records: Schalick/Cumberland 6-1

Dan Trainer Duals

COLLINGSWOOD – Woodstown went 0-2 in the tournament, losing to Cherry Hill West (44-36) and Highland (37-27).

Individually, Travis Balback (120), Greyson Hyland (175) and Paul Banff (190) all had a pair of pins. Brett Rowand (150) and Mateo Vinciguerra (285) had two wins.

Alex Torres lost twice in his return to the Wolverines’ lineup at 132.

CHERRY HILL WEST 44, WOODSTOWN 36
106: Raheem Truluck (CHW) pinned Chance Baionno, 2:55
113: Aidan Maldonado (CHW) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback pinned Elijah Triche, 1:59
126: Otto Sanchez (CHW) dec. Carson Bradway, 4-0
132: Nate Camacho (CHW) pinned Alex Torres, 3:44
138: Josiah Canales (CHW) pinned Willem Groom, 3:36
144: Kristian Lenny (CHW) pinned Angel Hernandez, 3:39
150: Brett Rowand pinned Gabe Jones, 0:57
157: Danny Market (CHW) tech fall over Zayden Donahue, 18-2 (4:13)
165: Zach Bevis pinned Clayton Tyson, 3:46
175: Greyson Hyland pinned Ricardo Shirley, 2:29
190: Paul Banff pinned Karol Miklus, 4:31
215: JoNathan Valentin (CHW) pinned Josiah Meijas, 2:46
285: Mateo Vinciguerra pinned Ross Worlds, 5:33

HIGHLAND 37, WOODSTOWN 27
106: Erek Schwinge (H) pinned Chance Baionno, 1:30
113: Chris Kulb (H) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback pinned Aidan Slimm, 1:15
126: Owen Kulb (H) maj. dec. over Carson Bradway, 16-3
132: Matt Tuttle (H) dec. Alex Torres, 9-6
138: Isaiah Garcis (H) pinned Willem Groom, 1:58
144: Michael Williams (H) pinned Angel Hernandez, 1:28
150: Brett Rowand dec. Nick DiCamillo, 4-3
157: Zayden Donahue def. Andrew Silvanio, SV 5-3
165: Jordan Suiter (H) dec. Zach Bevis, 7-3
175: Greyson Hyland pinned Jack Conway, 2:17
190: Paul Banff pinned Marquise Moss, 0:51
215: Xavier Velez (H) dec. Josiah Mejias, 7-2
285: Mateo Vinciguerra dec. William Taylor, 4-0
Records: Woodstown 2-5.

Blue Devil Duals

HAMMONTON – Pennsville bounced back from a tough loss to Absegami the night before to go 2-1 with wins over Buena and Millville.

Gateway scored pins or tech falls in nine of the 14 weight classes and handled the Eagles 58-15. But Pennsville bounced back, winning each of the last four bouts to down Buena 40-30 and scored four straight pins in the middle of the match to dump Millville 48-25.

Lucas Thomas, Christopher Daniels, Joseph Maurer, Travis Hagan, Robbie McDade, Elias Lussi and Daniel Emmons all posted a pair of wins for Pennsville.

GATEWAY 58, PENNSVILLE 15
106: Leo Butler (G) pinned Lucas Thomas, 3:13
113: Christian Snyder (G) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 0:54
120: Aidan Barbato (G) pinned Christopher Daniels, 1:49
126: Tavien Benoit (G) pinned Kameron Drummond, 1:41
132: Dante Gismondi (G) tech fall over Ayden Perez, 16-0 (2:52)
138: Chase Rossi (G) dec. Travis Hagan, 9-4
144: Noah Ubil (G) pinned Joseph Maurer, 1:47
150: Andrew Cortes (G) tech fall over Maddox Efelis, 22-7 (5:44)
157: Robbie McDade (P) dec. Evan Lee, 10-5
165: Donte Nocito (G) pinned Cole Campbell, 2:32
175: Brandon Bourdon (G) dec. Connor Ayars, 4-2
190: Elias Lussi (P) pinned Nick Kircher, 4:32
215: Daniel Emmons (P) won by forfeit
285: John Morris (G) pinned Trevor Waddington, 3:09

PENNSVILLE 40, BUENA 30
113: Nicholas Panaro (B) won by forfeit
120: Vincent Ciccantelli (P) won by forfeit
126: Christopher Daniels (P) maj. dec. over Michael Pettit, 13-1
132: Gionni Sharkey (B) pinned Kameron Drummond, 5:03
138: Joseph Maurer (P) won by forfeit
144: Travis Hagan (P) dec. Lucas Gellura, 10-9
150: Dom DiGiovachio (B) dec. Sky Eppes, 8-2
157: Charlie Muzzarelli (B) pinned Robbie McDade, 2:24
165: Cole Chicchi (B) dec. Cole Campbell, 7-2
175: Louie Drogo (B) pinned Connor Ayers, 4:45
190: Elias Lussi (P) pinned Maysen Sandfort, 1:05
215: Daniel Emmons (P) dec. Brian Passamante, 6-2
295: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Brian Ayres, 2:22
106: Lucas Thomas (P) pinned Brianna Roeder, 1:15

PENNSVILLE 48, MILLVILLE 25
120: Christopher Daniels (P) pinned Caleb Rhoads, 3:15
126: Josh Roman (M) dec. Kameron Drummond, 9-3
132: Patrick Tull (M) maj. dec. over Gabriel Supernovae, 9-1
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Ezair Allen, 1:33
144: Joseph Maurer (P) pinned Alexander Mendez, 0:20
150: Sky Eppes (P) pinned Jacob Jones, 3:48
157: Robbie McDade (P) pinned Ryan Tepper, 3:40
165: Marquis Allen (M) pinned Cole Campbell, 2:41
175: Connor Ayers (P) pinned Ricky Brown, 0:20
190: Xavier McBride (M) dec. Elias Lussi, SV 7-5
215: Jayden Jones (M) pinned Daniel Emmons, 1:36
285: Marcus Offer (M) dec. Trevor Waddington, 3-0
106: Lucas Thomas (P) pinned Emerson Lewis, 0:45
113: Vincent Ciccantelli (P) won by forfeit

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

Kings of the hill

Pennsville’s Lussi win his first career tournament title at Overbrook; Schalick/Cumberland wins Clipper Classic, Penns Grove’s Brown voted Most Oustanding Wrestler

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PINE HILL – Elias Lussi’s rise from a tagalong who knew next to nothing about the sport when he first walked into the wrestling room to becoming the face of a program moved to another level Thursday when he won his weight division in an in-season tournament for the first time.

The Pennsville senior added “tournament champion” next to his name when he took a 7-2 decision from Timber Creek’s Amir Reason-Dallas, an aggressive returning regional qualifier, to win at 190 in the Overbrook Holiday Tournament.

He’s the first Pennsville wrestler to win an in-season tournament title since Mikey Lapalomento took the 138 title in last year’s Gateway holiday tournament. He also had a bye and two pins on the road to his crown.

“I’m proud; I’m pumped, man,” Lussi said. “This is something I was looking forward to, especially after the Howdy Duncan tournament (in Delaware) where I got sixth. I wanted to bounce back after some tough losses. This was my opportunity to make some noise and prove myself.”

Lussi arrived in the Pennsville wrestling room three years ago at the urging of one of his friends knowing absolutely nothing about the sport and has evolved into a leader in that room and captain of the team.

“It’s all a testament to the time he put in during the season, in the offseason, after practice,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “There have been times he’s stayed after practice and asked me to drill extra. That’s like music to any coach’s ear. I’ll leave the light on for anyone who wants to work.”

Lussi was one of four Eagles to place in the tournament. Travis Hagan finished third at 138. Lucas Thomas (106) and Robbie McDade (157) finished fourth in their weight classes. The Eagles finished seventh as a team. Timber Creek won it.

“Actually, it was a pretty tough day,” Starcevich said. “There were a lot of Region 8 teams there we’ll see come the post-season.

“We’re in the grind of the season here. We are entering January. We have been tested in some sense and we have guys who are really figuring out what it means to be competitive. We need to continue to work hard in the room and get after it.”

OVERBROOK HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
TEAM SCORES: Timber Creek 169, Hammonton 146, Burlington Twp. 133, Barnegat 119, Mainland 83, Deptford 77, Pennsville 67, Millville 61, Cherry Hill East 56, Winslow 56, Overbrook 44, St. Joe’s 17.

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
106: Ryan Pancoast, Timber Creek dec. Tyler Police, Hammonton, 6-4
113: Eoin Curran, Deptford pinned Matthew Steele, Timber Creek, 5:54
120: Gavin Morris, Hammonton pinned Devin Karge, Timber Creek, 4:04
126: Ethan Christmas, Deptford dec. Patrick Tull, Millville, 6-5
132: Anthony Cook, Burlington Twp. pinned Michael Rosano, Overbrook, 0:34
138: Trey DeMeo, Barnegat dec. Jaylen Huertas, Deptford, 7-2
144: Aiden O’Halloran, Barnegat dec. Nicholas Davis, Burlington Twp., 10-3
150: Logan Kahrs, Burlington Twp. pinned Ryan Kuriger, Timber Creek, 2:55
157: Gavin Bates, Timber Creek dec. Vincent Palermo, Hammonton, 5-3 (OT)
165: Nakeem Powell, Winslow pinned Gary Williams, Mainland, 2:46
175: Chase Hoag, Mainland dec. Jacob Davis, Burlington Twp., 5-3
190: Elias Lussi, Pennsville, def. Amir Reason-Dallas, Timber Creek, 7-2
215: Mark Hartley, Hammonton maj. dec. over Raymere Mahadeo, Barnegat, 16-5
285: Jayson Ross, Timber Creek pinned Camryn Broadnax, Hammonton, 1:54

Penns Grove wrestlers Anthony Brown (L) and Devine Arce show off their brackets after winning their weight classes in the Clipper Classic. Brown also was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler, the Red Devils’ first since 2019.

Dan Allen Clipper Classic

CLAYTON – The Schalick/Cumberland cooperative won the first team title in the recent memory of either school and Penns Grove’s Anthony Brown was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler as Salem County wrestlers dominated the day.

Schalick/Cumberland won the 10-team event with 158 points. They had 13 wrestlers place, including five weight-division winners and two runner-ups.

Caleb Jenkins (106), Luke Silva (126), Ricky Watt (157) Jake Magonagle (175) and Ronald Piernikoski (215) all won their weight classes.

Brown was one of two Red Devil champions at the tournament. He won the 150 class title that got away from him last year with a dramatic 11-10 double-overtime victory over Eduardo Oliveira of Riverside. He is 7-0 this season. He’s the Red Devils’ first MOW since Tyreke Brown (220) in the 2019 Region 8 Tournament.

Devine Arce pinned his way to his second title of the season, with both coming in less than 30 seconds. He is 8-0 this year at 120.

Back big time

Schalick’s Magonagle wins in SC Holiday Classic in first tournament back from a season-ending injury, Penns Grove’s Arce wins his first title in same event; Pennsville, Woodstown also in action

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – The flex Schalick junior Jake Magonagle did after winning his weight division in the SC Holiday Classic Saturday might be all the evidence one needed to prove it just might be the most satisfying title claim of the early wrestling season.

Magonagle won the 175-pound division with a 5-3 decision over Chase Hoag of Mainland. It was his first tournament back after having last season cut short by an injury. He was seeded second, drew a first-round bye, then won a pair of decisions.

“I think he needed that,” Schalick coach Joe Frassenei said. “He was definitely one of the more happy kids.

“He’s very confident to begin with, but I think the win was a nice start for him. He was super happy after the match and I was very proud of him.”

The Schalick-Cumberland co-op team finished fourth in the team race with five individual medalists (top three finishers) and eight placers (top four). DeAnthony Hardin was runner-up at 113, while Daniel Lloyd (144), Ayden Jenkins (150) and Keon Martin (165) all placed third.

Point Pleasant Beach won it handily with three individual champions and seven wrestlers in the finals.

Magonagle wasn’t the only wrestler from Salem County to bring home a title from the tournament.

**Penns Grove’s Devine Arce holds his medal and his bracket after winning the SC Holiday Classic title at 120.**

Penns Grove’s Devine Arce won his first tournament title when he pinned Mainland’s Garrett Chew to win at 120. His road to the title featured an opening-round bye and two pins in two minutes of elapsed time..

“I was amazed at myself like how I did it,” Arce said. “My freshman record was 8-13. Last year I went twenty-something and four or five, and this year I’m starting off 3-0.”

With two pins.

“He’s probably our most dedicated wrestler, especially the early part of this season,” Red Devils coach John Emel said. “To be at a weight that a little higher than he’s going to wrestle later in the year and have success that’s bodes well for him going forward.”

Arce was one of four Penns Grove wrestlers place in the top three. Isaiah Upshur was runner-up at 190, while Jayden Owens (157) and Antonio Cooper (215) both won consolation finals for third. For Cooper it was the best tournament finish of his career.

“I was actually pretty excited with the way we wrestled,” Emel said. “We have a lot of kids who have never won a match in districts.

“This type of tournament experience is what we’ve tried to get them early in the season. We haven’t done an opening weekend tournament in a few years, probably pre-COVID, and we’re going to get four tournament-type atmospheres early in the season. I just hope it prepares them for districts later on. Getting in these type tournaments early in the season I think it gives our guys good experience going forward.”

SC HOLIDAY CLASSIC
TEAM SCORES: Point Pleasant Beach 186.5, Haddon Heights 119, WW-Plainsboro North 117, Schalick-Cumberland 96, Mainland 83, WW-Plainsboro South 81, Penns Grove 74, Oakcrest 50.

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
106: Cole Denning (HH) tech fall over Brandon Stizza (PPB), 15-0
113: Bruce Bellace (O) def. DeAnthony Hardin (SC), med. forf.
120: Devine Arce (PG) pinned Garrett Chew (M), 1:00
126: Zachary Owens (WWPN) pinned Luke DeBenedett (PPB), 1:00
132: P.J. Niethe (PPB) dec. Ryan Brown (WWPN), 11-4
138: Jude Bowers (PPB) tech fall over Joaquin Poventud, (O) 15-0
144: Jordan Blaise (WWPS) dec. Antonio Acevedo (PPB), 10-3
150: Josh Delgozzo (HH) dec. Christian Tardieu (WWPS), 1-0
157: Evan DeJong (WWPN) pinned Liam Wikberg (HH), 1:00
165: Gary Williams (M) dec. Sam Yedman (PPB), 6-3
175: Jake Magonagle (SC) dec. Chase Hoag (M), 5-3
190: Darren DeJong (WWPN) pinned Isaiah Upshur (PG), 0:55
215: Marcos Kaiafas (PPB) dec. Jason George (WWPS), 6-0
285: Jayden Trace (HH) pinned Youssef Abouelela (WWPS), 1:10

Wendy Pandy-Leh Invitational

FRENCHTOWN – Woodstown’s Zach Bevin and Mateo Vinciguerra wrestled for championships in their weight classes at the Wendy Pandy-Leh Invitational at Delaware Valley High School and just came up short.

Bevis was pinned in the 165-pound final by Logan Wiecoreck of Voorhees and Vinciguerra lost a decision in the 285 final to Cameron Baumann, also of Vorhees.

The Wolverines had four wrestlers win consolation finals – Travis Balback (120), Carson Bradway (126), Greyson Hyland (175) and Paul Banff (190) – and two others finish fourth.

The Wolverines finished fourth in the 10-team field.

WENDY PANDY-LEH INVITATIONAL
TEAM SCORES: Delaware Valley 257.5, Ocean Twp. 168, Vorhees 160, Woodstown 125, Westfield 99, Princeton 85.5, Pascack Hills 78, Wall 66.5, Williamstown 66.5, Cherokee 64.0

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
106: Justin Penta (OT) pinned Michael Apicelli (OT), 1:42
113: Johnny D’Andrewa (V) maj. dec. over Justin Farina (OT), 10-1
120: Jake Taylor (DV) maj. dec. over Christian Bollette (V), 13-5
126: Jaden Perez (DV) maj. dec. over Cole Rose (P), 9-0
132: Matt Roche (DV) pinned Luke Sluberski (We), 0:32
138: Blasé Mele (P) pinned Dominic Volek (OT), 1:01
144: Jackson Bush (DV) dec. Michael Volek (OT), 11-9
150: Jake Wacha (PH) pinned Ben Levy (DV), 4:33
157: James Farina (OT) maj. dec. over Jeremy Marsella (Wa), 13-1
165: Logan Wiecoreck (V) pinned Zach Bevis (Wo), 0:35
175: Kevin Roman (DV) dec. Travis Cryan (V), 10-8
190: Anderson Olcott (DV) pinned Jake Zemsky (We), 4:52
215: Trevor Zabroski (V) pinned Cody Lagun (DV), 4:50
285: Cameron Baumann (V) dec. Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo), 5-3

Howdy Duncan Classic

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Three of the four Pennsville wrestlers who reached the quarterfinals of the Howdy Duncan Classic at William Penn High School placed in the top six of their respective weight divisions Saturday.

Christopher Daniels (120) was their highest finisher, placing fourth. Kameron Drummond (126) and Elias Lussi (190) both finished sixth in their weight classes. Daniels was seeded eighth in his weight class and Drummond was seeded tenth.

The Eagles finished 13th in the 32-team field.

“It was a tough tournament, very competitive, and we got a lot of mat time,” Eagles coach John Starcevich said. “A couple guys got seven matches this weekend.”

Among those who didn’t place Sky Eppes lost in overtime in the pre-quarterfinals and just missed getting a spot and freshman Luke Thomas showed a lot of potential in going 2-2 at 106.

HOWDY DUNCAN CLASSIC
TEAM SCORES: Exeter Twp. 246, Lower Dauphin 243.5, Red Lion Christian 193, New Oxford 168, St. Frances Acad. 165, Palisades 158, Central Bucks West 157.5, Milford Senior 126, William Penn 125, Unionville 100, Tower Hill 94, Middleton 85.5, Pennsville 78.5, Appoquinimink 76.5, Charter-Wilmington 74, Episcopal 68, First State MA 68, Wilmington Friends 67.5, Dickinson 57.5, Odessa 57, Christian 56, Delcastle 54.5, Conrad Science 42, Tatnall 42, Hodgson VoTech 40, Howard Tech 37, McKean 32, Archmere 30, AI Dupont 23, John Carroll 23, West Nottingham 19, Mt. Pleasant 7.

PENNSVILLE FINALS
Third Place Match 120: Sam Johnson (Exeter) pinned Christopher Daniels, 4:59
Fifth Place Match 126: Kamren Griffin (St. Frances) maj. dec. over Kameron Drummond, 11-3
Fifth Place Match 190: Jacob Julier (Unionville) maj. dec. over Elias Lussi, 10-1

Eagles in the mix

4 Pennsville wrestlers reach quarterfinals in Delaware tournament; Woodstown falls in its first match of the season

By Riverview Sports News

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Pennsville has four wrestlers still alive in the championship bracket of the Howdy Duncan Invitational after Friday’s first day of competition at William Penn High School.

Christopher Daniels (120), Randy Hall (132), Robbie McDade (157) and Elias Lussi (190) are all in the quarterfinals when the tournament resumes Saturday morning.

Lussi, the No. 5 seed in his weight class, advanced with a pair of pins. McDade, the 3-seed in his division, won a first-round decision and advanced in a DQ. Hall, a 6-seed, and Daniels, an 8-seed, both received first-round byes and won a second-round decision.

The Eagles have 43,5 points and are tied for 14^th with Delcastle and Middletown in the team standings. Lower Dauphin (81.5) is currently in first place, 5.5 points ahead of New Oxford.

W. Deptford whacks Woodstown

WEST DEPTFORD – The Woodstown wrestling team opened its season with a 52-15 loss at West Deptford. Brett Rowand (144) and Mateo Vinciguerra (285) scored pins for the Wolverines, while Travis Balback recorded a decision at 120.

WEST DEPTFORD 52, WOODSTOWN 15
144: Brett Rowand pinned Nate Benner, 3:01
150: James Lorman (WD) maj. dec. over Laitton Roberts, 14-3
157: Nick Graziano (WD) maj. dec. over Zayden Donahue, 19-7
165: Caleb Jackson (WD) dec. Zach Bevis, 9-3
175: Chris Andujar (WD) dec. Greyson Hyland, 12-10
190: Marcus Carter (WD) won by forfeit
215: Andrew Tighe (WD) pinned Josiah Mejias, 2:49
285: Mateo Vinciguerra pinned Van Galbraith, 0:44
106: Ryan McConaghy (WD) pinned Chase Blandino, 1:36
113: Talen Terinoni (WD) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback dec. Brayden Curcio, 12-6
126: Anthony Conway-Popeskic (WD) dec. Carson Bradway, 8-2
132: Owen Entrekin (WD) pinned Ryan Polk, 0:25
138: Trevor Lundfelt (WD) tech fall over Willem Groom, 18-1 4:40

Cover photo: Pennsville wrestling coaches plot out their lineup before a recent match.

Soaring start

Pennsville opens its wrestling season with a 58-24 win over Palmyra; Lussi, newcomer Shinn score two of Eagles’ six pins

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – When Elias Lussi walked into the Pennsville wrestling room for the first time three seasons ago he knew absolutely nothing about the sport other than what he might have caught on TV growing up in a tough but loving neighborhood in Miami Gardens.

He was 260 pounds, didn’t know the difference between a take down and back points and the only reason he was there at all was because he tagged along with his only friend in a new school, Ayden Perez.

In the time that has transpired, Lussi dropped 70 pounds, became the leader in the wrestling room and finally stopped throwing up before practices, which had been an everyday occurrence when he first got involved.

Now he has designs on qualifying for the state tournament. He got that goal off to a good start Thursday with a third-period pin in the Eagles’ 58-24 season-opening victory over Palmyra.

“I had no clue, I came into it completely blinded,” Lussi recalled. “I just got lucky with the community and got two amazing coaches who continued following me and were always by my side.”

His first year on the mat was a rough one. He was the backup varsity heavyweight who spent most of his mat time with the JVs and more often than not ended up on his back. But there was this one exhibition match against Overbrook in which he put a cross face on his opponent and turned him and that got his coaches’ attention.

The next year he slimmed down to 190, because the Eagles already had two guys at 215. He went 17-22 with the varsity and qualified next to last for the regionals and lost his opening match. But he was steadily making progress.

“To this day I still can’t believe it,” Lussi said. “I virtually think about this every day and every day I remind myself that I still can’t believe it because it’s an incredible journey. I would never imagine myself to lose 80 pounds and being able to discipline myself any time I want.

“There’s not just one word that can describe it, it’s a whole bunch of words. Getting beat up by my teammates, my life in general, so many things happening. Wrestling is the toughest sport and everybody says if you can get through wrestling you can get through life. It completely shows it now.”

On Thursday he weighed in at 189.2 pounds and had his way with opponent Joe Garrison. He scored the pin with 1:03 left in the third period and was leading 10-0 at the time of the pin.

“From a coaching perspective, there’s no better feeling than to take a kid who knows nothing and turn him into a region qualifier in his first year wrestling varsity,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “He just made this transition as a person. Now he’s our senior captain, he’s the leader in the room, he’s the voice of our room.

“Rewind two years ago he was the most quiet person in the room. So, for him to learn the sport, love the spot and project his knowledge and his love of wrestling onto others right now, there’s no better feeling. That just lets us know we can take kids as freshmen and develop them by the times they’re sophomore, juniors – the earlier the better – to be able to compete.”

Another one of those success stories was looming at the other end of the lineup. Sophomore Gina Shinn was making her varsity debut as a new-to-the-sport wrestler. She won her match at 113 with a second-period pin to give the Eagles their first on-the-mat win of the season.

It was 50-50 whether she was going to get on the mat Thursday. She was listed as an either/or with Lucas Thomas at 106 and 113. When Pennsville sent out Thomas at 106 and Palmyra forfeited, the Panthers moved Gabriella Alves de Sousa to 113 for the matchup with Shinn.

It was a tight match throughout. Shinn fell behind 6-4 in the second period, then “my anxiety kicked in” and she quickly turned the tables on the match. The pin came with 32 seconds left in the period.

“It was really tough, like really tough,” Shinn said. “She definitely put up a really good fight. It was a good match and that win felt like I was in a whole ‘nother world. It was amazing. It’s a once in a lifetime experience. You never forget the first match, the first pin.”

Shinn was never one to shy away from contact. She played football in middle school and was always up for a challenge. Her Pennsville Little League World Series softball teammate Kloi Tighe, who wrestles for Gloucester City, influenced her to give that sport a try.

With the first win under her belt she could retire tomorrow undefeated as a varsity wrestler. But she believes she’ll stick with it.

“The coaches told me I should wait for my first match and depending on the outcome I can choose if I want to quit or I want to stay,” she said. “I never had doubts of quitting, but they told the whole team wait for your first match, so that’s what I did. I waited until my first match.

“Knowing I can do something like that, it definitely gives me the ability to keep going and have more confidence in myself. No quitting. They said they knew they were going to lose people, but I said I’m not a quitter.”

The Eagles won 10 bouts in the match – six by pin, three by forfeit and one major decision. They’re back on the mat this weekend in the two-day Howdy Duncan Classic at William Penn in New Castle.

“That’s a great start.” Starcevich said. “There were a lot of positives, there were some negatives as well, but it’s the first match of the season.

We had a great practice yesterday, we had a great preseason, back it up even further, this was the most active offseason we’ve had … and that’s showing. Guys who might have struggled at the varsity level last year or even wrestle with the varsity, those guys are now our team leaders, the guys we depend on. The offseason for our team right now has made all the difference … tonight.”

PENNSVILLE 58, PALMYRA 24
106: Lucas Thomas (Pv) won by forfeit
113: Gina Shinn (Pv) pinned Gabriella Alves de Sousa, 3:28
120: Chris Daniels (Pv) pinned Chase Moritz, 1:29
126: Kameron Drummond (Pv) maj. dec. over Toaha Sajim, 10-0
132: Trevor Young (Pal) pinned Randy Hall, 1:24
138: Aiden Hines (Pal) pinned Joey Maurer, 2:40
144: Travis Hagan (Pv) pinned Ben Still, 1:46
150: Sky Eppes (Pv) pinned Elliott Jackson, 1:12
157: Robbie McDade (Pv) won by forfeit
165: Cole Campbell (Pv) won by forfeit
175: Pat Daly (Pal) won by forfeit
190: Elias Lussi (Pv) pinned Joe Garrison, 4:57
215: Deakon Haines (Pal) won by forfeit
285: Trevor Waddington (Pv) pinned Stephen Hankey, 1:36