With Jaguars Looming, Rebels Ready For District Action

At this point in the wrestling season, the goal for the athletes is simple. Boardwalk Hall or Bust. The march toward the state finals in Atlantic City starts tonight when the Howell Rebels and the rest of the District 21 field will converge on Manalapan High School. 

The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the Region 6 Tournament next week at the Poland Springs Arena in Toms River. And if the brackets are any indication the Rebels should have a fully loaded bus making the trip to the next round of the state tournament.

While they got good seeds, Coach John Gagliano knows there is no such thing as a Sure thing when it comes to Shore Conference postseason wrestling. That is especially true when their biggest competition in the district comes from the Group IV champion Jackson Memorial Jaguars.

Now that the team portion of the season is effectively done, Coach Gagliano said taking on Jackson wrestlers can have a different meaning for some of their opponents. "I think when you have a team of that caliber, everybody's there to maybe not knock the team off, but maybe some individuals."

Other teams in the district include the rest of the members of the Freehold Regional High School District, as well as Jackson Liberty and St. John Vianney. All told, the Howell coach said he knows it will be a tough field. "I think our district overall is very balanced," he said. "All the teams did well. I would think it's one of the top districts in the state."

The Rebels had a very strong season and will be looking to show what they learned on an individual basis over the next three weeks. That starts at the bottom of the weight chart and works its way up. 

Freshman Jimmy Slendorn finished his rookie regular season with a 21-11 record which earned him the fourth seed at 103. He will start his tournament tonight against Michael Sansone, the fifth seeded sophomore from Matawan. This weight class features a number of talented sophomores, including top seeded Peter Ottaviano of Colts Neck who enters the field with a 28-5 record. Second seeded Alec Huxford of Jackson Memorial comes into action tonight with an equally impressive record of 23-8.

The 112 pound representative for the Rebels is sophomore Ben Esposito. During the course of the year he put up a record of 22-10 and is scheduled to face Vianney freshman Peter DeRosa in the quarterfinals tonight. The only people seeded ahead of Esposito are Nick Buttitta, a junior from Freehold Township who holds a 17-3 record and Colts Neck senior Alexander Brown who has been dominant so far with a 28-5 record.

Howell Freshman Matt Lindemann has had an impressive rookie season for the Rebels and his 23-10 record earned him the third seed at 119. The only people seeded ahead of him are Jackson Memorial senior Michael Shupin who has lost four times all year, and Vianney freshman Terrence Davis who has lost only once.

Coming out of the seeding meeting, it also looks possible that fellow Rebel freshman Joey Schultz will advance after garnering the fourth seed at 125. With a 22-12 record, Schultz will face Tyler Kugler, a junior from Marlboro in the quarterfinals tonight.

A win would likely set up a semifinal bout against top seeded Robert Cigna from Vianney who earned the top spot with a 30-2 record so far. The rest of the top four includes Freehold Borough junior Thomas Nulty, the third seed, and second seeded sophomore Spencer Young from Jackson Memorial. 

The first top seed for the Rebels comes from Cole Cameron at 135. The junior has been strong all year with a 26-8 record but will have his work cut out for him as the tournament goes along. The second seed at the weight class is Joe Bartolini, a senior from Jackson Memorial. The two did not meet during the match between the two teams in the state sectional tournament. 

Also strong entries in the weight class are the third seeded Zach Mostowsky, a junior from Freehold Borough and fourth seeded senior Patrick O'Donnell of Matawan. 

Arguably one of the most competitive weight classes in the tournament will be the 140 bracket where senior Mike Shaughnessy will start things off as the second seed. Having lost just twice all year he will be a favorite to advance in a class where the top four wrestlers have lost a total of 16 times. 

The district finals could be a chance for Shaughnessy to get some revenge on the top seed, Jackson Memorial junior Randy Royle who handed him one of his two wins during the state tournament. The rest of the top four include Thomas Dillon, the third seed from Matawan who has a record of 30-3, and Tim Liquori, a freshman from Jackson Liberty who has a record of 18-3. 

Another top seed for the Rebels is sophomore Ashanti Maurice at 145. He has a record of 25-7 so far this year. The second seed in the bracket is Chris Zak from Jackson Liberty who has 25 wins so far with just two losses as a senior. Reggie Hodge-Grant is the third seed from the home team Braves with a record of 17-3. And the top four is rounded out by Colts junior Chad Kaplowitz who as a junior has a record of 22-11 on the year.

The Rebels go back-to-back for top seeds at this point in the brackets thanks to the efforts of junior Zach Bohm. Bohm has been a reliable force for the team all year, putting up a 30-4 record heading into districts. Second seeded Anthony Piccone from the Lancers has put up a solid 21-11 record so far, while Joe Conerty of Freehold Borough has gone 15-11 in his last year with the team. 

After that, the Rebels may not have the top seed at 160, but they are certainly close as Cody Kirk earned the second seed as a junior. Kirk has a record of 23-7, leaving him just behind Nicholas Zak of Jackson Liberty who has been a rock for the Lions in his sophomore year with a record of 27-2. Vianney sophomore Anthony Ferraro earned the third seed with a record of 27-5 while Holmdel junior Jim Ilvento earned the fourth seed with a record of 24-6.

At 189, junior Matthew Sulkowski earned the fourth seed with a balanced 12-12 record in a very tough bracket. Starting at the top with Jackson Memorial junior Dallas Winston, the junior's 31-2 record bring memories of another member of his family who is currently helping the resurgence of the Rutgers University program. Frank Lefkowitz of Colts Neck is the second seed with a record of 26-7, while Tom Fazio of Holmdel is the third seed with a 17-12 record. 

The last member of the team to earn a top four seed is senior John Hlava at 215. With a record of 21-7 Hlava was picked as the second seed just behind Mitchell Seigel, a fellow senior from Marlboro.

When the two teams met back in January, Hlava was wrestling at 189 for the Rebels while Seigel was bumped up to heavyweight. So far this year Seigel has put up a record of 29-2, while the third seed, Francis Palumbo of Matawan has a record of 25-9. Justin Madera of Freehold Borough earned the fourth seed with a strong record of 21-7 so far.

No matter what the seeds are, Coach Gagliano said it is all about what happens on the mat and not in the seeding meeting. "We want to just take it one match at a time," he said. "You've got to just get through this week because one bad match and your season's over now."

The coach said he is confident his team is up for the challenges ahead. "I think from the season they've had and the matches under their belt they're prepared and now they just have to do it on the mat."

Knowing anything can happen Gagliano said he did not want to make any predictions about what the end result of districts will be, but he feels good about his team's chances. "They're prepared. They know they have to battle, and they have to wrestle and things will fall into place."