Sayreville grapplers continue to get better
Local teams have solid showings in GMC Tournament
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff South River’s Justin McCutcheon works a head-and-arm takedown for back points against J.P. Stevens’ Travis McCarthy during a 130-pound bout at the GMC championships at Piscataway High School on Friday.

Nine competitors with winning records have helped the improving Sayreville War Memorial High School wrestling team to a 7-4 record heading into last night’s match against Highland Park.

Almost as important as the wins was the Bombers’ ability to hang tough in losses against strong teams like J.P. Stevens, Woodbridge and East Brunswick, coach Chris Beagan said.

"I’m very proud of these guys. They’ve really come a long way," Beagan added. "We knew there would be some bumps in the road, but the team is certainly headed in the right direction."

Sayreville’s senior leaders have had a big hand in the team’s success. Nick Starace at 215 pounds was 14-2 with 11 pins before being sidelined with a shoulder injury, while Dan Krainski (171) is 11-7 with six pins in his first season as a starter. Hard-working Andrew Beshara (145) is 8-8 and Dan Lopez (189) is 6-6. In addition, heavyweight Ron Connors is 6-3 after returning from a knee injury.

Sayreville’s Scott Poore tries to earn an escape against South Brunswick’s Vinnie Biondo at 199 pounds during a preliminary round bout on Friday.

The Bombers have plenty of other talented grapplers as well, which bodes well for the future. Junior Vincent Otero (160) owns a 15-2 record and nine pins, while Sean Sullivan (125) is 7-2.

Three sophomores have also made contributions: Tom Danielson (130) is 14-3, Mike Velardi (140) is 10-8, and promising Dan Giovenco (103) is 5-9. And Beagan has worked freshmen Eric Tsang (112), 11-4, and Scott Poore (119), 12-6, with success.

Sayreville finished 11th in the Greater Middlesex Conference tourney with 56, a big improvement over the 18 points the Bombers registered a year ago. Danielson and Otero took fifth in their weight classes, and Krainski, Lopez and Poore finished seventh in their respective divisions.

Besides last night’s match, Beagan’s team will look to add to its victory total tomorrow when West Windsor South visits. The Bombers are also looking forward to the District 20 competition set to begin Feb. 28 at South Brunswick High School.

Notes...While South Plainfield resumed its spot as the top team in the GMC on Saturday for the eighth time in the past 11 seasons, it remained a strong tournament for the local teams.

J.P Stevens was the surprise of the tournament, placing second with 145 team points, ahead of East Brunswick (136) and Old Bridge (127.5). Monroe had a strong showing in 11th place with 60 points, followed by Sayreville (56) and South River (45.5).

The Bears’ effort was led by Carmen Corona, who beat Old Bridge’s Mike Caruso in the 130-pound final, 8-5. Corona was in control throughout the bout, and sealed it with a takedown with three seconds to go to cap the win. His run to the title included a pin in the first round, a 3-1 decision in the quarterfinals and a 15-6 major decision over Bishop Ahr’s Hector Gonzalez in the semis.

Matt Merrigan joined Corona as a GMC champion, pinning Piscataway’s Rob Damon at the 4:27 mark of the 171-pound final. Damon had a comfortable lead in the bout before Merrigan capitalized on a mistake while on top and put the Chief on his back for the win.

The Bears also got third-place finishes from Corey Ritchings at 119, Jason Shelsby at 145, John Parke at 152 and Nick Marrone at 160, and a fourth-place finish from Tim Ackerman at 140.

The Old Bridge Knights were led by a pair of champions in Mike VanderValk and Vinny Iodaci. VanderValk won by injury default over Woodbridge’s Dan DeZaio when the Barron suffered a dislocated shoulder midway through their 135-pound final. Meanwhile, Iodaci dominated South Plainfield’s Paul Ritchey, 10-1, in the 145-pound final to remain unbeaten on the year.

The Knights also got a pair of second-place finishes from Justin Obrusniak, who lost a tough 9-6 match to unbeaten Jeff Zanetti of J.P. Stevens in the 119-pound final, and Caruso at 130.

John Pagnotta was the only third-place finisher for Old Bridge, winning his consolation match at 112 after losing an overtime match, 6-4, to South Plainfield’s Billy Ashnault in the semifinals.

South River’s Tom Scanlon fell in the heavyweight final to South Plainfield’s Ryan Elliot, suffering a first-period pinfall. The Rams also got a fourth-place finish from Kevin Perreira at 112 pounds.

Monroe’s effort was led by Mike Goff’s third-place finish at heavyweight. Goff lost to Scanlon, 3-1, in the semifinals before coming back to beat Perth Amboy’s Angel Ramirez in their consolation match. The Falcons also got fourth-place finishes from Alfred Rotundo at 103 and Justin Lupo at 215.

Local teams are now focusing their attention on the state tournament, which is set to begin Tuesday. The Old Bridge Knights got the third seed in Central Jersey Group IV, and will head to Brick Memorial on Tuesday to take on sixth-seeded Middletown North. The two teams met earlier this year, with the Lions getting the nod based on criteria. The winner will face second-seeded Brick Memorial. Shore Conference Tournament champ Jackson is the top seed in that bracket.

Sayreville is the sixth seed in North Jersey Section 2 Group III, and will face third-seeded Livingston on Tuesday at Phillipsburg, with the winner to face second-seeded South Plainfield. Host Phillipsburg is the top seed there.

Both J.P. Stevens and Woodbridge are contenders in NJ Section 2 Group IV, where the Hawks are the top seed and host, and the Barrons are the No. 3 seed and will face No. 6 Linden on Tuesday night with the winner to take on Watchung Hills. Stevens will await the winner of Union-Perth Amboy.

St. John Vianney got the No. 2 seed in the South Jersey Parochial A bracket and will travel to top-seed Camden Catholic on Tuesday, where they will get the winner of the Holy Cross-Bishop Ahr match.

The winners of the semifinal bouts will wrestle at the highest remaining seeds on Feb. 19. Those winners head to the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton on Feb. 21 for the overall Group championships.

— Doug McKenzie contributed to this story