Sayreville wrestling keeps gathering steam

On the heels of a season that saw the Sayreville War Memorial High School wrestling team capture the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division title, the Bombers may be poised to accomplish even more this coming winter

Many of Sayreville's grapplers spent July attending camps and competing in tournaments such as the Old Bridge and Madison duals and the Trenton State Championships, according to coach John Denuto.

The Sayreville contingent took second place at both Old Bridge and Madison, losing close matches against South Plainfield in the finals each time, and came in third in Trenton, where four wrestlers took first place in their respective weight classes: Kyle Anderson (103 pounds), Chris Pearson (130), Mike DeLuco (145) and Michael Knight (171). In addition, Joe Del Piano (140) and Gino Schifano, took first in their classes in the junior varsity portion of the tourney.

Six Sayreville competitors posted 20 or more wins, with freshman Noel Santiago (112) and Pat Ronan (119) leading the way with 25 victories apiece. Denuto said that Ronan was the team's top wrestler over the summer and that he expects big things from the junior this fall. DeLuco and Knight posted identical 22-1 ledgers, junior Ramon Santiago (140) went 22-5 and fellow junior Dan Bergfeldt (112) was 20-6.

"This marks the fourth off-season our guys have been doing this, and I have to give them a lot of credit," Denuto said. "This takes a large sacrifice; they're giving up their free time to work on their skills. They realize that they have to start getting ready throughout the year; if they wait until the season starts in December, it's too late."

Anderson, a freshman, was a pleasant surprise, going 19-9. John Boulton (135) finished with a solid 17-9 mark; Pearson, a sophomore, went 15-8; Jared Christensen (160) was 15-8; Del Piano was 13-1; and Rhett Fischer (152), Nick Boulton (125) and Schifano each has 12 triumphs to their credit. In addition, Bryan Miksiewicz (215) earned 12 successes and John Bisaha (189) won eight times.

Along the way, Sayreville defeated several quality teams, including Dover, Howell, Morris Knolls, Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Spencerport (N.Y.) and Verona.

"Our guys showed that they can compete with some of the top teams in the state," Denuto said. "Even though they lost twice to South Plainfield, they're chipping away and getting closer with each match. Also they beat Perth Amboy, which beat South Plainfield, so our guys are getting there."

Denuto noted that this winter Sayreville will be moving from the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV section to the North 2 Group III section, where the top competition is likely to come from schools such as Scotch Plains, Voorhees and Warren Hills.

"That will be a different look for us, and we're looking forward to it," he said. "The pressure is still going to be on us, though, as defending champions of the GMC's White Division."