Fisher's clutch win rescues 'Liners in Group 4 final

TOMS RIVER -- Phillipsburg junior Zach Fisher will forever be known as the “great pick-up artist.”

Fisher’s dramatic 6-4 victory over state placewinner Joe Ghione in the final bout at 113 pounds gave the Stateliners a thrilling 29-27 win and the Group 4 state championship on Sunday before a total-sessions crowd of 4,850 at Toms River North High School.

Phillipsburg had it collective backs to the wall after a disqualification loss two bouts earlier when senior heavyweight Anthony Pare slammed his opponent after building a 6-1 lead. Freshman Steven Friedman followed with a crucial pin at 106 – setting the stage for Fisher’s heroics.

“I love being the underdog,” said Fisher, now 25-9 on the season. “This [championship] definitely means a lot to our team and our town.

South Plainfield (30-2) rolled to its seventh state championship with a 30-27 victory – forfeiting the final two bouts -- against Ocean Township in the Group 3 final. It was the second Group 3 title in three years for the Tigers, who split the last two finals against High Point, losing in 2011. Coach Kevin McCann’s team also staked its claim to the state’s No. 1 ranking – suffering its lone Garden State loss to St. Peter’s Prep.

Bound Brook won its first-ever state title with an impressive 40-24 victory over Hanover Park in the Group 1 final, while Raritan also claimed its first state crown with a 30-28 win over Delsea in the Group 2 final. Bergen Catholic and Camden Catholic also won titles in Non-Public A and B, respectively.

Phillipsburg (16-3) claimed the program’s 17^th state title and first under second-year coach Dave Post, who won two state championships as a star wrestler at the Warren County school in 2000 and 2003.

“Zach is one of those kids that really, honestly believes can beat anyone,” Post said. “And he showed it."

Pare was well in control of his bout against Kyle Poling, when Pare inexplicably lifted his opponent and lost control in the mid-air. Poling crashed to the mat and laid there until the medical staff came out to assist. Poling could not continue and was awarded the disqualification victory – at least a nine-point swing in the overall match.

“As a wrestler it’s your responsibility to bring [the opponent] down safely,” Post said. “If he can’t continue that’s the way it is.”

Brick Memorial coach Dan O’Cone and some of his assistants immediately signaled for Poling to stay down on the mat – even before the medical staff arrived on the scene.

That left Fisher needing a win against the state-ranked Ghione (23-5), sixth in the state last year at 103, with Phillipsburg trailing, 27-26. Fisher got a first-period takedown and added a reversal in the second for a 4-0 lead heading into the third. Ghione secured a takedown to make it 4-2, but Fisher’s reversal made it a 6-2 lead with 1:21 left on the clock. Ghione managed a reversal with 41 seconds left, but was unable to turn Fisher on top.

“Anthony Pare is a fantastic leader of ours and he never intended to hurt that kid,” Post said.

Pare, who was in tears on the bench, would have unfortunately been on the hook for the loss. Instead, the Stateliners rallied for one of the most dramatic championship wins in their illustrious wrestling history.

“I knew it was definitely coming down to me, and as usual, I tried to keep my focus. Pare came off the mat and said, ‘Do it for me.’ I just kept my head on straight because I knew I could definitely win.”

Phillipsburg also got a clutch 6-4 win from junior Andrew Kaluzny to open the match at 120. Kaluzny (12-12) hit a four-point move at the buzzer to top district champion Sean Stephenson (23-6). Freshmen Max Elling (126) and Jimmy Schuitema (132) followed with a pin and a technical fall to stretch the Stateliners’ lead to 14-0 three bouts in.

Brick Memorial (18-4), seeking its eighth championship and first since 2009, rallied back with four straight victories – all in tight bouts – to make it 14-12. The Mustangs also won a controversial decision at 160, where Evan Berti was awarded a takedown after the buzzer in sudden-victory overtime for a 5-3 win. Mat judge Alan Maloney and referee Joe Benvenuto conferred after the period and ruled that Berti indeed had the winning takedown before the buzzer sounded.

Brick took the lead, 18-14, with Tyler Richardson’s pin at 170, before Shaun Maloy got it back for P’burg with an 11-4 win at 182. Post opted to keep Maloy at 182, rather than insert senior Matt Silva there and run Maloy up to 195. The move paid off as senior Derek Pierson kept it close at 195 in a 4-3 loss to district runner-up Anthony Miller.

Senior Brandon Hull cut the Stateliners’ deficit to one with a huge 2-1 victory over Matt Moore at 220. A Pare win at 285 and Friedman’s pin at 106 would have given P’burg a 29-21 lead and sealed the victory with only 113 left to wrestle.

Instead, Fisher provided an all-time clutch moment.

“This is a big one,” he said. “It keeps my name in P’burg history forever.”

PHILLIPSBURG 29, BRICK MEMORIAL 27
120 – Jr. Andrew Kaluzny (12-12), P, d. Sr. Sean Stephenson (23-6), 6-4.
126 – Fr. Max Elling (19-9), P, p. Jr. Connor Maliff (11-18), 3:39.
132 – Fr. Jim Schuitema (23-8), P, tf. So. Griffin Carney (5-13), 16-0, 3:28.
138 – Fr. Alec Donovan (22-8), BM, d. Jr. Anthony Johnson (10-9), 4-2.
145 – Fr. Cliff Ruggiero (22-10), BM, d. So. Jake Kocsis (18-10), 12-9.
152 – Sr. Evan Berti (23-5), BM, d. Sr. V.J. Delmonico (22-11), 1-0.
160 – So. Nicholas Costa (21-8), BM, d. Sr. Joe Moyer (16-15), 5-3 OT.
170 – Jr. Tyler Richardson (24-5), BM, p. Sr. Devin Grade (16-13), 4:21.
182 – Sr. Shaun Maloy (20-10), P, d. Sr. Jarred Eccles (5-11), 11-4.
195 – Jr. Anthony Miller (21-8), BM, d. Sr. Derek Pierson (8-7), 4-3.
220 – Sr. Brandon Hull (28-3), P, d. Jr. Matt Moore (13-2), 2-1.
285 – So. Tyler Poling (14-11), BM, disqualification over Sr. Anthony Pare (26-5), 3:21.
106 – Fr. Steve Friedman (18-14), P, p. Fr. Sean Millea (1-18), 2:45.
113 – Jr. Zach Fisher (25-9), P, d. So. Joe Ghione (23-5), 6-4.
Records – Phillipsburg 16-3; Brick Memorial 18-4.

Semifinals

PHILLIPSBURG 53, WEST ORANGE 7
113 – Jr. Zach Fisher (24-9), P, d. Jr. Nikolas Holandez (13-15), 10-4.
120 – So. Jordan Velez (20-10), WO, d. Jr. Andrew Kaluzny (11-12), 3-2.
126 – Fr. Max Elling (18-9), P, p. Sr. Michael Dellacqua (5-13), 3:39.
132 – Fr. Jim Schuitema (22-8), P, p. Jr. George Luis Terrero (18-11), 4:24.
138 – Sr. Desalegne Fried (31-1), WO, md. Jr. Anthony Johnson (10-8), 15-7.
145 – So. Jake Kocsis (18-9), P, d. Sr. Nigel Brown (14-11), 9-4.
152 – Sr. V.J. Delmonico (22-10), P, md. Sr. Connor Vanderhoof (10-21), 13-3.
160 – Sr. Joe Moyer (16-14), P, d. Sr. Jimmy Myers (15-8), 5-0.
170 – Sr. Devin Grade (16-12), P, d. Sr. Steven Benitiz (23-8), 8-4.
182 – Sr. Matt Silva (6-6), P, p. Jr. Chase Upshaw (7-15), 1:25.
195 – Sr. Shaun Maloy (19-10), P, p. Jr. Joseph Bibbo (15-13), 5:00.
220 – Sr. Brandon Hull (27-3), P, d. Sr. Anthony Angelone (25-5), 9-3.
285 – Sr. Anthony Pare (26-4), P, p. Jr. Nathanael Louis (22-8), :12.
106 – Fr. Steve Friedman (17-14), P, md. Fr. Isaiah Adams (7-15), 10-1.
Records – Phillipsburg 15-3; West Orange 15-4.

BRICK MEMORIAL 34, SOUTHERN 22
113 – So. Joe Ghione (23-4), BM, d. Jr. Kyle Davis (12-6), 3-0.
120 – Sr. Sean Stephenson (23-5), BM, d. So. Zach Wilhelm (18-11), 6-4.
126 – Jr. Trevor Mooney (6-4), S, d. Jr. Connor Maliff (11-17), 5-0.
132 – Fr. Alec Donovan (21-8), BM, d. Sr. Steve DiPietro (7-6), 4-0.
138 – Fr. Cliff Ruggiero (21-10), BM, md. So. Bryan Bowker (5-7), 9-1.
145 – Jr. Jake Campana (17-11), S, md. So. Joe DiGuadio (0-2), 17-3.
152 – Sr. Evan Berti (22-5), BM, p. Jr. Chris Serpico (22-8), 4:37.
160 – Sr. Steve Johns (23-7), S, d. So. Nicholas Costa (20-8), 7-5.
170 – Jr. Tyler Richardson (23-5), BM, p. Jr. Nick Hem (16-9), :52.
182 – Jr. Connor Case (16-8), S, d. Sr. Jarred Eccles (5-10), 3-2.
195 – Jr. Anthony Miller (20-8), BM, d. Sr. Steve Hodgson (21-9), 3-2 OT3.
220 – Jr. Matt Moore (13-1), BM, p. Sr. Zeb Collins (19-10), 3:28.
285 – Sr. Josh Ghigliotty (20-11), S, d. Fr. Marcus Foster (2-4), 4-0.
106 – Fr. Matt Wilhelm (19-9), S, forfeit.
Records – Brick Memorial 18-3; Southern 11-3.