Saturday, December 29, 2012

Wrestling: 'Cats roll in Mustang, but lose Derin

High Point's wrestling team enjoyed a fine day at the always rugged Mustang Classic at Brick Memorial on Friday.

The Wildcats crowned three champions: Dom Gallo (106), Jared Kobis (120) and Jason Gaccione (145). Junior Kyle Stoll finished second at 195, while Gunny Wasong placed third at 285.

Noticeably absent from the tournament was District 3 champion Mike Derin, who did not travel with the team. High Point coach John Gardner confirmed on Saturday that the sophomore 132-pounder, who was third in Region 1 last season at 120, has left the team for undisclosed reasons.

"It is what is," Gardner said. "He decided that's what he's going to do."

The loss of Derin is a big blow, particularly with a big match against archrival Kittatinny looming on Friday, Jan. 4, but the 'Cats do have some depth in that range. Junior Chris Auer, who had been sharing time, will assume a full-time role at 132. Freshman Garrett Fenlon also is in the mix if needed at 132.

"We have two decent kids there," Gardner said.

As for the Mustang Classic, Gardner was pleased with his team's efforts.

"Even some kids that didn't place had decent days," Gardner said.

Gallo (11-0) is asserting himself as one of the top 106-pounders in the state. The sophomore, who won 16 matches last season before being bumped out of the postseason lineup, defeated Howell's Jimmy Slendorn, 4-1, in the semifinals.

Last weekend, Slendorn competed at 113 and beat Warren Hills state qualifier Max Nauta, 4-2. Nauta was second in Region 1 at 106 last season.

"Gallo was good," Gardner said.

Kobis (10-0), a freshman, really opened some eyes -- beating a pair of state qualifiers en route to the 120-pound championship. Kobis knocked off Brick Memorial state placewinner Joe Ghione, 8-6, in the semis before a 1-0 win over Paulsboro's John Gentile.

"He's wrestled some pretty good kids," Gardner said. "He has a pretty good mat sense. He doesn't give away points. He's been good."

Gaccione (11-0), Gardner's nephew, also remained unbeaten with an impressive tournament. The sophomore defeated Howell's Ashanti Maurice, 4-2 in overtime, before a 4-3 win over West Essex state qualifier Mike Marotti in the finals.

"He had a pretty good day," Gardner said.

High Point (3-1) will now prepare for a brutal week of matches -- starting with Nutley at home on Wednesday. The 'Cats then travel to Kittatinny on Friday before hitting the road again on Saturday for a quad meet against state powers Jackson Memorial, Don Bosco Prep and Long Branch.

"It was a good day [at Brick Memorial]. But we have a pretty tough week coming up," Gardner said.

Vikings take down West Morris

Voorhees improved to 5-2 in dual meets with Saturday's 37-22 victory over a gritty West Morris squad in one of the few area events still on Saturday. 

Tyler Yarnell (132) and Jadaen Bernstein (170) had pins for the Vikings, while Jordan Juliano scored a huge upset-win at 160 -- 4-2 in overtime against Region 1 qualifier John Sickles. That gave Voorhees an insurmountable 31-22 lead with one bout left.

Bernstein, who recently recorded his 100th career win, pinned Aldo Cammalleri to close out the match. The senior and two-time state medal winner is now 10-0 this season and 103-18 overall.

Here is the complete boxscore:

VOORHEES 37, WEST MORRIS 22

182 -- Nick Ruggiero, V, d. Adam Kratch, 12-6.
195 -- Kyle Levy, V, forfeit.
220 -- Jesse Windt, WM, md. Emilio Guevara, 10-0.
285 -- Alex Fischetti, V, d. Zach McGuire, 6-3.
106 -- Kyle DiNapoli, V, md. Ben Piraneo, 13-4.
113 -- Cody Ihling, V, d. John Schade, 5-4.
120 -- Dylan Luciano, WM, p. Jon Blunk, 1:22.
126 -- Cory Fleming, WM, p. Garret Birchenough, 1:21.
132 -- Tyler Yarnell, V, p. David Migliaccio, 1:31.
138 -- Nick Matthews, WM, d. Christian Okulicz, 6-5 TB.
145 -- Brandon Carcuffe, WM, d. Mike Muscatello, 6-3.
152 -- William Gonsiewski, V, d. Kevin Sears, 7-3.
160 -- Jordan Juliano, V, d. John Sickles, 4-2 TB.
170 -- Jadaen Bernstein, V, p. Aldo Cammalleri, 1:39.
Records -- Voorhees 5-2; West Morris 2-2.

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