Just weeks away from the start of another high school wrestling season, some old veterans took the mat for a worthy cause and a chance to relive their glory days. And surprisingly, these "old-timers" still had the stuff.
Former New Jersey state champions Will Livingston and Steve Dalling of Kittatinny, and Andy Iliff of Newton were among the winners in the annual alumni match between Sussex County rival schools on Friday night at Henry Boresch Memorial Gymnasium.
In all, 16 bouts were contested as Newton prevailed, 34-29, with the teams wrestling to an even seven-seven split with two draws that ended scoreless after one 30-second overtime. Periods were 30 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute. The night was complete with a host of alumni in attendance who did not compete, along with Art Sibblies delighting the crowd with a spectacular rendition of the national anthem.
Legendary Kittatinny coach John Gill was on hand and shouting instructions as if his former wrestlers were actually in a real dual meet, while former Newton coach Rick Petersen was on the Braves' bench.
Livingston, a four-time district, three-time region and state champ in 2006, started the proceedings with a workmanlike 10-0 major decision over former Region 1 qualifier Jon Risk.
In one of the most entertaining bouts, Kittatinny's Clarke Moynihan earned a 5-0 decision over T.J. Cuff in a battlker of former state placewinners. Cuff, a two-time district champ who trailed 2-0 in the second period, nearly had two back points to tie it, but Moynihan later got three backs off a tilt to ice the win.
Two-time district champion Mike Gummerson, now an assistant coach at Lenape Valley, gave Kittatinny a 12-6 lead with a 4-2 win over former Newton state placewinner Trevor Braxton in the evening's fifth matchup. Tyler Branham, a three-time district champ and one-time region champ, followed with a 6-3 decision over Dennis Jones.
After Brendan Ryan's impressive 9-0 major of Kittatinny's Bryant Wanamaker, a 2003 Region 1 champ, the crowd came to life when current Newton coach Eric Bollette, a Kittatinny grad, took the mat against Rich Molfetto.
Bollette, a seventh-eighth finisher in the state tournament, did not disappoint as he converted three takedowns in a 6-1 victory. In the second period, referee Bob Melillo warned Bollette for stalling and true to form, Gill entertained the crowd by protesting the call in jovial fashion.
Former two-time region champ Ed Mattice got the Braves going with a 5-0 win over Mike Grace. Iliff, Newton's last state champ with back-to-back titles in 1986-87, built a 12-0 lead after two periods before his opponent became ill and could not continue.
Former state placewinner Austin Alpaugh also won for Newton, while Risk, wrestling for a second time, slapped on a cradle for three backs with less than 10 seconds left to beat Derek Conrad, 5-2.
Kittatinny's Eric Schuffenhauer, a 1994 district champ, also wrestled twice -- a 0-0 draw with Kenny Burke and a 2-0 win over Ryan Caffrey. In the final bout, two-time state champion and Kittatinny legend Dalling closed the show by decking Kenny Smith in 2:14.
All in all it was a great night of wrestling that raised a nice sum of money for the Newton wrestling program. My thanks to Bill Cuff and the rest of the Newton staff for inviting me to be the announcer. I'm already looking forward to next year's match, which according to sources, will feature a match between Bollette and former Newton state runner-up Ted Sibblies. That should be a good one!
NEWTON 34, KITTATINNY 29
Will Livingston, K, md. Jon Risk, 10-0.
Eric Schuffenhauer, K, and Kenny Burke, drew 0-0.
Anthony Kieling, N, p. Dan Sylvester, 2:58 OT.
Clarke Moynihan, K, d. T.J. Cuff, 5-0.
Mike Gummerson, K, d. Trevor Braxton, 4-2.
Tyler Branham, K, d. Dennis Jones, 6-3.
Brendan Ryan, N, md. Bryant Wanamaker, 9-0.
Eric Bollette, K, d. Rich Molfetto, 6-1.
Ed Mattice, N, d. Mike Grace, 5-0.
Matt Washer, N, p. Hobie Wanamaker, 2:22.
Andy Iliff, N, injury default over Connor VanDerMaas, 1:30.
Robert Yetter, K, and David Sylvester, K, drew 0-0.
Jon Risk, N, d. Derek Conrad, 5-2.
Eric Schuffenhauer, K, d. Ryan Caffrey, 2-0.
Austin Alpaugh, N, md. Dan Sylvester, 8-0.
Steve Dalling, K, p. Kenny Smith, 2:14.
Officials -- Frank Leitner and Bob Melillo.
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