Former state champion Will Livingston and placewinner Mike Gummerson capped the evening with victories as Kittatinny earned an 18-12 victory over Newton in the biennial alumni match between Sussex County rivals at Kittatinny Regional High School.
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| Former wrestlers from Newton and Kittatinny turn out for a great event. |
Longtime Kittatinny coach John Gill was pleased to see so many former wrestlers on the mat and in the crowd for an event that seems to increase in popularity with each passing year since its inception in 2000. There were a number of recent graduates competing for the Cougars, including 2017 Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament champion Shane Smith, as well as several former greats.
"That's the rewarding part -- seeing kids now as adults," said Gill, who is entering his 39th season as head coach. "They have fond memories of high school wrestling in general, and Kittatinny wrestling especially. I saw some kids here who didn't make varsity and weren't introduced, and they came back -- because wrestling meant something to them."
Newton coach Eric Bollette, a former Kittatinny state placewinner under Gill and a 1994 graduate, looks forward to seeing teammates as well as the wrestlers he's coached over his 19 seasons (18 as head coach) with the Braves.
"It's always fun to get together," said Bollette, who guided the Braves to their only two sectional championships in 2009 and '10. "It's a great fundraiser. It's good to see them come back every two years and support the teams. We had some nice bouts."
Among the notable spectators were former Kittatinny greats Steve Dalling and Roman Fleszar, both two-time state champions, along with Centenary University All-Americans Josh Sibblies of Newton and Chris Burdge of Kittatinny. Current Newton assistant coaches Andy Iliff (two-time state champ) and Ted Sibblies (the Braves last state finalist in 1989) were also on hand, while Kittatinny assistants Jared Roe and Gummerson returned to the mat.
Roe, who won both of his matchups, started the Kittatinny comeback with a 2-0 win over Brian Tompkins to tie the match at 12 with two to go. Livingston, a four-time state placewinner (champ in 2006) and two-time All-American at Centenary, sealed it with a 2-1 win over Brendan Ryan. Livingston, now an assistant coach at Pope John, still ranks fourth on Kittatinny's all-time wins list with a career mark of 144-13.
Newton, which figures to challenge for a North 1, Group 2 sectional title this season, is sitting on 793 wins coming into the program's 93rd season. Senior Wyatt McCarthy, who placed seventh in the state tournament last season at 145 pounds and will go 152 this season, is looking the become the Braves' 83rd state champion and first since Iliff won back-to-back titles in 1986-87.
Kittatinny also is closing in on a milestone with 596 wins. Gill, who has a career mark of 564-180-5, is experiencing something new as young Steve Dalling, a freshman who has a good chance to start at 126 or 132 this season, is the first son of a former varsity starter to wrestle for the legendary coach.
"I'm well past the twilight of my career, and I hear all of these guys from 1993, '94 being announced," Gill said. "It's fun. It keeps me young."
KITTATINNY 18, NEWTON 12
174 -- Shane Smith, K, d. Julio Maidana, 3-0.
195 -- Jared Roe, K, d. Ronnie Gill, 1-0.
165 -- Brendan Ryan, N, d. Taylor Molfetto, 3-0.
200 -- Kevin Bilby, N, d. Remo Kinsora, 3-0.
215 -- Brian Tompkins, N, d. Eric Schuffenhauer, 2-0.
160 -- Kasey Hotz, K, d. Jake VanWingerden, 7-2.
170 -- Taylor Molfetto, K, d. Julio Maidana, 3-1.
210 -- Eric Schuffenhauer, K, d. Kevin Bilby, 2-0.
190 -- Ronnie Gill, N, d. Remo Kinsora, 1-0.
205 -- Jared Roe, K, d. Brian Tompkins, 2-0.
172 -- Will Livingston, K, d. Brendan Ryan, 2-1.
155 -- Mike Gummerson, K, d. Derek Conrad, 4-0.
Note -- Kittatinny only matchups at 160 and 155 did not count toward the team scores.
Officials -- Frank Leitner and Bob Melillo.
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