Southern is game in wrestling showcase but Delbarton is too much
STAFFORD - It was a night where both the Delbarton and Southern Regional wrestling teams could be grateful.
It was also a night where fans in the Jersey Shore got a a chance to see a match where Delbarton showed why it is the consensus No. 1 wrestling team in New Jersey - and Southern showed why it is probably the best public school team in the state.
Delbarton won on the scoreboard, 48-12, but wrestling won overall because the two proud programs decided to reach out to each other, schedule the match and test themselves.
"I have so much respect for Dan (Southern head coach Dan Roy), John (former Southern head coach John Stout) and the whole Southern wrestling program,'' Delbarton head coach Bryan Stoll said. "To be able to come down here and wrestle these guys in this gym, it's an honor for us.''
Delbarton, which is also ranked No. 7 in the nation, has a hard time getting teams in New Jersey outside of its NJAC Conference American Division to wrestle.
Meanwhile, Southern had not wrestled a non-public school in many years until this season. The Rams had previously wrestled Christian Brothers Academy on Jan. 10 and recorded a 27-25 win.
"I'm still glad we wrestled them,'' Roy said. "I don't regret wrestling them. I think by wrestling them, I gave my kids an opportunity to challenge for the No. 1 team in the state. We have a pretty good team this year, and if we didn't do that, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I wanted to give them the opportunity to wrestle the best in the state. ''
Delbarton (14-2), which has three past state champions in its lineup in Daniel Jones (120), Tyler Vazquez (138) and Simon Ruiz (175) and five other returning state qualifiers in its lineup, won 10 bouts and collected bonus points in seven of them.
The Rams (11-1), ranked No. 5 in the NJWWA Top 20, won four bouts, which was two more than Delsea, which is ranked No. 6 in the NJWAA Top 20, won last Saturday in a 64-6 defeat to the Green Wave.
Southern won two overtime bouts. The biggest one coming at 150 when junior Matt Henrich, the state seventh-place finisher at 138 last season, defeated Cross Wasilewski, the state third-place finisher at 144 last year, 3-2 in tiebreaker period No. 1.
The Rams also had a win in sudden victory by returning region champion Wyatt Stout at 132 and wins by two-time state top three finisher Conor Collins at 126 and returning state qualifier Riley O'Boyle at 215.
"That's probably the best-coached wrestling team in New Jersey right there,'' Delbarton's Stoll said. "They can wrestle with anybody.''
"I know they respect us as a program,'' Roy said. "I've known Bryan for years. We talk all the time. He's very happy that we took the match. He wanted the match. He wanted to come here and wrestle in this gym and in this atmosphere.''
But, wrestling Delbarton is like wrestling a college team. The Green Wave are good in every position and have no weaknesses in their lineup.
"All their kids are tough from top to bottom and they're well-coached,'' Roy said. "A lot of those kids wrestle all year round. We have kids that are college level kids. They just have more of them. They are a level above all the teams we've wrestled.''
"I wanted a tough match. I wanted us to be challenged. We got that. Now, we need to re-evaulate and work harder and get better in positions we need to get better in.''
Delbarton responds to the challenge
The Southern fans unleashed two roars that could be heard in neighboring Long Beach Island.
The first came after Stout's win. The second came after Henrich rode Wasilewski out in the second part of the first tiebreaker period to win a bout that took about a half hour because Wasillewski had to be tended to for blood three times.
But, each time, Delbarton restored order.
After Henrich's win, which pulled Southern to within 13-9 after six bouts, the Green Wave won the next four bouts with two technical falls and two pins.
Southern went from Stout's bout-winning takedown at 132 until O'Boyle's takedown in the final minute of the second period without a takedown.
"When stuff got real, we definitely showed up. That's what we're about,'' said senior 144-pounder and 2021 state 138-pound fourth-place finisher Joseph Davi. "It had been a little while since we had to get that fire under our bellies. We've kind of been cruising a little bit. That (Henrich's win) really woke us up. We're like, 'Hey, we're here to wrestle. We're here to get after it.' ''
Delbarton did have a big win of its own as heavyweight Connor Martin executed a Fat Man's Roll and reversed returning state qualifier Anthony Evangelista to his back for a pin.
"Hat's off to Connor,'' Davi said. "He's dangerous from bottom, man.
Gutsy wins by Stout and Henrich
The wins by Stout and Henrich were the two most exciting bouts of the night.
Stout was trailing Trevor Jones 2-0 before he tied the bout with a takedown with 40 seconds remaining in regulation. He then won the bout with a takedown with 40.8 seconds left in sudden victory.
Henrich overcame a 2-0 second period to send his bout into overtime. He escaped with 9.6 seconds left in the first part of the first tiebreaker period before his ride out.
The win will have major seeding implications for Henrich when it comes time to seed the state individual tournament. Henrich's only defeat to a New Jersey wrestler is to CBA's Julian George, who weighed up from 144 to wrestle him.
"Matt really wanted that match bad,'' Roy said. "They're going to see each other again. It was a good test for them.''
What it means
Both teams will be favored to win NJSIAA group championships Feb. 12 at Rutgers University's Jersey Mike's Arena. Delbarton in Non-Public A and Southern in Group 5.
Both teams will also have plenty of wrestlers in contention for medals at the NJSIAA Individual Tournament March 2-4 at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.
"You want to see where you're at with the top guys in the state and then go from there,'' Roy said. "It doesn't help you to beat guys who are not on your level.''
"All in all, it was a great night for wrestling,'' Stoll said. "We were very happy to be here.''
Delbarton 48, Southern 12
120: Daniel Jones (D) md. Scottie Sari 10-2
126: Conor Collins (S) d. John Hager 6-0.
132: Wyatt Stout (S) d. Trevor Jones 4-2 (sudden victory).
138: Tyler Vazquez (D) p. Owen Parker, :24.
144: Joseph Davi (D) d. Hayden Hochstrasset 6-2.
150: Matt Henrich (S) d. Cross Wasilewski 3-2 (tiebreaker No. 1).
157: Alessio Perentin (D) tf. Nick Bennet 4:59 (17-1)
165: Louis Cerchio (D) tf. Mitch Bivona 5:15 (24-9)
175: Simon Ruiz (D) p. Bradford Birch :55.
190: Vincent Lee (D) p. Collin French 1:13
215: Riley O'Boyle (S) d. Henry Forte 3-0
HWT: Connor Martin (D) p. Anthony Evangelista :50
106: Dylan Palenchar (D) d. Anthony Mason 3-2
113: Jayden James (D) md. Attila Vigilante 13-4
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ wrestling: Southern Regional defeated by Delbarton
