Let the party begin, Haddonfield celebrates long-awaited sectional title
HADDONFIELD – The light poles on Kings Highway weren’t greased in preparation, but this was the type of victory that might have warranted it.
For the long drought without a sectional championship is over for the Haddonfield Memorial High School wrestling team.
The Haddons captured their first sectional crown with a 33-28 triumph over West Deptford in the South Jersey Group 2 final on Wednesday night, touching off a loud celebration that started inside the gym before filtering out on the town’s main thoroughfare.
“You have no idea what this means to us, it’s indescribable,” junior Luke Wagner said. “Last year’s loss (on criteria to Collingswood in the sectional final), it hurt. It really, really hurt. But I think it drove us, too. It made us put in the work to get back here and, this time, win it.”
Freshman “Bam Bam” Michael Lamb knew the significance of the title. After a highly successful career in the midgets, Lamb was being counted on as a big difference maker when he arrived in the high school program. He hasn't disappointed either as he's been better than advertised, emerging as one of the top 106-pounders in the region.
“I knew we could do it,” Lamb said. “This is what we’ve been working for. It’s great. I’m just happy to be a part of this team.”
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Haddonfield head coach Eric Hamrick took his squad to the South Jersey Group 2 championship meet in his first and third years with no team tournament because of the pandemic sandwiched in between.
The sting of two losses in the sectional final were a distant memory for the highly energetic Hamrick, who celebrated with his team and the trophy in front of the Haddons’ student section after the win.
“These kids deserve this, the program deserves this,” Hamrick said. “This relieves a lot of stress. Now, we got the first one and we can focus on getting more (titles) in the future, many more.”
Hamrick said the blueprint for the championship model began in the summer.
“I’m sort of putting the pieces together in my head and I’m thinking we’re pretty darn tough right now,” he said.
After winning a 34-20 decision in the regular-season meeting on Dec. 21, the Haddons felt confident going into the postseason rematch.
Wagner gave the team an even bigger boost when he delivered a 5-2 decision at 120, avenging a 7-5 loss in sudden victory to Anthony Conway-Popeskic.
“I just watched my match from last time and worked on a couple of things with my great workout partner James Canuso,” Wagner said. “He really helped get me ready for this match.”
Haddonfield iced the meet with three straight pins by Will Bayer (132), Alex Hurly (138) and Joe Dietz (144). The final piece of the trifecta sending a bolt of energy through the Haddonfield bench as the wrestlers and coaches knew the title was clinched.
“I was so amped up, especially with these great fans going crazy,” Dietz said “Before I ran out, my coach stopped me and told me a pin clinches it. I knew I was going to get it.”
Haddonfield (18-4) now enters uncharted territory. The Haddons will wrestle in Friday’s state semifinal round when they host third-seeded High Point (10-9) for the right to compete in Sunday’s state championships at Rutgers.
Haddonfield 33, West Deptford 28
175: Andrew Tighe, WD, d. Roland Fricke, 9-3; 190: Marcus Carter, WD, md. Greg Flood, 19-8; 215: Cole DuBois, WD, d. Terry Lytle, 1-0; 285: Holden Fichter, H, dec. Rahmeer Vaughn, 3-2; 106: Michael Lamb, H, p. Ryan McConaghy, 0:37 113: Pearce Hoffman, d. Talen Terinoni, 8-3; 120: Luke Wagner, d. Anthony Conway-Popeskic, 5-2; 126: Owen Entrekin, WD, d. James Canuso, 13-6; 132: Will Bayer, H, p. Trevor Lundfelt, 2:26; 138: Alex Hurly, H, p. Ayden Tighe, 1:11; 144: Joe Dietz, H, p. James Lorman, 3:16; 150: Chris Hansen, WD, d. Beckett Doyle, 9-8; 157: Nick Graziano, WD, forfeit; 165: Caleb Jackson, WD, forfeit.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Haddonfield wrestling earns South Jersey Group 2 title
