NJ state wrestling tournament: Jack Zaleski is one of Middletown South's all-time best
ATLANTIC CITY - Jack Zaleski's first instinct after he was defeated by Roxbury's eventual state champion Luke Stanich Friday afternoon at Boardwalk Hall in the 126-pound quarterfinal of the NJSIAA Individual Wrestling Championships was that his tournament and scholastic career were both over.
"I really didn't want to wrestle at all, to be honest with you,'' Zaleski said.
But, sometimes it pays off not to go with your first instinct. Zaleski changed his mind and wound up wrestling back to a third-place finish after a 9-7 win over Southern's Conor Collins in a bout that was worthy of a state final.
But, back how Zaleski changed his mind and realized he would have short-changed himself had he not continued in the tournament.
"I went back to the hotel, looked in the mirror, did a little bit of soul-searching. I was like, 'It's my last year here. I'm going to be a four-time state placewinner, and there's nothing wrong with that. Just go out and have fun.' I felt like I owed it to Middletown.''
There is nothing wrong with finishing third in one of the toughest weight classes in the entire tournament. Zaleski's defeat in the tournament was to the state champion. His road back to third included wins over Collins - a three-time state top four finisher and 2021 state finalist and Kingsway's Nathan Taylor, a two-time state top six finisher.
In becoming Middletown South's highest placewinner since 1997, Zaleski concluded his career as the second four-time state medal winner in Middletown South's history. The other is the great Glenn Pritzlaff, who was a three-time state champion and then national champion at Penn State.
"To be right behind him (Pritzlaff) feels pretty good,'' Zaleski said.
A glance at the weight classes Zaleski competed at during his career describes how well he did to be a four-time five finisher.
He was fifth at 106 in 2020 in a bracket that included Kinnelon's Evan Mougalian, a two-time state champion and three-time state finalist, Brick Memorial's Anthony Santaniello, a two-time champion and four-time finalist and Brick's Evan Tallmadge, who would become a champion the following two years at Brick Memorial.
Zaleski was fourth at 120 in 2021 in a bracket that included Santaniello and Mougalian.
He was fourth at 126 in 2022 in a bracket, which included Mougalian.
"I'm proud, and I'm proud because mostly every year, my weight has been loaded,'' Zaleski said. "I wrestled in the hardest weights.''
Sabino Portella set the bar for the future for Red Bank Catholic
Sabino Portella did not conclude his career at Red Bank Catholic as a state champion, but after Tom Seitz, who was the state champion at 108 pounds in 1974, Portella will be the second name anyone thinks about when it comes to the history of Red Bank Catholic wrestling.
"I'm just trying to instill a legacy here that nobody's really done here,'' Portella said. "I was able to do that by becoming a three-time state placewinner, and the first one to get 100 wins.''
Portella wound fifth at 175 pounds in what many felt was one of the toughest weight classes in the history of the state tournament. The weight class included two state champions in Delbarton's now two-time champion Simon Ruiz and Brick Memorial's 2022 champion Harvey Ludington and three past state runner-ups, including Portella.
He became RBC's first three-time state medal winner. He finished as a three-time top five finisher. Portella picked up his 100th career win by forfeit in the fifth-place bout.
The fact Portella even made it to Boardwalk Hall and then took him a state medal was remarkable. He battled a hip injury sustained during football season that resulted in him missing significant time during the dual-meet season. He then battled a stomach virus while winning the Region 5 championship.
"I battled a lot of adversity this year,'' Portella said. "With the bracket I had and the depth in it and the expectations, I was just trying to do the best I can to get on this podium.''
The next phase of Portella's career will be fascinating to watch. He has signed a national letter of intent to wrestle at the University of North Carolina. This will be the first offseason where he will be able to devote himself fully to wrestling. His offseasons in the past were split between football and wrestling. Portella was also a standout player the last three seasons for Red Bank Catholic's football team.
He will also be able to devote some time in the immediate future to getting some rest and getting completely healthy.
"I'm so excited,'' Portella said. "Now, that it's straight wrestling, I'm excited to grow my style, jump a bunch of levels to get to where I need to be to compete at the college level. I have a lot of time to get healthy. Once I get healthy, I'll start training again, get my weight back up. I'll be excited to get back to the grind.''
Wehner makes Donovan Catholic history
Junior Kurt Wehner became Donovan Catholic's first two-time state medal winner and tied Jeremy DeNardo for the highest medal in the program's history when he finished fifth at 113 pounds.
Two of the three medals Donovan Catholic has in its history belong to Wehner.
"It's all about stepping up,'' Wehner said. "I didn't like where I finished last year (he was seventh at 106 in 2022). "It (finishing fifth) is not what I wanted, but I did take a step up. I feel like I deserved it.''
Wehner, who was at Toms River East when he was a freshman, has been on the ground floor of the program head coach Lex Knapp is building at Donovan Catholic. The Griffins had five state qualifiers - the most they have ever had. Wehner is also the first two-time region champion Donovan Catholic has had.
"It's crazy to be the start of a new era,'' Wehner said. "I feel like next year, we're going to be one of the top 10 teams in the Shore Conference.''
Reilley adds a name on the wall for Raritan
Junior Zach Reilley, with his wild 14-12 win in sudden victory over Phillipsburg's Luke Geleta finished fifth at 138 pounds and became Raritan's first state medal winner since Pat Toal was fifth at heavyweight in 2014.
That was a long drought for a program that is consistently among the top 10 dual-meet wise in the Shore and perennial contender for the Group 2 state championship.
"Coach Nucci (Raritan head coach Rob Nucci) is always telling us people who get on the podium get on the wall (in Raritan's wrestling room),'' Reilley said. "You've always got to end your season with a 'W.''
Reilley's defeats in the tournament came to the fourth-place finisher Joey Giordano of Long Branch in the quarterfinal and to third-place finisher Alex Nini of Christian Brothers Academy in the wrestleback semifinal.
He did split two close matches during the season with runner-up Giovanni Alejandro of St. Joseph (Metuchen). He defeated Alejandro in the Region 5 final.
"I'm coming for it all next year,'' Reilley said.
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More:Complete list of medalists at the 2023 NJ state wrestling tournament
Shore Conference medal winners
State champions
215: Hudson Skove (Rumson-Fair Haven).
120: Anthony Knox (St. John Vianney).
132: Anthony Santaniello (Brick Memorial).
150: Matt Henrich (Southern).
Second Place
215: Riley O'Boyle (Southern).
157: Zander Silva (CBA).
165: Jasiah Queen (St. John Vianney).
175: Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial).
Third Place
126: Jack Zaleski (Middletown South).
138: Alex Nini (CBA).
144: Julian George (CBA).
Fourth Place
126: Conor Collins (Southern).
138: Joey Giordano (Long Brahch. Giordano is Long Branch's first state medalist since Ryan Zimmerman was fourth at 138 and Patrick O'Dwyer eighth at 195 in 2020).
Fifth Place
113: Kurt Wehner (Donovan Catholic).
138: Zach Reilley (Raritan).
175: Sabino Portella (Red Bank Catholic).
Sixth Place
132: Wyatt Stout (Southern).
190: D.J. Henry (Howell).
HWT: Ryan Fischer (Jackson Memorial. (Fischer is Jackson Memorial's first placewinner since Kyle Epperly was fifth at 195 in 2020).
Eighth Place
106: Matthew Gould (St. John Vianney).
132: Patrick O'Keefe (St. John Vianney).
144: Hayden Hochstrasser (Southern).
150: Tyler Barrett (CBA).
157: David Hussey (Middletown South).
165: Cole Velardi (Southern).
215: Robert Canterino (CBA).
Tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler
Anthony Santaniello (Brick Memorial)
NJWCA Coach of the Year
Dan Roy (Southern).
Shore Conference medalists by school:
Southern 6, CBA 5, St. John Vianney 4, Brick Memorial 2, Middletown South 2, Rumson-Fair Haven 1, Donovan Catholic 1, Long Branch 1, Raritan 1, Red Bank Catholic 1, Howell 1, Jackson Memorial 1.
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This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ state wrestling tournament: Jack Zaleski finishes career in style
