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Friday, January 27, 2012

High school wrestling news and notes blogs.thedailyjournal. com/matpack

New breed, old tricks

Even the youngest coaches stick with time-tested technique
oth Justin Martin and Carmine Davis wrestled in high school less than 10 years ago and in college more recently than that. At 25, Martin, who is in his fourth year as coach at Schalick, is the youngest coach in the area, if not South Jersey. Davis, 28, is in his fifth year with Cumberland Regional. Having recently spent time on the mats at either the NCAA or high school level, one would expect the two to employ the latest coaching techniques, but thats not the case. The basic stuff works, Davis said. Most of your takedowns are by go-behinds, snap down and go behind. All this funk stuff, its just too much. Have I done it? Yeah, but I like the basics. I could teach it, but I dont. The reason why even the youngest high school coaches arent employing what many would call new school technique is based on results. Plain and simple it works, Martin said of the older stuff. Everyone calls it old school, but if you get to Atlantic City this year, youre going to see, wrist-and-half, balland-chain, youre going to see high crotches, outside singles, basic stuff. Youll see the funk too because its a higher level, but youre going to see the basic stuff. Some coaches feel if theyre teaching something different, it gives their wrestlers an advantage rather than showing the same moves that won state titles decades ago. There are coaches out there like that, but our philosophy is, if you can do those basic things to the best of our ability, no one is going to be able to stop it,

SOUTH JERSEY

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now. St. Augustine Prep coach Joe Melchiore, who won the last of his three state titles in 1984 and has traveled the world wrestling at different levels, proudly calls himself an old school coach. He says his focus is on the details of certain moves and he employs a lot of upper body work. Im the only coach who doesnt teach a head-tothe-inside single or a sweep, what we call a dump, Melchiore said. And I dont teach it because I couldnt do it. Theres easier ways to take guys down. Off the mats, the line between old and new becomes a little blurry though. Martin said his practice philosophy isnt much different from what youd see run in a room many years ago. He has his team do a 15- to 20-minute run to begin practice, then straight into drilling and live wrestling before more conditioning. He said the only difference is that he might switch up the drilling a bit daily. Thats really to keep the practices interesting for the kids. Melchiore said hes learned a lot about nutrition and proper weight management techniques in recent years. My schedule is set up the way it needs to be, with matches on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday to focus on weight control, Melchiore said. And thats from what Ive seen from my kids over the last three or four years. But not all old moves translate to todays wrestlers. Melchiores signature quarter-Nelson doesnt get taught much in the Prep room. The reason? Melchiore said with a proud smile, No one can do it right.

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PACK
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MAT

T H E D A I LY J O U R N A L

MEAN15

NEWS & NOTES

West Deptford stands at 14-0, but staying unbeaten hasnt been easy. The Eagles have won four meets by seven-or-fewer points and three by three-or-fewer. West Deptford will wrestle Haddonfield tonight and Egg Harbor Twp. on Saturday. In an effort to showcase its wrestling team to the next wave of athletes, Pennsauken wrestled Thursdays match against Cherokee at Phifer Middle School. The Indians (9-5) suffered a 44-18 loss, but they have enjoyed a strong rebound season. Cinnaminsons Sam Ekwonike pinned his first two opponents since making his season debut on Jan. 21. According to his coach Michael Beirao, Ekwonike had gotten a little big during football season and was on a weight decent plan. The senior could make some serious noise come February. Haddon Heights boasts one of the best trios of upperweights in South Jersey with senior Padric Lynch (195 pounds, 19-2), senior Ryan Thompson (220, 192) and junior Alex Thompson (Hwt., 21-1). Mix in junior Phillip Azzari (170, 20-3) and its easy to see why Haddon Heights owns a 14-4 mark.

1. Timber Creek 2. Delsea 3. Camden Catholic 4. West Deptford 5. Egg Harbor Township 6. Paulsboro 7. Clearview 8. Buena 9. Hammonton 10. St. Augustine 11. Haddonfield 12. Pennsville 13.Cherokee 14. Seneca 15. Clayton

*Records through Wednesday

THE DAILY JOURNALS REGION 7 & 8 RANKINGS

Schalick wrestling coach Justin Martin barks orders to his team during Wednesdays match. Just 25 years old, Martin is the youngest coach in the area, but he says his coaching sytle is old school. STAFF PHOTO/CODY GLENN
1. John Gentile, Paulsboro 2. Tyler McBride, Camden Catholic 3. Patrick DArcy, Holy Spirit 4. Jesse Swope, Cumberland 5. Joey Rocks, Egg Harbor Township 1. Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine 2. Anthony Racobaldo, Williamstown 3. Sam Morina, Paulsboro 4. Zach Valcarce, Lower Cape May 5. Tyler Kaminski, West Deptford 1. Billy Ward, Buena 2. Ricky Carter, Timber Creek 3. Collin Mitchell, Eastern 4. Juan Rivera, Paulsboro 5. Newt Richardson, Schalick 1. Kevin Devoy, Burlington Township 2. John VanBrill, Clearview 3. Ron Gentile, Paulsboro 4. D.J. Mele, Cherokee 5. Robert McNeill, Winslow Township 1. Brandon Keller, Timber Creek 2. Maaziah Bethea, Trenton Central 3. Joe Lemerise, Cherokee 4. John Hennelly, Delsea 5. Will Elliott, Cumberland 1. Chad Walsh, Camden Catholic 2. Joe Esposito, St. Augustine 3. Ed Lenkowski, Clearview 4. Dillan Berghof, Buena 5. Nick Knauer, Paulsboro 1. T.J. Miller, Camden Catholic 2. Curt Delia, Delsea 3. Antonio Mancella, Oakcrest 4. Dom Ruggiero, Timber Creek 5. Dan Cornew, Clearview 1. Raamiah Bethea, Trenton Central 2. Wayne Stinson, Northern Burlington 3. Mark Patterson, St. Augustine 4. Bryce Shade, Timber Creek 5. Christian Stackhouse, Riverside 1. Phil Bakuckas, Hammonton 2. Robert Schlitt, Haddonfield 3. Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea 4. Connor Donahue, Clearview 5. Austin Wetterau, Shawnee 1. Steve Nelson, Haddon Township 2. Robert Shade, Timber Creek 3. Nick Elmer, Penns Grove 4. Alex Gong, Absegami 5. Nick Moore, Seneca 1. Rory Bonner, West Deptford 2. David Williams, Hammonton 3. Tyler Miller, New Egypt 4. Thomas Forline, Moorestown 5. John Benard, Oakcrest 1. Carson Stack, Haddonfield 2. Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea 3. Anthony DeVito, Pennsville 4. Padric Lynch, Haddon Heights 5. Chris Lail, Kingsway 1. Mauro Correnti, Holy Cross 2. Marquis Jackson, Delran 3. Nick Pustizzi, Schalick 4. Brandon Belger, Middle Township 5. Roy Lucas, St. Joseph 1. Greg Webb, Timber Creek 2. Cody Melton, Northern Burlington 3. Tom Rementer, Clayton 4. Alex Thompson, Haddon Heights 5. Tre Porch, Delsea *Records through Wednesday 17-1 16-3 23-0 7-1 20-1 20-3 20-1 20-4 18-3 17-3 17-3 17-6 17-1 21-3 20-1 17-0 17-1 21-3 6-1 20-0 20-3 16-0 18-2 17-4 15-2 15-4 19-2 14-0 18-1 17-7 19-1 20-1 19-1 11-6 11-2 17-0 17-3 26-1 16-7 19-1 21-0 19-1 19-2 18-0 18-3 21-0 20-3 19-0 20-4 17-1 18-1 19-3 16-2 18-3 16-4 23-0 18-1 19-4 20-2 22-1 16-3 18-2 20-1 17-2 18-1 2-0 11-2 21-0 22-1 19-2

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PATRICK BUGANSKI
Martin said. We come in and we teach seven steps of a takedown, seven steps of a stance, good positioning, movement, level change, all those kids of things. On top, were a balland-chain, wrist-and-half kind of team. On bottom, if youre not standing up, youre not wrestling varsity for me. Were a pretty basic team. Davis, who graduated from Cumberland in 2003, said a lot of the newer stuff is a recent phenomenon. You didnt see a lot of that when I was in high school and I havent been out that long, Davis said. But you see a lot of it

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LOCAL RECORDS
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Zach Goranson, Millville Steven Bergamo, St. Augustine Sal Marandino, Buena Joshua Pineda, Vineland Tom Carney, Delsea 17-4 16-7 11-7 18-5 10-9 19-3 18-4 18-3 12-5 13-7 20-1 17-3 14-5 9-6 9-8 13-5 13-11 14-2 17-4 14-7 13-9 12-9 8-7 22-2 18-1 11-5 14-8 20-1 13-5 13-6 9-7 12-10 26-1 17-5 15-4 5-5 18-2 19-5 16-5 10-7 7-5 16-6 15-4 10-2 8-3 8-7 9-3 12-10 18-1 19-4 17-3 20-1 14-4 16-7 1-6 10-9 6-6 19-2 9-5

126

113

132

Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine Zach Nealis, Vineland John Gallo, Schalick Connor Palmieri, Buena Chad Kahn, Millville

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138

Newt Richardson, Schalick Billy Ward, Buena Danny DeTetta, Vineland John Rizzo, Vineland John Borelli, Delsea

126 132

Elias Garcia, Millville Ed Donahue, St. Augustine Will Elliott, Cumberland John Hennelly, Delsea Jarred Hodges, St. Augustine Jonathon Rodriguez, Vineland Jarett Pierotti, Buena Jarrett Kelly, Buena

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THE INSIDE STUFF

St. Augustine Prep senior Mark Patterson is on a tear at 152 pounds this year, returning to the mats after he stepped away from the sport mid-season last winter. He is 22-1 on the year. But hes a standout away from the mat too. Hes student body president and eyeing either the Naval Academy, Princeton, Brown or Villanova for continuing his education. He recently spoke with The Mat Pack about wrestling and his future. Question: How do you juggle being a standout student and wrestling? Answer: Its pretty difficult. I just try to stay focused on one thing at a time. After school I immediately start wrestling, then after wrestling, I go home, I eat, I shower and then I do my school work. Its the same thing the next day. I do mess around, but Im usually pretty good. Q: What do you want to do with your life, after wrestling and college? A: Either be a lawyer like my dad or a history teacher. I like history, it never changes, its not like they find out something new about history all the time, so I like that. Q: What did stepping away from the sport do for you? A: I think it definitely made me come out stronger. Im happy I took the break. Q: How many times have you taken coach Joe Melchiore down in practice? A: Twice. He might debate

Q&A
MARK PATTERSON

FANTASY WRESTLING TOURNAMENT

THIS WEEKS MATCHUP HUP

152

138

Joe Esposito, St. Augustine Dillan Berhof, Buena Cruz Flores, Cumberland Deon Henry, Schalick

Each week we will feature a fantasy matchup between two of the best wrestlers from greater Cumberland County since 1985.
Anthony Baldosaro of Delsea defeats DePauls Trevor Melde to win the 140-pound state title in 2008.

145

160

Curt Delia, Delsea Richard Morris, Cumberland Rico Rivera, Millville Dylan Manno, Schalick Brandon Muessig, Vineland

St. Augustine Prep 152 :: Senior

152

170

Mark Patterson, St. Augustine Ed Shockley, Millville Justin Pierotti, Buena David Gresk, Delsea

160

that, but hell definitely give me once. We just started wrestling, and I hipped over and everyone in the room just stopped and watched, and then he destroyed me. It was like 15 seconds of fame and then I got killed. Q: What does Melchiore bring to the team? A: His techniques, when he first shows them, everybody has a dazed and confused look on their face, but once you really get into it, the fluidity comes. A lot of his stuff is actually really cool, but its hard to do in a match. Q: A lot of people talk down on the Prep, especially since its an all-boys school. What are your thoughts? A: I like that its all boys. Girls, as far as Im concerned, in school and in wrestling, are a distraction. It would be nice if there were girls to hang around, but youll find them, theyre not hard to come by.
Patrick Buganski

182

Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea Tyler Sentman, St. Augustine Zach Rahl, Schalick Derrick DeWoody, Delsea Sean Platt, Millville

170

Class of 2010 (Eastern) RECORD: 149-11

ACCOMPLISHMENTS State: 1st, 1st, 4th Region: 1st four times District: 1st four times

ANTHONY BALDOSARO

BOBBY MALATESTA
Class of 1985 RECORD: 111-6-1
ACCOMPLISHMENTS State: 1st, 2nd, 4th Region: 1st, 1st, 1st District: 1st, 1st, 1st

195

James Bennett, St. Augustine Steffen Rodriguez, Vineland Marcus Nelson, Vineland Garrett Craig, Delsea Dyland Wargo, Schalick

182 195

Marshall Brooks, Delsea Cory Pietrzyk, St. Augustine Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea Taiwahn Cosby, Vineland Sean Redden, Delsea

220

220

HWT

Nick Pustizzi, Schalick Noah Repko, Buena Eugene Maisonave, Vineland Obie Kali, Millville Fred DeMary, Millville Benjamin Henderson, Vineland

Joe Alexander, Delsea 82 Votes (68%)

LAST WEEKS RESULTS

HWT

Karl Haywood, Schalick 39 Votes (32%)

Tre Porch, Delsea Jacob Paul, Cumberland

Vote for the winner at thedailyjournal.com/matpack. Check back next week for winners and a new matchup.

*Wrestlers must have at least a .500 record and a minimum of 11 bouts. All the records and rankings are based on information through Wednesday.

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