Bulldogs enjoying a banner year on the wrestling mats
By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer

Jerry Beaver is having a lot of fun coaching his Rumson-Fair Haven wrestling squad this year, and for good reason.

The Bulldogs were 14-3 entering Tuesday’s match with Holmdel, have clinched the Shore Conference’s Class B Central, and can hardly wait to get on the mats for the first round of the state tournament on Tuesday.

"I’ve got a great group of kids who are working hard, and having a lot of fun together this year," Beaver said. "Of course, it’s easy to laugh when you’re on top of your game."

That has certainly been the case for the Rumson squad this year. The Bulldogs are deep, talented, and led by a handful of grapplers who Beaver said are among the Shore’s elite.

"I’ve got five or six hammers that can wrestle with anyone," he said. "And the other guys have been taking turns stepping up when needed to give us enough points to come out on top, more often than not."

Among Beaver’s "hammers," senior Bryan Heller is the leader. The Penn State University-bound 130-pounder is 18-0 and has looked every bit like a contender for a state championship this year, after finishing seventh/eighth last year and becoming the school’s first-ever Region VI champ.

"Bryan doesn’t get near the recognition he deserves as far as the state rankings go," Beaver said. "He hasn’t hid from anyone this year, wrestling the best competition possible, and he’s been absolutely dominant."

After another successful summer at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., where he posted a 5-2 record against other nationally ranked freestyle wrestlers, Heller entered this season on a mission. And, his coach expects him to have a better finish this time around.

"To be honest, I expected him to do better last year in the states, but he lost his head and had a bad match there at the end," Beaver said. "This year I expect him to stay a little more focused and finish strong."

Another future Division I wrestler who made the trip out to Fargo over the summer was the Lehigh University-bound Patrick Berger, a scrappy 119-pounder who is also undefeated at 19-0. Berger is also coming off a disappointing finish to his season last year, when he was eliminated in the semifinal round of the Region tournament after finishing seventh/eighth in the state as a sophomore.

"Patrick has looked very strong and has beat some very tough wrestlers already this year," Beaver said. "He’s back at 119, and he’s bigger and stronger."

The third Division I grappler at RFH, Princeton-bound Greg Redman, has a 16-3 mark thus far.

"Greg suffered a devastating knee injury last year, and has really come back strong," Beaver said. "He’s lost some very close matches to top wrestlers this year, but should certainly be a contender the rest of the way."

With the trio of Berger, Redman and Heller occupying the 119-130 slots, sophomore Nick Bufano is the odd-man out, which is distressing to Beaver.

"Nick is on his way to 20 wins, and it’s an absolute shame that he probably won’t be able to wrestle in Districts," he explained. "We couldn’t get him to 112, and he lost to Redman in a recent wrestle-off. But he’s still got two more years, and he’s still on track for a great career record. He’s a tough kid who has lost to some very good wrestlers."

Senior John McAuliffe is another Bulldog who wrestled in Fargo over the summer, where he went 6-2, and has made it pay off in the form of a 17-2 start after taking third in the Region last year.

"John has two losses, and they came on the same day when he didn’t have his head screwed on right," Beaver said. "But other than that day, he’s been great. He’s been bumping up to face better competition all season, and that should help him. Somerville (whom the Bulldogs may see on Tuesday in the opening round of the state playoffs) has a great 160-pounder, so I’m looking forward to that match."

Beaver calls 135-pound freshman J.C. Clark the "surprise of the season," after getting off to a 15-6 start in his first year of high school wrestling.

"He’s been absolutely phenomenal," Beaver said. "He has some junior experience, but aside from Heller, I haven’t seen desire in a kid like this. His losses have been by one or two points to really good kids. He’s going to be special."

At 103 pounds, senior David Ruthenbeck is among the Shore’s best at 14-5, and has wrestled very well, according to his coach.

At 112, freshman T.J. VanCleef has wrestled well, but is suffering from some back problems, which has opened the door for fellow frosh Dylan Cahill, who Beaver said is really coming along and will probably finish the season at 112.

Senior Chris Schrank has been solid at 140, posting a 10-4 mark despite having to bump up after losing a wrestle-off to Clark.

"Chris has a great record, but he’s just not quite strong enough to wrestle some of these kids at 140," Beaver said. "He can go slick with anybody, but when it comes down to strength, he struggles a bit."

Sophomore Sterling McCullough is improved at 145 after posting 11 wins as a freshman. McCullough has 15 wins and is another Bulldog who has consistently bumped up to face better competition.

"He’s a very technical wrestler who still needs to mature physically," Beaver said.

A trio of grapplers, seniors David Venti and Phil Janosko, and sophomore Steve Murphy, have been taking turns at 152, after continually knocking each other off in wrestle-offs. But Beaver said that all three have done a solid job when called upon.

At 171, sophomore Rob Eyerkuss is "coming into his own," according to Beaver, despite wrestling above what should be his target weight.

"He can’t go at 152, and he can’t beat McAuliffe at 160," Beaver explained. "But I can’t leave him down at JV because he pins everybody, so it’s a waste of time."

At 189, Jason Sena stepped up to fill a hole in the lineup and is starting to come into wrestling, his coach said.

Senior Joe Scofi missed all of the preseason with an injury, but is finally 100 percent at 215 pounds and is wrestling well, recording nine pins his last 11 matches to improve to 9-4.

Senior Matt Ferrara has lost to some tough opponents at heavyweight but has still managed to post a 10-8 mark thus far, despite consistently giving up weight.

Beaver said he expects his team to get a sixth seed in the upcoming state tournament, where they’re likely to see Somerville, but could also face Voorhees, Delaware Valley or Raritan. Either way, he likes his team’s chances.

"It’s going to be strength against strength against any of those teams," he said. "It will depend on match-ups, but I’ve got a lot of options to play around with with this team. It should be fun."