Rebels take A North title by topping CBA
Trio of local teams make 16-team SCT field
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

SCOTT PILLING staff CBA’s Anthony Chirichello takes a shot on Howell’s Pat Sheehan during their 171-pound bout in Middletown on Jan. 25.

Upon arriving in Lincroft last Wednesday, Howell High School’s wrestling team was not in a generous, sharing mood.

The second-ranked Rebels went to Christian Brothers Academy with one goal in mind, according to Josh Barnhard.

“We didn’t want to share it [Class A North Division title],” he said.

With their 40-12 win over the seventh-ranked Colts, the undefeated Rebels (12-0) wrapped up their first A North title since 2002. A CBA win last week would have created a three-way tie for first place among the Rebels, Colts and the Ocean Spartans. Howell would have none of that.

There was an added incentive for Howell besides wanting the title outright. Last year, CBA went to Howell and beat the Rebels for the first time in school history. That did not sit well with the Rebels.

“We had some unfinished business,” said Barnhard. “This team came in and beat us last year. It was a big upset, and we wanted payback.”

The Colts, who had lost only to Ocean heading into last week’s match, sported a veteran lineup from last year. What paved the way for a 40-12 drubbing this time?

“Our balance,” said Howell coach John Gagliano. “There were a bunch of close matches. They’re a tough team.

“Our kids never give up; they just keep coming,” he added.

Barnhard’s pin at 215 pounds began a run of nine straight wins that turned the match into a rout. His move up from 189 to 215 was just one of several lineup moves made by Gagliano that worked like a charm.

In the case of Barnhard, the move was designed to get a fall.

“I was moved up to get a pin,” said Barnhard noting that 13 of his 14 wins last year were falls. “I went out to pin the guy, and it worked out.

“Every time I go out on the mat, I go all out,” he added.

There were a few anxious moments for Barnhard and the Rebels. He fell behind the Colts’ Greg Dube 5-2 early and was still down 9-6 in the second period when he scored on a reversal. Working Dube high around the neck and shoulders, he finally planted Dube’s shoulders on the mat just as the buzzer sounded ending the second period.

The Rebels had gotten the six points they were looking for.

What Barnhard called a “crazy match” gave Howell momentum it never relinquished.

The match began at 160 with Frank Mormino getting the Rebels on the scoreboard first, 4-0, with a 10-2 major decision over the Colts’ Keith Ianacioi.

CBA would take a 7-4 on a decision by Anthony Chirichello (over Pat Sheehan, 11-7) at 171, and a major decision by Ollie Ferraro (15-7 over Harry Turner) at 189.

When Dube was holding the lead over Barnhard, CBA was sensing upset again. Instead, it was the Colts who were upset when Barnhard just beat the buzzer and put Howell up 10-7. It was the first of several close matches that the Rebels pulled out.

Mike Bonfig, Howell’s 215-pounder, was bumped up to heavyweight and worked out a 6-3 decision over CBA’s bigger Tyle Engelsbe.

At the bottom of the lineup, Gagliano broke up the one-two combo that he calls as good as anyone in the Shore — Joye Langel (103) and Cody Fobes (112) — by moving Fobes up to 119 and inserting Blaise Supczynski at 112. All three won as the Howell steamroller rolled on.

Langel scored a pin fall over Mike Cioffi in 1:32. Supczynski used a reversal late in the third period to get a 7-6 win over Frank McGrall, and Fobes scored a workman-like 3-1 decision over Joe Favia.

Justin Morello, displaying what Gagliano calls his wrestlers’ “never give up” approach, scored a takedown in the final seconds to score a 7-6 decision over James Beshada.

Jim Bohn scored a 6-2 decision over John Menafra at 130 and Jay Ecklof pinned Steve Piscione in 3:00.

Paul Calafiore won Howell’s ninth straight match with a close call over Chris Finley, 6-5, at 140. Calafiore was holding a 6-5 lead and fighting off a takedown attempt by Finley when the buzzer sounded.

CBA (8-2) ended the match on a high note with Dave Chirichello scoring a 4-3 win over Tom Tuminelli at 145, and Anthony DeLeo edging Billy Woodward, 2-1, at 152.

Those Colts wins say as much about Howell’s strength as anything. Woodward, a Region champion last year, and Tuminelli, District champion in ’05, are team leaders as well as outstanding wrestlers.

That they could both lose close matches and Howell could still win by 28 points tells you why Howell is undefeated and ranked No. 6 in the state.

The Colts didn’t let the loss to Howell keep them down, however, as they bounced back with an impressive performance at the Reunion Quad in Toms River North on Saturday.

CBA knocked off eighth-ranked Raritan, 34-31, in a hard-fought bout between a pair of teams jockeying for high seeds in this week’s Shore Conference Tournament. CBA also beat host Toms River North, 47-28, and Pinelands, 51-27, but it was the win over Raritan that meant the most to the Colts.

Trailing 25-12 to the Rockets after the lightweight bouts, the Colts began to take control in the middleweights, starting with Dave Chirichello’s pin at 152. DeLeo then added a technical fall win at 160, before Anthony Chirichello added another pin at 171 to give the Colts the lead. Ollie Ferraro then sealed it for CBA with a tech fall win at 189.

While it was the middleweights that sealed the win, many of the Colts’ lightweights kept their matches within reach by losing close decisions and limiting the Rockets’ bonus points.

CBA was anxious to see what the reward for their efforts would be when the SCT was seeded on Monday night. Unfortunately, they were not rewarded well.

The Colts were given the eighth seed, which meant a trip to Jackson last night, home of the state’s top-ranked team. The Jaguars were the obvious No. 1 seed, and will face Manchester in the first round, with the winner to get the winner of the 8-9 match between the Colts and ninth-seeded Raritan — a rematch of Saturday’s hard-fought contest.

CBA was hoping for a sixth seed following Saturday’s win over the Rockets, only to see themselves seeded behind Central, the seventh seed at 12-2, and a Toms River East team that got seeded sixth despite a 6-8 record.

The committee used the team’s strengths of schedule as a factor in the seeding process, but the Colts can not be pleased with having to face Jackson in the second round with all of the success they’ve had this season.

The SCT is a 16-team field that began last night with double-headers at the sites of the top four seeds. The four surviving teams advance to the semifinals and final on Saturday at Southern Regional High School. The semifinals are scheduled for 3 p.m., with the finals to follow at 5:30 p.m.

“It’s [the SCT] going to be a war,” said Gagliano. “There are a lot of good teams in the Shore.”

Toms River East took on 11th-seeded Long Branch (10-4) in Howell, with the winner to get either the second-ranked Rebels or 15th-seeded Keansburg in the second round.

Ocean Township, seeded fourth, hosted Toms River North in the first round, with the winner to get either Brick Memorial (seeded fifth) or Freehold Borough (seeded 12th). Ocean is a team that entered the season with the loftiest of expectations, only to get off to a rough start thanks to numerous injuries to top wrestlers.

However, the Spartans have begun to resemble the contender everyone expected as of late, and may be ready to make a run at the conference title this weekend. There was some question following Monday’s meeting as to whether senior 130-pounder Dan Lopes would be eligible to participate in all of the Spartans’ matches should they make it to the finals, after he competed in a tournament at Brick Memorial on Sunday. However, according to Ocean athletic director Rusty Todd, he has received verbal confirmation from the NJSIAA that Lopes would be eligible to wrestle in all four potential bouts this week.