Long Branch wrestling defeats state's best

After watching his team suffer a humbling, eye-opening loss to Phillipsburg on Jan. 17, Long Branch High School head wrestling coach Danny George sat his team down for a talk.

It was not your conventional pep talk, however. Instead, George challenged his talented team, telling the Green Wave grapplers that they may have grown a bit complacent with all of their success over the past two seasons. It was time for this team to get back to what made them so successful last season- that "us against the world" attitude that propelled the Wave to Shore Conference Tournament and NJSIAA Group II championships.

At some point this season, the Wave seemed to lose that attitude a bit, and it showed in the 28-21 loss to Phillipsburg at the National High School Coaches Association Final Four at Shawnee Middle School in Easton, Pa. The Stateliners, who earlier in the day defeated Lenape Valley and longtime rival Hunterdon Central, ended Long Branch's 41-match winning streak by coming from behind and shocking the Green Wave, winning matches at 125, 130 and 135 to overcome a 20-15 deficit.

With the bitter taste of that loss still in their mouths, the Green Wave wrestlers headed to the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway with a refreshed outlook, and reminded the over 4,000 fans in attendance of just how good this team can be when on the attack.

Long Branch took on and beat the state's top-ranked team from High Point, earning the win on criteria (Long Branch won eight bouts to High Points' six) after the two powerhouse teams battled to a 27-27 tie.

After seeing their dream of a perfect season come to an end against Phillipsburg, the Wave came back in style and rekindled hopes that they could end the season as the state's top-ranked team (High Point has a match with Phillipsburg scheduled and is likely to meet the Stateliners again in the Group III state tournament).

Things started well for Long Branch, when Nick Visicaro scored an 18-3 technical fall over Matt Blecker at 160 pounds. Omar Akel then scored one of the key victories in the match when he overcame a 9-2 deficit and beat Billy Smith, 13-11, in overtime. Akel, who remained undefeated on the season (18-0) with the win, tied the bout with a takedown at the buzzer, then won the bout with another takedown at the buzzer in the first overtime.

Junior 189-pounder Billy George also remained undefeated on the year with a 13- 3 major decision win, before High Point finally got on the board with a double-overtime win at 215.

Long Branch heavyweight Ameer Washington then scored a 3-0 win, before High Point won the next two matches at 103 and 112. Jamie Quijano then stepped up and scored another of the match's biggest win, beating Griffin Paniucci, 4-3, at 119. After High Point got a win at 130, Justin Clarke wrestled at 135 for the first time this year and scored a dramatic 5-2 win over Tyler Forbeck, the state's eighth-place finisher at 125 a year ago. Clarke's win gave the Wave a 24-21 lead with three bouts remaining.

High Point got a 5-2 win at 140 to keep the match's outcome in

doubt, but Jon Robertson then wrestled at 145 for the first time this year and scored a key 3-2 win over Ethan Orr after getting a takedown in the second period.

Up 27-24, Long Branch's hopes rested on 152-pound senior Andrew Balina.

Balina's task was not an easy one, as he took on John Guzzo, a highly-regarded transfer from Blair Academy. Guzzo, who had just become eligible to wrestle after sitting out the 30 days required by the NJSIAA, looked every bit as good as advertised early on, putting Balina to his back with 15 seconds left in the first period. Balina, however, managed to bridge out of the pin attempt, and hang on the rest of the way. Though Guzzo scored the 7-1 win, it was not enough to claim the team victory, allowing Long Branch to celebrate a win that will be remembered as the catalyst if the Wave goes on to capture that elusive title of the state's top team.