Edwards shows versatility in advancing to state finals

CHRIS KELLY Jackson’s Jeramy Edwards scores a takedown on Lenape’s Doug Umbehauer during his 171-pound semifinal win at the NJSIAA Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City on Saturday.

Loff, Pascarella get top six finishes in A.C.

By Mike White

Staff Writer

ATLANTIC City — It isn’t good enough for Jeramy Edwards to be recog­nized as a talented football player. The Jackson High School senior, who will at­tend Duke University, Durham, N.C., next fall on a football scholarship wanted to leave his mark as one of the state’s top wrestlers.

Edwards accomplished that task last weekend.

The Jackson two-sport standout fin­ished runner-up in the 171-pound weight class last weekend at the NJSIAA Wrestling Championships at the Boardwalk Convention Center in Atlantic City.

Absegami High School’s Ryan Goodman defeated Edwards, 8-4, in the championship bout.

"When we first got a look at the draw, we saw that there was a chance that he (Edwards) would be able to make it to the finals," Jackson High School coach Scott Goodale said. "We knew he would meet some quality opponents along the way, but at least Goodman was on the other side of the draw. I think his performance through­out this event opened some eyes to just how good a wrestler this kid is."

Edwards was determined to leave an impression on fans in South Jersey, Goodale said.

"He is primarily known as a football player around the state," Goodale said. "But he is a very talented wrestler. I think that the people in South Jersey will re­member him for his ability on the mat as well as on the field.

"He earned a lot of respect this past weekend."

Edwards’ run through the tournament was nothing short of outstanding. He man­aged to knock off Lenape’s Doug Umbehauer in the semifinals to set up a meeting with Goodman, who is nationally ranked at No. 3 at 171 pounds.

Not only did Edwards beat the higher seeded Umbehauer, but handled the Lenape senior without much resistance.

"He (Jeramy) did an outstanding job in that matchup," Goodale said.

"That was an unbelievable win for him. I think that victory gave him the confi­dence going into the finals. Beating Umbehauer also got Jeramy the respect statewide that he was looking for as a wrestler. A lot of people expected Umbehauer to be in the final against Goodman, not Jeramy," the coach said.

The win over Umbehauer marked Edwards’ 100th career victory.

"That alone is a great feat," Goodale said. "Anytime a kid registers 100 wins in a career there is something special about him."

Edwards and Goodman met earlier in the season with the Absegami star winning by pin. Edwards formulated a game plan for the last meeting and did his best to stick to it throughout the match.

"We knew this was going to be a very difficult match for him," Goodale said, "but we wanted to be in a position to win the match at the end.

"Unfortunately, it didn’t go as we planned, but Jeramy still put forth a great effort and fought hard until the end."

Goodman darted to a 4-1 lead after the first period and raised it to 8-1 after two. Still, Edwards had some fight left. Edwards managed an escape and a takedown in the last 45 seconds of the bout to make the fi­nal score a respectable 8-4.

"The first time those two met, it was ugly," Goodale said.

"We needed to keep the score tight and look for a chance to steal it at the end. Jeramy remained aggres­sive throughout the whole match. His at­tacking style is what got him to the finals. The kid he lost to is an outstanding ath­lete."

Jackson’s John Loff finished in fourth place. Loff, a two-time state place-winner, was fifth last year. Absegami’s Zach Hammond posted a 5-2 victory over Loff at 215 pounds.

"He seems to save his best wrestling for the state tournament," Goodale said.

Jackson junior Jeff Pascarella was sixth overall. Kyle Milanese of Delran edged Pascarella 4-2 in overtime.

"He had a great year," Goodale said. "He has a chance to be a state champion next year. He needs to keep working hard and training. He could end up being one of the best wrestlers to come through this program."