Morton follows family tradition at New Egypt
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

PLUMSTED — New Egypt High School wrestler Tommy Morton realized increased strength combined with improved technique would result in becoming one of the top wrestlers in the Burlington County Scholastic League’s Freedom Division.

It appears all the hard work and hours spent in the weight room during the preseason have paid off handsomely for the Warriors sophomore.

Morton captured the 103-pound weight division championship last weekend at the Ewing Invitational Wrestling Tournament.

Morton won three matches, including a pin over John Scotton of Burlington Township High School in the finals. Morton shouldered his final-round opponent 29 seconds into the second period.

“He had an outstanding tournament,” New Egypt coach Kevin English said. “He was very aggressive in his three matches. He proved to be much stronger than his three opponents. He dominated the competition from the outset.”

Indeed, Morton recorded first-period pins in his first-two matches to earn a spot in the final. Scotton was the lone opponent who made it out of the first period without getting pinned.

English was impressed with his wrestler’s mettle.

“He loves the sport,” English said. “He is extremely dedicated to wrestling. Every day after practice, he heads for the weight room. He knows what it takes to get better. He’s willing to put in the time.”

Of course, Morton is following in the footsteps of his two older brothers — Craig and Jimmy — both of whom registered outstanding careers at New Egypt.

“Having two older brothers who were quality wrestlers certainly has helped him,” English said. “I’m sure they have worked with him and have pushed him to become a better wrestler. There is always an advantage to having older brothers to work with.”

Morton wasn’t the only Warriors grappler to finish in the top four. Senior Pat Rirodan placed runner-up at 130 pounds, while senior Skeeter Cook was third at 171. Junior Rosario DiGanti was fourth at 215 pounds.

“We had a couple of guys do very well at this event,” said English, whose team placed eighth overall. “It was a good event for our guys to start with. There were some quality wrestlers there for us to compete against.”

English cited Morton, Riordan, Cook and senior heavyweight Nick Markee as the foundation for this year’s squad. All four wrestlers finished with more than 20 victories and each was a place-winner in District 25 last season.

“These are the guys we are counting for to get us victories,” English said. “They have a lot of varsity experience and each proved himself last year in the district event. I feel we have a really solid nucleus.”

Gone from last year’s 14-10 club are Lee Hopkins and Chris Springer. Both were key ingredients in New Egypt’s second-place finish in the Freedom Division.

“When you lose two guys of that caliber, of course you are going to need others to step up,” English said. “But we got 12 guys returning from last year who saw extended varsity time. We feel pretty good about our chances of finishing with a better mark than we had last season.”

Dave Ascione (135), Charlie Cielinski (140) and Adam Haines (189) return after taking a season off. English figures the trio to play an important role.

“We’re excited about the direction the program is going in,” English said. “We had a real solid turnout for the tryout. We have about 30 in the program. We have guys working out all over the wrestling room.”