Rebels fall to Wave in SCT wrestling final
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
It was a big weekend for Monmouth County wrestling. Ocean County's long stranglehold over the Shore Conference Tournament came to an end Saturday at Southern Regional High School.

John Gagliano's Howell Rebels were a big player by beating four-time defending SCT champion Jackson Memorial, 35-27, in the semifinals.

Unfortunately, the final word belonged to the Long Branch Green Wave. They eliminated Brick Memorial in their semifinal, 32-25, and then beat Howell, 30-25, in the championship match.

Jackson has been the Shore's preeminent program as well as the state's during its four-year run at the SCT. Scaling that mountain was not going to be easy.

"Jackson is Jackson," said Gagliano. "You just have to go out and wrestle 110 percent and hope things go your way."

His Rebels did just that in taking the Jaguars out in their semifinal.

The match started at 215, where the Rebels' undefeated Harry Turner got the team off to a 5-0 lead with a tech fall. Heavyweight Mike Bonfig followed with a major decision, and the Rebels had a 9-0 lead thanks to the always important bonus points.

Howell took control with a Brian Wilson decision at 112 and Joey Langel's major decision at 119. With four wins in the first five matches, Howell had a 16-4 lead on the champions.

After Jackson closed to within 16-12, Howell responded with back-to-back pins at 135 with Cody Fobes and 140 with Joe Sulkowski.

Back roared the champions, and they pulled within 28-27 at 160 when two-time state champion ScottWinstonwon by forfeit.

But Jason Ecklof, who has had a series of huge wins for Howell, won a 4-3 decision over Joe Tetro, and Howell led 31-27. Matt Woodward then clinched it with a major decision, and Howell had slain the dragon and advanced to the SCT final for the first time since 1989, when they lost to Brick Memorial.

Having disposed of Jackson in a physical and mentally draining match, Gagliano knew his team faced the challenge of having to recharge its batteries for the final that followed immediately.

"The emotions of the team were so high," he noted.

Howell found undefeated Long Branch awaiting the final. There have been questions about just how strong the Green Wave is. They removed just about all those doubts by taking out Brick Memorial, 32- 25, in their semifinal, and silenced all critics by beating Howell, the team that had taken out the No. 1 seed.

"They're a great team," Gagliano said of Long Branch. "They're balanced and they had a great weekend."

With thematch starting at heavyweight, Howell did as expected and grabbed an early lead in the lower weights.

Joe Esposito (103), Wilson and Langel gave Howell a 15-3 lead. Esposito won by a fall, Wilson with a major decision, and Langel by a technical fall.

When Fobes won by a major decision at 135, Howell led 19-10.

It became a Green tidal wave after that, however: Long Branch won the next six matches, three of them by a point, to move ahead 30-19.

Turner won by forfeit for the final 30- 25 score.

The Green Wave improved to 19-0 on the season in winning the SCT for the first time, while Howell slipped to 20-3.

"They [Long Branch] were strong in the middle," said Gagliano. "We needed to take a big lead. We got the lead, but it wasn't big enough."

The Green Wave won five one-point matches,which proved to be the difference.A turnaround of just one of thosematches, and Howell could have been the winner. Still, it was a superb tournament for theRebels that included wins over Southern Regional and JacksonMemorial.

"The whole Shore Conference Tournament, the kids were really excited," said Gagliano. "They wrestled extremely well."

Long Branch is the first Monmouth County SCT winner since Manalapan stopped Jackson, 34-31, in 2003. Manalapan, which also had wins in 1981 and again in 1982, had been the only Monmouth team to win the title until Long Branch's win on Saturday.

In getting to Saturday's Final Four, the Rebels had to clear a big hurdle in Southern Regional. The Rams had taken the Rebels out in the semifinals the last two years, and to add salt to that wound, were given the No. 4 seed and the home gym over a Howell team that had won the A North title but could only get the No. 5 seed.

Howell chased the demons away by taking the Rams down, 31-21.

"It was an outstanding effort," said Gagliano. "The kids as a whole wrestled outstanding.

"We'd had lost to them the last two years," he added. "That was motivation, The kids wanted to get over the hump."

They did, getting contributions from everyone, even those who lost.

"It's big to keep the bonus points down," he said.

The decisive match of the night was at 160, where co-captain Ecklof earned a 3-2 decision with a takedown in the final seconds.

Southern, whose strength is the middle of its lineup, had bumped its 152- pounder, Brian Broderick, up to face Ecklof, expecting to get a win.

With two straight wins and three in the last four, the Rams had the momentum in their gym. But Ecklof would silence them and the crowd with his dramatic decision,

"Jason Ecklof was the key match," said Gagliano.

It allowed Howell to weather the storm and get the match-up it wanted at the top of the lineup.

Southern would hold a 21-19 lead with three matches remaining, but they were all bouts the Rebels should win.

Gagliano bumped undefeated 215- pounder Turner up to heavyweight, and he came through with a pin. Howell was on top, 25-21.

The match now moved to the lower weights and Howell's strength. Esposito held on for an 8-7 decision at 103 to put the match away, giving Howell a 28-21 lead.Wilson won by a decision to complete the big win.

The match started at 119 with Joe Pantaeleano winning a decision for Howell.

He allowed Gagliano to move Langel up to 125, where he picked up bonus points with a major decision.

Fobes picked up more bonus points at 135 with a tech fall win.

Southern would win at 140, 145 and 152, but the Rebels did not surrender bonus points.

Ecklof got his win in the swing 160 match, and Woodward followed with yet more bonus points on a major decision.