St. Augustine Prep's Tom Gattinella, top, wrestles Egg Harbor Township's Shane Morganon Wednesday. STAFF PHOTO/CODY GLENN

Jake Kientz is 0-6 forhiscareer,buttheDel-sea Regional High

School freshman 113-poun-der is still responsible forone of Delsea’s biggestwins of the year.

Kientz is the perfect ex-ample of how wrestlingembodies the ideals of ateam sport better than anyother on the scholasticlandscape. He stepped onthe mat against Clear-view‘s Ronald Mestichellion Saturday with one in-struction — don’t getpinned. The freshman lis-tened as he wrestled con-servative and didn’t puthimself in too much dangerof being put to his back.Kientz lost,8-3,butsincehedidn’t give up the pin, hewas the hero.

“I was excited to not getpinned,”Kientzsaid.“Iwaskind of happy about los-ing.”

Because all 14 boutscount equally, each wres-tler has a chance to be re-sponsible for a victory asthe next. That means an ac-complished senior likeCurt Delia is as importantas an inexperienced fresh-man. In any given match,all 14 wrestlers have achance to be a hero in anynumber of ways.

“IneverthoughtIwouldbe in that kind of position,especially now, I’m not asenior or anything,” Kientzsaid. “I thought it was awe-some.”

Every bout representsthe possibility of a 12-pointswing. If a kid who getspinned simply pins his op-ponent, it changes the out-come by 12 points.

“It’s not just one person,it’s 14 weight classes,” St.Augustine junior Tom Gat-tinellasaid.“Itcomesdownto every wrestler on theteam.”

Gattinella has been onthe wrong side of wres-tling’s ability to make awinner out of the loser of a

bout. During last year’smatchwithBuena,heneed-ed to win by more than amajor decision in the finalbout, but couldn’t turn theChiefs’ Sal Marandino. Ga-tinellawon12-0,butMaran-dino and Buena celebrated.

“I’d rather have a teamwin than a personal win,”Gattinella said. “I justwanted that feeling. Thewhole gym was going nuts,I wanted that to be on ourside. I dominated thematch, but the kid did whatthe coach told him to do, hedid his job.”

There are no othersports where losing canbenefit the team so much.

“If you do your job andyou do the best that you can

do, that helps your team,”Millville coach Scott Staysaid. “If you strike out inbaseball, that doesn’t helpyour team. If you throwfour interceptions in foot-ball, that doesn’t help yourteam. But if you go out andyou lose 10-0, that couldreally help your team.”

Losing a certain wayisn’t just a quirky note inthe occasional box score ei-ther, it’s discussed at prac-tice and during matches.

“That’s the sacrificegood teams are prepared tomake,” Delsea coach GregSawyer said. “Sometimesyou know you’re out of thematchandyourgoal is todowhat you can for the team.So you’re sacrificing yourpride for the good of theteam and wrestling toughfor the team still.”

Since wrestling is a one-on-one combat sport, mostoutsiders or newcomersdon’t realize the role theteam aspect plays.

“I thought it was a lot

more individual,” Kientzsaid. “Last year (in middleschool), we just went to alot of tournaments andstuff.”

The fact that anyone inany match can be the rea-son a team is victorious isthe signature trait of wres-tling, it’s what sets thesport apart from othersand helps build the passionthat often remains throughthe years. Everyone has astory about an upset, a nar-row victory or a pin thatshouldn’t have happenedfrom a kid who probablynever accomplished much,but for that one night, hewas the hero, even if theylost.

“I can’t say there’s any-thinglikeit,”Staysaid.“It’sgreat when you have awhole team effort and youwin, or you have somebodywho fights off their backand doesn’t get pinned, oryou have somebody whosticks somebody theyweren’t supposed to beat.”

Losing to win makes wrestlingthe ultimate team sport

PATRICKBUGANSKI

C6 Friday, January 13, 2012 THE DA ILY JOURNAL

A: It was a big letdown for us.We thought we would be able toput points on the board. We justdidn’t come out there to wrestlethe way we should have.

Q: What does coach ScottStay bring to the team?

A: He brings a lot of goodtechnique, like new moves weneed to learn, and he’s very ob-servant on the mat. He’s a realaggressive coach.

Q: Between football andwrestling, which team wascloser with each other?

A: Our wrestling team is prettyclose, but like bond-wise, ourfootball team is closer becausebecause all through the year we’rebuilding that bond, building thatbond.

Q: Which of your team-mates would do the best onAmerican Idol?

A: Probably (junior 152-poun-der) Rico (Rivera), he’s real out-going and he’s always singing andstuff.

— Patrick Buganski

Millville sophomore standout EdShockley enjoyed a successfulfreshman campaign, in part becausehe was still unknown. Now his nameis familiar to many because he’s areturning region qualifier. The160-pounder, who moved to Mill-ville from Lower Cape May beforehis freshman year, is also a memberof the Thunderbolts’ football squadthat completed an 11-1 season,complete with a trip to the statefinal. He recently spoke with TheMat Pack about wrestling, theVineland/Millville rivalry and a littlemore.

Question: How is it differentto wrestle this year now thatyou’re more known?

Answer: It’s not really different,usually now teams will bump theirharder kid up to me, gives me aharder match usually, but it hasn’treally changed much, you still haveto go out there and wrestle likeevery other match.

Q: Is it more difficult?A: At my weight class it’s a little

tougher, trying to make the weightand having more kids bump up. Thisyear is harder than last year.

Q: What does the Vineland/Millville rivalry mean to you,having only lived here for acouple of years.

A: It actually means a lot, justbecause I’m not going out there towrestle for myself, I’m wrestling forthe town and the people. The samething with football, it’s one of thebiggest rivalries in the state.

Q: So how tough was it tolose to Vineland, despite win-ning the bouts 10-4?

THE INSIDE STUFF

EDSHOCKLEYMillville160 :: Sophomore

1. Timber Creek 6-0

2. Camden Catholic 11-1

3. Delsea 11-1

4. West Deptford 5-0

5. Pennsville 6-3

6. Paulsboro 6-3

7. Clearview 6-4

8. Absegami 5-6

9. Egg Harbor Township 7-3

10. St. Augustine 6-6

11. Haddonfield 5-3

12. Buena 3-3

13. Cherokee 6-2

14. Shawnee 7-3

15. Hammonton 7-4

» Senior heavyweightTom Rementer, a four-yearstarter for Clayton, wantedthe opportunity to wrestlejust once at his home school.He got that chance Mondaynight. Rementer attendsGlassboro, but took the matin the Bulldogs gymnasiumfor the first time during theClippers’ 62-6 win overRiverside. The heavyweightearned a 4-1 decision, raisinghis record to 11-0.Glassboro disbanded itswrestling program after the2007-08 season because oflow numbers. The schoolformed a combined teamwith Clayton the followingyear. Clayton has been oneof the big surprises so farthis season, accumulating a9-1 record with the lone lossa 30-29 decision to Penns-ville.

» South Plainfield’s An-thony Ashnault becamethe third wrestler in NewJersey history to reach 100career wins without a loss.Ashnault, a junior andtwo-time state champion,won his milestone match onMonday with a 15-4 majordecision over Franklin’s JakeBalestrieri. Jackson’s ScottWinston went 137-0 enroute to three state titlesand Bound Brook’s AndrewCampolattano went 175-1with four state titles. Nowrestler in N.J. history haswon four state titles andgone undefeated.

1061. John Gentile, Paulsboro 15-12. Tyler McBride, Camden Catholic 11-33. Patrick D’Arcy, Holy Spirit 11-04. Jesse Swope, Cumberland 7-15. Joey Rocks, Egg Harbor Township 12-1

1131. Anthony Racobaldo, Williamstown 11-02. Sam Morina, Paulsboro 15-13. Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine 14-34. Zach Valcarce, Lower Cape May 7-35. Ronray Harris, Middle Township 7-2

1201. Billy Ward, Buena 12-12. Ricky Carter, Timber Creek 9-53. Collin Mitchell, Eastern 10-14. Juan Rivera, Paulsboro 13-25. Connor Muli, Shawnee 12-3

1261. Kevin Devoy, Burlington Township 8-02. Ron Gentile, Paulsboro 14-13. John VanBrill, Clearview 10-14. Mike Jiampetti, Absegami 14-35. D.J. Mele, Cherokee 6-1

1321. Brandon Keller, Timber Creek 11-22. Maaziah Bethea, Trenton Central 9-03. Joe Lemerise, Cherokee 14-14. Will Elliott, Cumberland 11-15. Connor Bestwick, Woodstown 8-1

1381. Chad Walsh, Camden Catholic 12-12. Joe Esposito, St. Augustine 15-13. Ed Lenkowski, Clearview 11-04. Nick Knauer, Paulsboro 10-55. John Hennelly, Delsea 12-4

1451. T.J. Miller, Camden Catholic 14-12. Curt Delia, Delsea 15-13. Dillan Berghof, Buena 12-14. Dom Ruggiero, Timber Creek 6-35. Antonio Mancella, Oakcrest 11-1

1521. Raamiah Bethea, Trenton Central 10-02. Wayne Stinson, Northern Burlington 13-33. Monty Krough, Pennsville 14-14. Mark Patterson, St. Augustine 17-15. Bryce Shade, Timber Creek 11-3

1601. Phil Bakuckas, Hammonton 11-02. Robert Schlitt, Haddonfield 5-03. Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea 15-24. Connor Donahue, Clearview 12-05. Austin Wetterau, Shawnee 13-3

1701. Steve Nelson, Haddon Township 11-02. Robert Shade, Timber Creek 10-33. Alex Gong, Absegami 12-34. Nick Elmer, Penns Grove 11-05. Nick Moore, Seneca 12-1

1821. Rory Bonner, West Deptford 10-02. David Williams, Hammonton 9-33. Tyler Miller, New Egypt 11-24. Thomas Forline, Moorestown 11-25. John Benard, Oakcrest 9-3

1951. Carson Stack, Haddonfield 8-02. Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea 13-13. Anthony DeVito, Pennsville 14-44. Padric Lynch, Haddon Heights 8-25. Chris Lail, Kingsway 10-1

2201. Mauro Correnti, Holy Cross 8-22. Marquis Jackson, Delran 11-03. Nick Pustizzi, Schalick 10-14. Brandon Belger, Middle Township 11-25. Roy Lucas, St. Joseph 8-1

HWT1. Greg Webb, Timber Creek 1-02. Cody Melton, Northern Burlington 6-23. Tom Rementer, Clayton 12-04. Alex Thompson, Haddon Heights 12-15. Tre Porch, Delsea 13-2

SOUTH JERSEY

MEAN15NEWS & NOTES

LOCALRECORDS

106Zach Goranson, Millville 12-2Steven Bergamo, St. Augustine 13-5Jesse Swope, Cumberland 7-1Joshua Pineda, Vineland 11-4Tom Carney, Delsea 7-7

113Tom Gattinella, St. Augustine 14-3Zach Nealis, Vineland 12-2John Gallo, Schalick 9-3Chad Kahn, Millville 8-5Sal Marandino, Buena 8-5

120Billy Ward, Buena 12-1Newt Richardson, Schalick 11-1Danny DeTetta, Vineland 11-4Connor Palmieri, Bunea 8-3John Borelli, Delsea 6-6

126John Rizzo, Vineland 4-3

132Will Elliott, Cumberland 11-1Elias Garcia, Millville 7-4Jarred Hodges, St. Augustine 9-6

138Joe Esposito, St. Augustine 15-1Zach Nealis, Vineland 12-4Jarett Pierotti, Buena 9-6Cruz Flores, Cumberland 7-5

145Curt Delia, Delsea 15-1Dillan Berghof, Buena 12-1Richard Morris, Cumberland 10-4Rico Rivera, Millville 7-5Dylan Manno, Schalick 6-5Victor DeFrance, Delsea 4-4

152Mark Patterson, St. Augustine 17-1Ed Shockley, Millville 11-3Justin Pierotti, Buena 9-4

160Dylan Dobzanski, Delsea 14-2Tyler Sentman, St. Augustine 14-4Zach Rahl, Schalick 9-3Derrick DeWoody, Delsea 6-6

170James Bennett, St. Augustine 12-4

182Steffen Rodriguez, Vineland 12-2Marshall Brooks, Delsea 9-3Michael Coombs, Cumberland 5-3Dylan Wargo, Schalick 6-4Cory Pietrzyk, St. Augustine 9-7

195Bryan Dobzanski, Delsea 13-1Sean Redden, Delsea 12-3Taiwahn Cosby, Vineland 12-3

220Nick Pustizzi, Schalick 11-1Noah Repko, Buena 10-2Obie Kali, Millville 5-5

HWTTre Porch, Delsea 14-2Eugene Maisonave, Vineland 9-6Jacob Paul, Cumberland 7-4Jake Broom, Schalick 5-3Fred DeMary, Millville 7-5

*Wrestlers must have at least a .500 recordand a minimum of seven bouts.

All the records and rankings are based oninformation through Wednesday.

Q&A

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

State: 2nd, Region: 1stDistrict: 1st

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

State: 2nd, 3rd; Region:1st, 2nd; District: 1st

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

State: 2nd, 3rd, 3rd;Region: 1st four times;District: 1st four times

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

State: 1st, Region:1st twice; District: 1st

Each week we will feature a fantasy matchup betweentwo of the best wrestlers from greater CumberlandCounty since 1985.

Vote for the winner at thedailyjournal.com/matpack.Check back next week for winners and a new matchup.

MATCHUP NO. 1

MATCHUP NO. 2

SCOTT KELLEYKARL HAYWOOD

BOBBY HANSON LARRY SMASHEY

Class of 2008Class of 1995

Class of 1995 Class of 1998

RECORD:117-21

RECORD:109-15

Winner faces No. 1 seed Joe Alexander (Delsea class of ‘98)

Winner faces No. 2 seed Mark Saul (Millville class of ‘96)

RECORD:134-5

RECORD:104-21

FANTASY WRESTLINGTOURNAMENT

THE DAILYJOURNAL’SREGION 7 & 8RANKINGS

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