Jaguars win battle of state's Top 2 teams

BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

SCOTT PILLING staff Jackson's Dan Hopkins puts the wraps on Southern's Mike Thomas during their match on Saturday in Jackson. JACKSON - Fans and wrestling enthusiasts alike got all they could handle last weekend when Jackson High School and Southern Regional squared off at Joe Perry Gymnasium.

The two top teams in the state provided plenty of excitement and drama for the standing-room-only crowd, with the Jaguars winning the final four bouts of the contest to walk away with a resounding 36-22 victory over its Shore Conference rival.

"This place is always wild when these two teams get together," Jackson High School coach Scott Goodale said. "It is just a great atmosphere for wrestling. You have two very good teams and a hyped-up crowd. There is nothing like wrestling under these circumstances."

With the score knotted at 22-22 with three bouts left, Jackson swept the lightweight divisions to claim the victory. Derrik Russell at 103, Kyle Kinchen at 112 and the return of Rob Swan at 119 were the victories that secured this drama-filled win.

"There was a lot of noise made about the coin flip, but our guys proved on the mats who was the better team." - Scott Goodale Swan, a senior, defeated Jed Brown at 119 pounds. He was coming back after suffering an elbow injury. Goodale knew having him in the lineup was going to be a key to victory.

"Anytime you put a two-time state qualifier on the mat, you are in a good position," Goodale said. "It allowed us to put Kinchen in the spot he needed to be. Swan is definitely one of the more vocal leaders on this team. His leadership is very valuable, especially in a meeting with a team like Southern."

Much was made about the coin flip, but Goodale likes to cite his team's mettle on the mats as the deciding factor in the outcome.

"Sure the coin toss let's you decide who is going out there first, but I think we would have won the match no matter what," Goodale said. "There was a lot of noise made about the coin flip, but our guys proved on the mats who was the better team."

Jackson got a huge effort from Dan Hopkins, who pinned Southern's Mike Thomas at 215 pounds. It was the matchup Goodale was looking for and it paid huge dividends in the end.

Hopkins' pin evened the score between the two schools and set the stage for Jackson to sweep the final three bouts, all lightweights, and notch its ninth win of the season.

"He is our emotional leader," Goodale said. "We didn't expect a pin, but we knew he was going to take that match. That was the matchup we were looking at beforehand. His win really stirred up the crowd and gave us momentum. It was a huge turning point in the match."

Goodale cited Frank Anderson's win over Josh Cipolla at 189 pounds as an upset. Cipolla came in favored to take the bout, but Anderson gave him all he could bargain for. In the end, Anderson posted a 3-0 win.

"That's a great win for him," Goodale said. "He has worked very hard and continued to improve. We had a real good feeling about that bout before it took place. I think he showed a lot of people how tough a wrestler he has become."

Other winners for Jackson included, Brian Cohen (125), Corey Biscaha (130), Scott Winston (152) and Ken Carney (171).

On Sunday, Jackson competed against Islip High School, one of the top teams from New York, and rolled to a 39-14 win. The Jags captured 10 of 14 bouts one day after knocking off Southern.

Carney recorded a victory over Lance Wade, a nationally ranked wrestler at 160 pounds, to pace Jackson.