Green Wave topples Jaguars in SCT wrestling final

Doug Hamann returned to the lineup from a bout with mononucleosis, but the Jackson Memorial High School wrestling team could not stop Long Branch from becoming the first Monmouth County school to win three straight Shore Conference Tournament championships as the Jaguars fell to the Green Wave, 29-23, on Jan. 30.

Above, Howell High School’s A.J. Hellman finds himself in an uncomfortable position against Jackson Memorial’s B.J. Young during their 130-pound bout in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals on Jan. 30. Young won 16-0. Right, Jackson Memorial’s Brian Hamann (top) controls Howell’s Ben Esposito. Hamann pinned Esposito at 3:05. The Jaguars defeated the Rebels, 33-18, in the semifinals, before falling to Long Branch, 29-23, in the championship match. For more photos, see the GMN Photo Galleries at www.gmnews.com. The Shore Conference Tournament semifinals and finals were held at Southern Regional High School, Manahawkin.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff In the championship match, Hamann, wrestling at 152 pounds, dropped a 4-3 decision to Doug Cornell as Long Branch (18-3) took a 23-20 lead.

Defending state champion Nick Visicaro pinned Jackson Memorial’s Jonathan Gaboff at 1:00 at 160 pounds, and Omar Abel, a state place-winner last year, handed the Jaguars’ Dallas Winston his first loss at 171, 8-1, in the closing matches to wrap up the conference team championship.

Long Branch is the fourth team to threepeat in the 34-year history of the tournament.

Jackson Memorial won four straight championships from 2004-07 before Long Branch began its current run of crowns in 2008. Jackson Memorial also won the tournament in 2000.

Long Branch scored a key victory at 125 pounds when Scott Festejo, who finished third in the state tournament last year, pulled out a 5-3 victory in the closing seconds over Devin Biscaha.

“If these two teams met each other 10 times, each of them would win five,” Jackson Memorial coach Doug Withstandley said. “At the beginning of the year we were a foot away from them; now we are an inch.”

Jackson Memorial (13-2) reached the finals of the Shore Conference Tournament by defeating Howell, 33-18, in the semifinals after a 48-15 victory over Ocean Township and an opening-round triumph over Manalapan.

Withstandley believes his team can bounce back in a hectic week that included a triangular meet on Feb. 2 with Freehold Township and Jackson Liberty, a Feb. 5 encounter at Camden Catholic and a Feb. 6 meet with Freehold and Manalapan at Jackson Liberty.

“These kids do a good job with moving on and training for the next competition,” the coach said.

It showed on Jan. 31 when B.J. Young and Biscaha won their matches in the New Jersey Wrestling Coaches All-Star Invitational at Brick Memorial High School, Brick Township.

Young (135) decisioned Elmwood Park’s Vinny Fava, the NJSIAA third-place finisher at 135 last season, 5-4. Biscaha defeated Williamstown’s C.J. Cobb, 4-2, at 152 pounds with two back points in the final period. Cobb finished sixth at 145 in the state tournament last year.

“Biscaha has had a great year, and here he is competing with a kid who, on paper, he would not be competing with,” said Withstandley. “He had a great all-around match doing what he does best — being good on his feet and wrestling tough on top.”

Jackson Memorial will compete on Feb. 8 in the NJSIAA Group IV South Jersey team tournament.

The Jaguars will return to action after that on Feb. 19 in the NJSIAA District 21 tournament at Manalapan High School, where they will look to regain their team title after having a streak of 11 straight ended last year by Howell. Hamann and B.J. Young won district titles last year and Biscaha was a district runner up.