Freshmen rule the day at the Shore Conference Wrestling Tournament

MIDDLETOWN - It was obvious to anybody at the Shore Conference Individual Wrestling Tournament Saturday at Middletown High School South that the conference has potentially a special group of freshmen.

"I think it's a freshman takeover is what I've been saying to myself,'' Rumson-Fair Haven's ultra-talented freshman 144 pounder Sonny Amato said.

Amato, who is fast and relentless, was one of three freshmen to win championships. He defeated Raritan's returning state fifth-place finisher Zach Reilley 5-2 with a takedown and two backpoints in the final 35 seconds.

Other freshmen winners were Howell's Tanner Hodgins (175) and Point Pleasant Borough's Jake Clayton (157). Hodgins, who defeated Point Boro's 2022 region fifth-place finisher Ryan Acquisto 12-6 in his final, was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler.

"I feel like we've all worked so hard,'' Clayton, who defeated Middletown North's returning state qualifier 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker in his final, said. "We get into the club every day. We expect the best out of ourselves and the results come."

More: Shore Conference Tournament Wrestling Results

St. John Vianney, ranked No. 3 in the Asbury Park Press Top 15 and No. 11 in the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20, won the team title 144.5 points, 10 more than Rumson-Fair Haven.

The Lancers had three champions in repeat winner and two-time state champion Anthony Knox (126), two-time state medal winner Patrick O'Keefe (132) and two-time state qualifier Cole Stangle (165). Southern and Christian Brothers Academy, the Nos. 1 and 2 ranked teams in the APP Top 15, opted out of the tournament.

More: Here’s why two top teams weren't at the Shore Conference Wrestling Tournament

Amato with late heroics

Amato blitzed through his first three bouts in the tournament. But it was a grind against Reilley, who for more than 2 1/2 periods did a masterful job of slowing down the pace of the bout and also wrestling on the edge of the mat at times.

It looked like Reilley was going to make a first period takedown stand up before Amato countered a shot for the winning move.

"It was nerve-wracking, nail-biting,'' Amato, who earlier this season was fourth in the Beast of the East and second in the Sam Cali Invitational at 144, said. "Like I keep saying, it's so mental for me. I know I have the skills. I know I have the work ethic to beat a lot of these guys.

"He was slowing me down a lot. I knew I had to push the pace and stay on him. That's exactly what I did.''

Amato said Reilley's shot before his counter had one purpose in mind.

"If you look closely, it was a lazy shot,'' said Amato, a youth national champion at the National High School Coaches Association Tournament last March. "There was not a lot of push behind him off that shot. It was more a avoid stall call shot. That's what I thought it was. I just kept pushing through it. He's an amazing opponent.''

Amato was one of two champions from Rumson-Fair Haven. Defending state champion Hudson Skove three-peated at 215 with a 5-1 win over Brick Memorial's returning state qualifier Ben Szuba.

More: Shore Conference Wrestling Top 15: Which 2 teams enter the rankings?

Hodgins wrestles with the flow

Hodgins displayed talent in all phases in his three bouts Saturday. He was fast and relentless in his shots, physical on the mat and technically skilled.

"I guess I just wrestle with mat flow,'' Hodgins, who won by technical fall in the quarterfinal and majored Brick Memorial's returning state qualifier Trey Tallmadge in the semifinal, said. "I like to take whatever the guy (the opponent) gives me. I adapt mid-match really well. I think that's one of my strong suits. I kind of just feel it out and whatever is there, I take.''

Hodgins wrestled at 165 in the Beast of the East on Dec. 16-17. He went 3-2 in that tournament. He said he went 175 in this tournament because his descent plan "got screwed up.'' He will go back down to 165 eventually.

He said he has been coming to the Shore Conference since he was a kid.

"It's (winning an SCT title) has definitely been a goal for a while,'' Hodgins said. "I was a little upset, CBA and Southern weren't here because I know they've got a bunch of good guys, but this is still a Shore Conference title. It still means a lot.''

Clayton with a tough ride

Clayton, the son of Rob Clayton, a two-time district champion for Point Boro in 1989 and 1990, rode out Castelli in the ultimate tiebreaker for his win.

"In my mind, I was thinking it was the last 30 seconds of the day,'' Clayton said. "I was just trying to push through it. Honestly, it all came down to the room (wrestling room) at Point Boro and how intense the room is there and how hard we work.''

Clayton was one of two champions from Point Boro. Junior and two-time state qualifier Joseph DeAngelo won at 113 with a 5-2 win over Jackson Liberty's returning state qualifier Anthony Urso on a reversal and three backpoints on a cradle in the second period.

Reyes gets payback

Holmdel sophomore Alexander Reyes got payback against Rumson-Fair Haven's Conor Delaney with a 5-2 win in the 190 pound final. Reyes, who became Holmde's first SCT champion, took the lead with a takedown and two back points in the second period.

The result avenged an 8-5 defeat to Delaney when Holmdel and Rumson-Fair Haven met in a dual meet last Wednesday night.

"The other night, I don't feel like I wrestled my smartest match,'' Reyes said. "I didn't get to my stuff. He kind of controled the ties. I knew if I wrestled my match, I'd come out on top.''

Both Reyes and Delaney are returning state qualifiers, but the weight opened up for both when Brick's 2022 state 175 pound champion and two-time state finalist Harvey Ludington of Brick Memorial was not entered in the tournament due to concerns over bout counts. Ludington, who won the Beast of the East 190 pound title, will wrestle in the Escape The Rock Tourmament at Council Rock South (Pa.) High School next weekend.

"I'm a competitor. I like wrestling guys like that,'' Reyes said. "But, obviously, it was a good feeling (when Ludington was not entered).''

Other champions

The other champions were Donovan Catholic's two-time state medal winner Kurt Wehner (120); Toms River North's two-time state qualifier Joe Dolci (138); Ocean's three-time state qualifier James Farina (150) and Toms River East's returning state qualifier James Lynch.

Dolci defeated Howell's 2021 state 113 pound state fifth place finisher Sebastian Ortega by injury defaul. Ortega sustained what appeared to be a significant knee injury. His knee was tended to by trainers on the mat.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ wrestling: Freshmen rule the day in SCT