THREEPEAT: After the Rams easily defeated Bridgewater-Raritan in the final on February 16, the Southern Regional wrestling team displays the banner while displaying the number of times the Rams have won the NJSIAA Group 5 title in a row. (Photo supplied)
It didn’t really matter which team the Rams met in the NJSIAA Group 5 championship because of how the Southern Regional wrestling team has dominated other public-school teams in recent years.
After the Rams defeated Washington Township on February 12 to win the South Jersey sectional title, four days before Southern thrashed Bridgewater-Raritan, 58-18, to win a third consecutive overall state title, senior Scottie Sari said, “I’ve been around some of these guys since I was 10 or 11 years old, and it’s just special what we’ve been able to do the past few years.” Being on a top team, where everyone is performing at a high level, is the best feeling in the world. Each of us pushes the others. All of us are like brothers. It doesn’t matter which squad is on the other side because we have been dominant in recent years.
Southern’s resounding 51-18 victory in the sectional final included three victories for the Minutemen. Passaic Tech, the North Jersey Section 1 champion, visited the Rams on February 14 and lost 64–12, winning only two of their fights. Additionally, the Panthers (21-8) were no match for the Rams (20-3), who had won just three games, even though they had won the Central Jersey section title the previous week.
Senior Wyatt Stout remarked, “It’s fun to be a part of this program and win so much.” Right now, I’ve just been having fun with it. Although it seems weird to say, I’m in the final weeks of my career, yet the rivalry and teamwork were fantastic. Over the past four years, it has been a lot of pleasure to go out there and wrestle and battle for each other.
IN CHARGE: In the 157-pound fight at the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 5 championship on February 12, Wyatt Stout, a senior from Southern Regional, defeats Jacob Gledhill of Washington Township. (Image courtesy of David Biggy)
The Rams have only lost seven games in the last four seasons, with only two of those losses coming against public school teams: Rumson-Fair Haven, who defeated the Rams 39-27 earlier this season, and Phillipsburg, in 2022, when the Stateliners defeated the Rams 27-25 in the Group 5 final. On Sunday, the Bulldogs emerged victorious in Group 2. The other five defeats came at the hands of non-public powerhouses St. John Vianney, Christian Brothers Academy, and Delbarton.
According to head coach Dan Roy, this is the first time in our school’s history that a team in any sport has won three straight state titles. The fact that they were able to do this together is extremely meaningful to our seniors, who will be graduating in June and this is their final time doing it. It’s fantastic that they get to conclude with another title.
Junior Anthony Mason gave the Rams a 6-0 lead with a pin of Lucas Pelc in 58 seconds at 113 pounds after the Rams had a 6-6 start to Sunday’s championship match at Rutgers University. However, the Panthers responded with a pin of their own, and Southern took control of the match, winning four pins in seven bouts.
After sophomore Cash McVey pinned him at 126 pounds in 1:24, senior Sam Pari defeated Mark Marsigliano by a significant margin, 11-2, at 132 pounds. Sari then beat Logan Levine at 138 pounds in 1:51. Stout ended the seven-match run with a pin of Chris Castro in 48 seconds, junior Attila Vigilante defeated Matt McCann 4-1 at 150 pounds, Noah Fontana stopped Andres Ramos in 1:13 in the 157-pound encounter, and rookie Vincent Esposito delivered an 11-3 major over Doug Hesse.
LET ME HAVE THAT: During the first quarter of the regional championship 132-pound fight, Southern senior Sam Pari gets in on the leg of Samuel Estrada of Washington Township. (Image courtesy of David Biggy)
During the state tournament, sophomore Levi Foote, weighing 190 pounds, pinched Lerrod Smalls in 2:20 to give the Rams a 47-12 lead. Senior heavyweight Caleb Counts then pinned Foote in 2:19 to put Southern over the 50-point threshold for the sixth consecutive match. In 2:38 of the 106-pound fight, freshman Cade Collins won a 15-0 technical fall to end the season’s team competition portion.
Sari asserted that there was no reason to doubt our ability to win the state championship. The objective was to seize the initiative early, ensure that there were no upsets, score as many points as possible, and demonstrate to everyone why we are considered one of the state’s best teams and why we belong at the top.
When the Bulldogs forfeited the first fight against Passaic Tech, Stout was given the six points at 157 pounds, and the match was finished. Foote scored a 17-2 technical fall at 190, Fontana handed a 19-4 technical fall at 165, Dennis Hanvey won a 7-0 decision at 175, and Sean Dupnak won a 4-1 decision at 215 to give the Rams a 22-0 lead.
After the Bulldogs prevailed at heavyweight, Southern easily won the match. To end the state semifinals, Collins went on to pin in 3:13 of the 106-pound fight, Mason in 1:15 at 113, Hunter Borer in 3:23 at 126, Cody Byckiewicz in 1:29 at 132, Sari in 1:57 at 138, Esposito in 1:52 at 144, and Vigilante in 2:23 at 150.
CLEAN SWEEP: After scoring a first-period takedown, Southern Regional senior Scottie Sari lifts Michael Horn of Washington Township off the mat. (Image courtesy of David Biggy)
The Rams took a commanding 40-0 lead after winning the first nine fights in their sectional championship thumping of Washington Township. Sari’s 3-0 decision at 138, Vigilante’s pin at 2:23 at 144, Esposito’s 12-3 major at 150, Stout’s 19-3 technical fall at 157, Fontana’s 12-3 major decision at 165, Foote’s 15-0 technical fall at 176, Nick Daddona’s pin at 1:49 at 190, and Dupnak’s 4-0 decision at 215 came after Pari’s 11-0 major decision at 132.
Collins earned a 17-1 technical fall at 106 and Mason pinned in 55 seconds of the 113-pound battle after the Minutemen won the heavyweight bout via pin. Roy then gave up forfeits at 120 and 126.
Many of our men have been discussing winning three state titles for a while now, Roy added. This season, we’ve seen some ups and downs, particularly with injuries, but I’m proud of these guys for overcoming all the challenges to reach this point.
Our seniors shouldn’t take anything for granted because I’ve been on many teams that haven’t been able to accomplish what this team is doing and reach this far. There are graduates who are envious of these people since many of them would have loved to be in their current position. I’ve been here for 22 years. They will be able to discuss this unique topic for the rest of their lives.
The wrestling season hasn’t over yet, of course. The Rams will host the NJSIAA District 26 tournament on Saturday, February 22, as the individual state tournament begins this weekend. The top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the Region 7 tournament the following weekend, and the state championships are scheduled for March 6–8 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
David Biggy
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