This past weekend, Howell captured the NJSIAA Group 5 state title while five other teams won sectional titles and 13 teams in total reached sectional finals. Of course, there were several area wrestlers that came up with big wins along the way.

Now it’s time to get your vote in for who had the top performance in the Shore to choose the Big Frog Wrestler of the Week. The winner will be announced on Saturday right here on ShoreSportsNetwork.com. Voting will end Friday at midnight.

Scroll down to see the candidates and make your selection. If you'd like to vote more than once, just wait one hour and come back.

In case you're wondering why certain wrestlers were not nominated, the rules are one wrestler per team and no nominations for previous winners.

Wrestler of the Week nominees for Feb. 5-Feb. 11

Matt Barnett, Sr., 132, Southern

Barnett went 5-0 during the Rams’ run to the Group 5 final, which included Southern winnings its 12th state sectional title. In the state final he had a huge 4-3 win over Howell’s Darby Diedrich, a returning state medalist who was currently undefeated. He also had a 6-1 win over Rancocas Valley state qualifier Jiya Gannone.

 

Russell Benson, Sr., 132, Raritan

Benson helped the Rockets win their first state sectional title since 2012 and reach the Group 2 state final by going 5-0 with three pins, one major decision and a 7-3 win over High Point state qualifier Shane Kobis in the state championship match.

 

Vincent Cegile, Fr., 195, Lacey

Lacey reached the South Jersey Group 3 sectional final and nearly knocked off reigning champion Delsea, and Cegile was a big reason why. He was 3-0 with three pins during the state tournament, including a fall that clinched a 33-32 win over Gateway/Woodbury in the semifinals.

 

Scott Dupont, Sr., 160, Holmdel

Dupont went 3-0 to help Holmdel reach its first sectional final in program history. Along the way, he defeated Middlesex two-time state qualifier Jeff Johnson, 6-5, as Holmdel beat the Blue Devils in the semifinal round.

 

Jared Hoeler, Sr., 170, Point Beach

Hoeler went 4-0 with three technical falls and one pin to help the Garnet Gulls win their third straight Central Jersey Group 1 sectional championship.

 

Xavier Kelly, Jr., 152, Howell

Kelly came up huge to help the Rebels repeat as Group 5 champions when he hit a 5-point move early and held on for a thrilling 8-7 win over Southern state medalist Nick O’Connell. Overall, Kelly was 4-0 during the week and also had a key victory in Howell’s 29-20 win over Hunterdon Central in the Central Jersey Group 5 final.

 

Francis Marshall, Sr., 152, Point Boro

The high-scoring Marshall went 4-0 with two pins, one technical fall and one major decision to help the Panthers win the South Jersey Group 2 title for the first time since 2007.

 

Dan Santos-Silva, Sr., 170, Long Branch

With the Central Jersey Group 4 title on the line, Santos-Silva beat Brick Memorial’s Ron Hopping, 3-2, on a takedown with 10 seconds left to give the Green Wave a 30-29 win over the Mustangs on criteria (most bouts won). Santos-Silva was 4-0 for the week to help Long Branch reach the Group 4 championship match.

 

Brad Smuro, Sr., 126, Shore

Smuro went 3-0 with three pins in the Central Jersey Group 1 tournament to help the Blue Devils reach their first sectional final since 2002. He added three more wins on the weekend, two of which came by fall.

 

Stanley Wojdylak, Sr., 152, Middletown North

Wojdylak won all three of his bouts to help the Lions reach the North 2, Group 4 final where they fell to eventual Group 4 champion Phillipsburg, 32-20. He added three more wins on Saturday and, in the process, became Middletown North’s all-time wins leader with 124 career victories.

 

 

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