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2015 NJSIAA District 22 Tournament

Friday Feb. 20 and Saturday Feb. 21 at Red Bank

Prelims and quarterfinals, Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Semifinals, Saturday at 10 a.m.

Finals, Saturday at 2 p.m.

Defending team champion: Christian Brothers Academy

Returning individual champions: Sebastian Rivera, Jr., 113, CBA; Tyree Sutton, Sr., 195, Keansburg; Jason Hernandez, Sr., 126, Long Branch; Matt Best, Sr., 152, Middletown South; Marcus Iwama, Sr., 132, Rumson-Fair Haven.

 

CBA junior Sebastian Rivera is the heavy favorite to win the District 22 113-pound title. (Photo by B51 Photography).
CBA junior Sebastian Rivera is the heavy favorite to win the District 22 113-pound title. (Photo by B51 Photography).
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Teams

CBA

Team titles: Two (Last: 2014)

District champions: 71

Last champion(s): Sebastian Rivera, Erik Beshada, Mike Oxley (2014)

 

Keansburg

Team titles: none

District champions: 5

Last champion: Tyree Sutton (2012)

 

Keyport

Team titles: none

District champions: 12

Last champion: Greg Velasco (2012)

 

Long Branch

Team titles: 10 (Last: 2013)

District champions: 126

Last champion: Jason Hernandez (2014)

 

Middletown North

Team titles: 13 (Last: 2002)

District champions: 128

Last: Anthony Fabiano (2014)

 

Middletown South

Team titles: seven (Last: 1996)

District champions: 93

Last champion(s): Dom Franciosi, Garrett Rumsby, Matt Best (2014)

 

Ocean

Team titles: 14 (Last: 2012)

District champions: 95

Last champion: Max Rallo (2014)

 

Raritan

Team titles: seven (Last: 2011)

District champions: 108

Last champion(s): Connor Sheehan, Ryan Lynch, Pat Toal (2014)

 

Red Bank Catholic

Team titles: none

District champions: 29

Last champion: Shawn McCord (2014)

 

Red Bank

Team titles: none

District champions: 26

Last champion: Dillon Stambaugh (2013)

 

Rumson-Fair Haven

Team titles: none

District champions: 25

Last champion: Marcus Iwama (2014)

 

Five Weights to Watch

132 Pounds

Unless something completely unexpected happens, this final will pit Rumson-Fair Haven senior Marcus Iwama (27-1) versus Raritan senior Dylan Seidenberg (29-1). Iwama has just one loss this season, and that came up at 145 pounds to Marlboro’s Pete Powell. Seidenberg’s only defeat came against Iwama, 7-5 in sudden victory. Seidenberg has had a tremendous season and has a shot to place in Atlantic City if he can advance through the Region VI Tournament. He did not make it out of last season’s district tournament, so there’s a big chance for redemption here. Iwama, who was last season’s Region VI 132-pound champion, can become Rumson’s first two-time district champion since current head coach Bryan Heller and Patrick Berger, who won three straight titles, accomplished the feat in 2003. Iwama also has his sights set on a high finish in the state tournament.

Prediction: 1. Iwama; 2. Seidenberg; 3. Costa Poniros (Ocean).

 

220 Pounds

With Middletown North junior Chad Freshnock (16-1) deciding to go at this weight for the individual tournaments, it creates a very strong top three that includes CBA junior Will Oxley (23-4) and Long Branch junior Joey Jasio (24-2). Freshnock, who was the Region VI runner-up at 182 pound last season, earned the top seed based on his 5-2 win over Oxley on January 17, which was Freshnock’s first bout after returning from knee surgery. Jasio is a tough customer and will be a load to handle for Oxley in the semifinals, but it should be a Freshnock-Oxley final where the CBA junior will have a chance to avenge his loss, while Freshnock will go for his first district title.

Prediction: 1. Freshnock; 2. Oxley; 3. Jasio

 

120 Pounds

Three of the top four seeds at 120 pounds are freshmen, so this weight gives a glimpse at some of the future stars in District 22. Ocean’s Jake Benner (26-4), Raritan’s Russell Benson (25-6) and Middletown North’s Stanley Wojdylak (21-10) have all had strong inaugural campaigns. CBA junior Carl Vasti has advanced to the Region VI Tournament in each of his first two seasons and is the No. 3 seed, so his 12-15 record against tough competition doesn’t hold him back much. Wojdylak, the No. 4 seed, has a tough bout right away versus Long Branch senior Mike Jones (11-5), who placed as a sophomore.

Prediction: 1. Benner; 2. Benson; 3. Vasti.

 

Heavyweight

A deep weight class where the top five seeds all have a legitimate shot at winning a district title. The seeds exploded when Ocean junior Brian Olesen (20-11) beat CBA’s Alex Petrocelli (18-8) on February 3, which vaulted him all the way to the No. 2 seed behind top-seeded John Tomlinson (14-4) of Long Branch. Petrocelli is the No. 3 seed and Keansburg senior Dan Bauman, who is 31-4, fell to the No. 4 seed. Raritan senior Malcolm Daniels (23-7) is seeded fifth. The Daniels-Bauman bout in the quarterfinals will eliminate a good wrestler right away, and the semifinals should have Tomlinson versus the Daniels-Bauman winner in the top half of the bracket and the rematch between Petrocelli and Olesen in the bottom half.

Prediction: 1. Tomlinson; 2. Petrocelli; 3. Daniels

 

160 Pounds

This will be an all-out slugfest to advance, as each of the top seven seeds have at least 16 wins. Raritan junior Nick Bohal (25-6) wrestled at 170 most of the season before dropping down recently. He is a solid bet to reach the final, but will have a tough opponent in the semifinals in either Long Branch junior Lamont Reid (27-6) or Middletown South junior Brendan Rumsby (16-9). Bohal also has a win over No. 2 seed Tom Anderson (20-9) of Middletown North. Anderson will have a to beat CBA junior Chris Koutzen (17-11) in the semifinals. Koutzen was third at this weight last season. Sixth-seeded Theo Addison of Rumson (20-11) and seventh-seeded Isiah Sestito (17-10) of Red Bank will try to play spoiler in the bottom half of the bracket.

Prediction: 1. Bohal; 2. Anderson; 3. Koutzen.

 

Heavy Favorites

113: Sebastian Rivera, Jr., CBA (27-0).

170: Zach Hertling, Sr., Ocean (24-1).

195: Tyree Sutton, Sr., Keansburg (33-0).

 

Solid Favorites

106: Rich Koehler, Fr., CBA (25-3).

126: Dylan VanSickell, Jr., CBA (28-0).

145: Paul Capaldo, Sr., Middletown North (28-3).

 

Collision Course

152: 1-Matt Best, Sr., Middletown South (21-4) vs. 2-T.J. Saldutti, Jr., Ocean (25-6).

182: 1-Jack LaCorte. Jr., CBA (21-5) vs. 2-Anthony Vetrano, Jr., Middletown North (28-3).

 

Wide Open

138: 1-Eric Drake, Sr., Raritan (18-10); 2-Jack McMahon, Jr., Red Bank (24-5); 3-Liam Gallagher, Sr., CBA (16-13); 4-Nick Koehler, Sr., Middletown South (17-10); 5-Jeff Andre, Jr, Ocean (15-17); 6-Tommy Flannigan, Sr., Long Branch (10-8).

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