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NEPTUNE — Manalapan junior Jake Kaminsky has progressed at a pace every coach envisions for their wrestlers, going from a spot starter with a sub-.500 record as a freshman to a break-out 25-win sophomore season complete with a trip to the Region VI Tournament. Big things are now expected from the Braves middleweight, and he didn’t disappoint in the season’s first tournament.

Kaminsky blitzed through the 145-pound bracket at the Neptune Classic on Saturday afternoon, winning by major decision in his first two matches before a dominating 22-7 technical fall victory in the third period over Jackson Liberty’s Dominick Regina to claim the title. Kaminsky was one of four finalists and three champions for the Braves, who finished a Shore Conference-best fifth in the 16-team field.

“He’s a worker,” said Manalapan head coach Scott Pressman. “He put in a ton of time during the offseason, and every year he’s made a significant jump. I expect a lot out of him.”

Kaminsky, the second-place finisher in last season’s District 21 Tournament at 152 pounds, was the top seed in the bracket and received a bye into the quarterfinals. There he won by 15-3 major decision over West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Robert Armus before a 12-4 semifinal win over North Hunterdon’s Brian Smolinsky. In the finals he put on an offensive show, scoring six takedowns, two reversals and two sets of three near-fall points. After a tight first period, Kaminsky turned on the afterburners to score nine points in each of the final two periods.

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“Once I got my first takedown I felt pretty confident, and that was the difference,” Kaminsky said.

“He has a lot of ability and he racks up points,” Pressman said. “We talk to the kids about getting in on the legs and racking up points, and he embodies that style.”

Senior Ben Aquilina, the No. 3 seed, took home the 220-pound title with a 6-3 decision over top-seeded Ronald Picado from nationally-ranked and two-time defending Group I champions Bound Brook. Aquilina, a 29-match winner and region qualifier last season, scored a late takedown off a scramble in the first period and added a quick reversal to start the second period  for a 4-0 lead. Picado closed the gap to 4-3 with a second-period reversal and an escape in the third, but Aquilina fought through near-exhaustion to secure a late takedown and seal a 6-3 win for the first tournament championship of his career.

“I’m much stronger (of a wrestler) this year,” Aquilina said. “I worked on my technique over the summer, unlike other years where I really didn’t do much.”

“Ben is tough, and he’s not really on the radar and doesn’t pay attention to who he’s wrestling,” Pressman said.  “He plugs along and is a very even-keeled kid.”

Senior Anthony Benedetti, a region qualifier as a junior, won the 182-pound title via disqualification over Vineland’s Ty Cosby. Benedetti was trailing 5-1 in the third period, and while riding Cosby with a cross-face he was bitten on the hand. He showed the officials the bite marks, which Pressman said broke the skin, and Cosby was disqualified to give Benedetti the title.

At 138 pounds, junior Joe Santomarco, the third-place finisher in District 21 at 120 pounds last season, finished second to Cranford’s Gavin Murray via a 1-0 decision. Murray was a state qualifier at 132 pounds out of Region III last season. In the semifinals, Santomarco knocked off Region V medalist Nick Accetta from Bound Brook, 4-2. Also placing for Manalapan were Steven Chandler (5th at 160) and Ben Sieczkowski (5th at 195).

“We’re always looking to improve and we just wanted the guys to come out and show what we have, and a lot of guys showed a lot of fight,” Pressman said. “We talk about getting better every day - getting one percent better - and this is just a step in that process, but a good stepping stone for sure.”

Jackson Liberty's Mike Russo works to turn St. John Vianney's Paul Piccione during their semifinal match at 120 pounds. (Photo by Bob Badders).
Jackson Liberty's Mike Russo works to turn St. John Vianney's Paul Piccione during their semifinal match at 120 pounds. (Photo by Bob Badders).
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The only other champion from the Shore Conference was Jackson Liberty junior Mike Russo at 120 pounds. Russo, the fourth-place finisher at 106 pounds in last season’s state tournament, defeated Toms River East’s Yoseph Borai, 8-1. Russo won by fall over Cranford’s Chris Scorese in the quarterfinals and then won by major decision, 9-0, over St. John Vianney’s Paul Piccione.

“Usually when I start off the season I’m not in good condition, but I worked over the summer to try to get myself to peak,” Russo said.

Winning a tournament to open the season is exactly where Russo wanted to start off after getting on the medal stand in Atlantic City.

“I had a lot more confidence after placing in states,” he said. “Freshman year I was one round away, so i really wanted to place last year. I proved a lot to myself, but I have a lot more still to come.”

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The Lions had three total finalists with Regina at 145 and T.J. Liquori at 160. Regina, who did not wrestle last season and was 6-6 as a freshman, reached the final with a back-and-forth 13-10 win over Middletown South’s Garrett Rumsby. In the quarterfinals, Regina upset second-seeded Andrew Tompkins of Cranford, 5-2. Liquori suffered a 2-1 loss in the final to Cranford sophomore Niko Cappello, who was a Region III qualifier as a freshman.

Also placing second were St. John Vianney senior Terrance Davis at 152 and Central Regional’s Atanacio Carrillo. Davis lost a 3-2 decision to North Hunterdon’s Mike Ciavarro, the Region V fourth-place finisher at 152 last season. Carrillo dropped a 6-4 decision to Sayreville’s Anthony Porcaro on a last-second takedown in the heavyweight final.

Monroe won the team title ahead of second-place North Hunterdon and third-place Bound Brook. Monroe junior Sal Profaci, the Region V 120-pound runner-up to eventual state champ Craig De La Cruz of Bound Brook, was named Outstanding Wrestler.

Bound Brook, which is ranked in the top 15 in multiple national polls, wrestled without several starters including De La Cruz, Region VI champion Sean Glasgow and intermediate school state champ Stephan Glasgow, Jeison Arias, Andrew Gombas, state qualifiers Isiah Soto and Aaron Saavedra and state medalist Michael Johnson.

 

Finals

106: Nicky Lombardi (Monroe) d. Paul Robinson (North Hunterdon) 7-2

113: Nick Limenza (Bound Brook) d. Josh Pineda (Vineland) 7-2

120: Mike Russo (Jackson Liberty) d. Yoseph Borai (Toms River East) 8-1

126: Ryan Pomrinca (North Hunterdon) d. Chris Muce (Monroe) 5-3

132: Sal Profaci (Monroe) d. Mekhi Lewis (Bound Brook) 9-3

138: Gavin Murray (Cranford) d. Joe Santomarco (Manalapan) 1-0

145: Jake Kaminsky (Manalapan) tf. Dominick Regina 5:54 (22-7)

152: Mike Ciavarro (North Hunterdon) d. Terrance Davis (St. John Vianney) 3-2

160: Niko Cappello (Cranford) d. T.J. Liquori (Jackson Liberty) 2-1

170: Josh Ugalde (Bound Brook) d. Mike Fagges-Davis (Franklin) 2-1 TB

182: Anthony Benedetti (Manalapan) by disqualification Ty Cosby (Vineland)

195: Ralph Normandia (Franklin) d. Abe Saavedra (Bound Brook) 9-4

220: Ben Aquilina (Manalapan) d. Ronald Picado (Bound Brook) 6-3

Hwt: Anthony Porcaro (Sayreville) d. Atanacio Carrillo (Central) 6-4

 

Team scores: 1. Monroe 163.5; 2. North Hunterdon 139; 3. Bound Brook 134; 4. Cranford 127.5; 5. Manalapan 122; 6. Jackson Liberty 115; 7. Long Branch 87; 8. St. John Vianney 62; 9. Franklin 59; 10. West Windsor-Plainsboro South 51.5; 11. Middletown South 50.5; 12. Sayreville 50; 13. Neptune 46.5; 14. Vineland 45; 15. Central Regional 42; 16. Toms River East 23.

 

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