Vote for the Big Frog of Monmouth Wrestler of the Week

There will be 82 Shore Conference wrestlers heading to the state tournament following the region tournaments, and among them are 24 region champions and a few others who made history.

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 Thursday right here on ShoreSportsNetwork.com. Voting will end Wednesday 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 the NJSIAA region tournaments

Matt Barnett, Sr., 132, Southern

Barnett captured the Region 8 championship for his first region title, and in the process defeated state qualifiers George Coleman of St. Augustine and Justin Cariss of Highland. His takedown with 17 seconds left in regulation gave him a 3-2 win over Cariss in the final.

 

Jake Benner, Sr., 138, Ocean

Benner won by fall in 1:23 over Manalapan’s Alex Baran to win the Region 6 title and become Ocean’s first multiple-time region champion since Zac Coulas in 2008. Benner, the defending 138-pound state champion, also recorded his 140^th win during the tournament to become Ocean’s all-time wins leader.

 

Russell Benson, Sr., 132, Raritan

Benson locked in a cradle and pinned Hunterdon Central’s Hunter Graf to win the Region 5 title and become Raritan’s second two-time region champion and first since Dan Seidenberg in 2008. Graf was also a returning champ and a former state medalist.

 

Nick Caracappa, Sr., 170, St. John Vianney

Caracappa won the rubber match with Rumson’s Nick Addison, 2-1, to capture the Region 5 title and become St. John Vianney’s first-ever two-time region champion.

 

Sal DiSalvo, Sr., 220, Donovan Catholic

DiSalvo became Donovan Catholic’s third region champion and first since 2011 when he pinned Paul VI’s Keanu Williams in the Region 7 championship bout. DiSalvo also recorded his 100^th career win with a 3-1 overtime win over Lenape’s Jared Davenport in the semifinals.

 

Luke Gauthier, Sr., 145, Lacey

Gauthier pinned Camden Catholic’s Brandon Mooney in just 29 seconds to win the Region 7 title and be selected as the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. It is the first region title for Gauthier, who also won the Shore Conference Tournament earlier this year.

 

Richie Koehler, Sr., 120, CBA

Koehler scored a takedown with 10 seconds left to defeat Colts Neck’s Joey King, 4-3, and win the Region 6 title for his third region championship. Koehler, who is also a four-time region finalist and four-time state qualifier, joins Dave Santamaria as three-time region champions for CBA.

 

Francis Marshall, Sr., 152, Point Boro

In just his second year of wrestling, Marshall won the Region 6 title with a 13-5 major decision over the No. 1 seed, Ewing’s Lavinsky Collins. He will be making his second trip to the state tournament.

 

Nico Messina, So., 113, Freehold

Messina topped Long Branch’s Ryan Zimmerman, 8-2, to win the Region 6 championship and become Freehold’s first region champion since 1964, ending the Shore Conference’s longest drought between region champions.

 

Dante Morris, Sr., 220, Lakewood

Morris placed fourth at the Region 6 Tournament to become Lakewood’s first state qualifier since 2005.

 

Ean Mueller, Jr., 170, Brick Memorial

Mueller won his first region title in thrilling fashion when he escaped with one second left to defeat the No. 1 seed and returning champion, Howell’s Shane Reitsma, 12-11, in the Region 6 final. Mueller also pinned the No. 2 seed, Allentown’s Liam McDermott, in the semifinals.

 

Jaylen Paige, Sr., Hwt., Asbury Park

Paige finished second at the Region 6 Tournament to become Asbury Park’s first state qualifier since the program was resurrected in 2007 and likely the program’s first-ever NJSIAA state qualifier.

 

Edison Quesada, Sr., 220, Red Bank

Quesada finished third at 220 pounds at the Region 5 Tournament to become Red Bank’s first state qualifier since 2005.

 

Stanley Wojdylak, Sr., 145, Middletown North

Wojdylak dominated the Region 5 Tournament with two pins and a technical fall to win his first region title and qualify for the state tournament for the second straight season.

 

 

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