The holiday week featured several great individual performances in tournaments as well as dual-meet action.

Now it’s time to get your vote in for who had the top performance in the Shore this week to choose the Shore Sports Network 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.

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Week 3 Wrestler of the Week nominees (listed in alphabetical order)

Anthony Aquilano, Sr., Raritan

Aquilano won the 160-pound title and the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award by pinning West Deptford’s Corey Fischer, a state seventh-place finisher in the NJSIAA Tournament last season,  in just 1:18 in the championship bout. He was 4-0 for the week with three wins by fall.

 

Max Brignola, So., Rumson-Fair Haven 

Brignola went 6-0 during the week, including a win by fall over Shore’s Al DeSantis, a fellow returning state qualifier, to win the 138-pound title at the Holmdel Holiday Tournament. Brignola also won by fall during Rumson’s important win over Kittatinny.

 

Michael Conklin, So., Toms River East 

Conklin’s great start to the season reached another level when he won the 126-pound title at the Hunterdon Central Red Devil Invitational. Conklin, who was a state qualifier last season, pinned Bridgewater-Raritan state qualifier Nick Sacco in the semifinals and then controlled Hunterdon Central three-time state qualifier Jack Bauer, 7-1, in the championship bout.

 

Kyle Epperly, Jr., Jackson Memorial 

Epperly defeated Raritan state qualifier Justin Acevedo, 5-2, to win the 195-pound title at the Walter Woods Tournament. He was 6-0 on the week with four pins and a major decision to remain undefeated.

 

Rob Kanniard, Sr., Wall 

The Rutgers recruit and top-10 ranked 160-pounder in the country was unstoppable in his run to a third straight Mustang Classic title. Kanniard recorded three wins by fall and an 18-6 major decision over St. Augustine’s Sal Manera in the championship bout.

 

Tyler Klinsky, Jr., Middletown North

Klinsky’s performance got a bit lost on the shuffle at the powerful Mustang Classic, but a closer examination of the bracket showed a brilliant performance. Klinsky cruised to the 106-pound title at one of the state’s premier tournaments with two pins and two technical falls, including a 49-second pin over St. Augustine’s Ryan Defoney in the championship bout. Klinsky is 10-0 this season.

 

Sam LaCorte, Sr., CBA

LaCorte defeated Bound Brook state qualifier Mark Venson, 4-3, to win the 138-pound title and the Most Outstanding Wrestler award at the East Brunswick Bear Invitational.

 

Paul Liseno, Sr., St. John Vianney 

In a rematch of last season’s Shore Conference Tournament final [which Liseno won by injury default] and a possible preview of this season’s SCT final, Liseno used a four-point move in the first period to defeat Long Branch’s Kevin Cerruti, 5-1, to win the Mustang Classic heavyweight title. Cerruti was the seventh-place finisher at the NJSIAA Tournament last season.

 

Jamie Mazzacco, Fr., Shore 

Mazzacco went 5-0 during the week with a tournament title and a critical victory in a big-time dual-meet win for the Blue Devils. First, Mazzacco won the 170-pound crown at the Holmdel Holiday Tournament by defeating Red Bank Catholic’s Aidan Meyler-McAuliffe, 4-1. In Shore’s thrilling 36-31 victory over South Jersey Group 2 semifinalist West Deptford, Mazzacco won 13-11 in overtime to give the Blue Devils a 33-25 lead with two bouts left.

 

Nico Messina, Jr., Freehold

Messina, a returning Region 6 champion, had a tough start to the season on opening day but has since roared back with eight straight wins, including a championship run at the Mustang Classic. Messina rallied from deficits of 5-1 and 8-5 to pin St. Augustine’s Dan Martini in 5:30 in the semifinals and then defeated familiar rival Ryan Zimmerman of Long Branch, 8-4, in the championship bout of the 126-pound bracket.

 

Dante Morris, Sr., Lakewood 

Morris remained undefeated by going 5-0 and winning a tournament. Morris won by fall in dual-meet wins over Lawrence and Trenton and then captured the 220-pound title at the Rumble in the Pines Tournament with pins in all three bouts.

 

Jack Nies, Jr., Ocean

Nies captured the 132-pound title at the Mustang Classic as the No. 4 seed thanks to some great work from the top position. In the semifinals, Nies defeated the No. 1 seed, Highland’s Matt Hoelke, 5-4 in ultimate tiebreaker by riding him out for the final 30 seconds. In the championship bout, Nies secured a 1-0 decision over St. Augustine’s Michael Albergo.

 

Nick O’Connell, Sr., Southern

O’Connell was dominant in his run to the 160-pound title at the Hunterdon Central Red Devil Invitational by recording two major decisions and one technical fall.

 

Luke Rada, Jr., Colts Neck 

Rada won the 145-pound title and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Mustang Classic for defeating two state qualifiers on his way to the top spot. Rada bested Delsea’s Tim Spatola, 5-1, in the semifinals and then edged Paulsboro’s Gabe Onorato, 3-2, in the championship bout.

 

Shane Reitsma, Jr., Howell

Reitsma finished third at 170 pounds at the prestigious Powerade Tournament to lead the Rebels to a 14th-place finish as a team, the highest of the three New Jersey squads competing. Reitsma, who was sixth at the NJSIAA Tournament at 170 last season, reached the quarterfinals before falling to Kiski Area’s (Pa.) Nick Delp, 8-7, but came back with a vengeance to win four straight bouts and take third, ultimately taking down Delp, 12-8, in the third-place bout.

 

Vincent Santaniello, So., Brick Memorial

Santaniello avenged a pair of defeats to Allentown’s Joey Lamparelli by scoring a 3-2 decision in the Mustang Classic 113-pound final. Lamparelli beat Santaniello in last season’s Region 6 106-pound final and again in the preseason at the highly-regarded Journeyman Classic.

 

 

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