Eggie Takes Home First District Title

Had Long Branch senior Matt Eggie wrestled at numerous other programs in the Shore Conference, he probably could have had 100 wins and more of the spotlight by now.  

Instead, he spent four years tangling with the likes of state champion Scott Festejo and state place-winner Andrew Cornell in his own wrestling room on a loaded team, then often drawing the short end of the stick and having to be the one to bump up a weight class or take on a high-caliber wrestler from the other team to help the Green Wave win a match.  

“He was kind of getting thrown to the wolves at times,’’ said Long Branch head coach Dan George. “There are kids at other programs getting 100 wins with not nearly the skill of a Matt Eggie. He has sacrificed all those kinds of things knowing in the end he's not only a better person, but a better wrestler.’’ 

On Saturday, Feb. 19, in the NJSIAA District 22 finals at Red Bank Regional, it was finally Eggie’s time to shine as an individual. He took home his first district title by upsetting Ocean’s P.J. Parrino with a 3-1 decision at 140 pounds after having lost twice to Parrino earlier in the season.  

“To see a kid like Matt Eggie, who has put in four tireless years of all-year wrestling to be part of something so special as a team, get rewarded as an individual is just a great thing,’’ George said.  

Eggie was one of two District 22 champions for Long Branch on the day and one of  seven Green Wave wrestlers who placed in the top three in their respective weight classes to advance to Tuesday’s Region VI pre-quarterfinals at Poland Spring Arena in Toms River. Senior Luis Filipe captured the title at 135 in impressive fashion with a 12-0 major decision over Ocean’s Withler Marcelin, and 152-pounder Jake George (second place); 171-pounder Joscil Jackson (second place); 215-pounder James Parnell (second place); 130-pounder Gavin Pejakovich (third place); and 189-pounder Paul Tracey (third place) all are still alive in the individual tournament.  

Long Branch, which was the defending District 22 team champion but graduated the best senior class in school history, took fourth with 151.5 points, with champion Raritan finishing with 196 points.  

Eggie and Filipe will wrestle again on Friday in Toms River at Poland Spring Arena in the Region VI quarterfinals, while the other five Green Wave wrestlers will be in action on Tuesday night as they try to get wins to stay alive and reach Friday’s quarterfinals. The winners on Friday come back Saturday for the semifinals and finals at Poland Spring Arena.  

Eggie could just as easily be one of those wrestling on Tuesday night, but he avenged a loss to Parrino in the finals of the Neptune Classic over the holidays and another one during a regular-season match. In the District 22 final, he secured a crucial takedown and was able to hold on for the 3-1 victory to upset the top-seeded Parrino.  

“The difference time this was he played great defense, and offensively, he had great timing,’’ George said. “He kept (Parrino) off guard, and he wrestled from whistle to whistle.’’  

The win over Parrino also signals that Eggie is a serious contender for a Region VI crown at 140, where Parrino, District 21 champion Mike Shaughnessy of Howell and District 21 runner-up Randy Royle of Jackson Memorial look to be the ones to beat.  

“If he can beat (Parrino), he can beat anybody,’’ George said. “Now he just has to put three matches together.’’  

Filipe also has a shot to make a run at a Region championship. The goal is to get to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City a week later for the NJSIAA Individual Championships. George certainly knows what it takes considering he has coached multiple state champions in Nick Visicaro, who repeated as a state champion last season, as well as Festejo, who also won a title last year.  

“The more I do it, the more I see that the work through the season is done, so now it's a matter of some fine-tuning, some good scouting, and most importantly, the kids relaxing and overcoming adversity,’’ George said. “The Region VI tournament is just survival. Just find a way to get to that next weekend.’’