Long Branch Wrestling Team's Run Ends

Long Branch Wrestling 

The impressive run of the team in the NJSIAA team tournament came to an end on Sunday morning at the hands of West Essex in the Group II semifinals at Poland Spring Arena in Toms River.  

The Green Wave, who were the three-time defending Group II champions, fell 28-21 in a hard-fought match to the Knights thanks to wins in the final three bouts by West Essex. Long Branch led 21-18 before West Essex’s Carlo Zazzara picked up a major decision at 112 pounds before consecutive decisions by Mike Marotti (119) and Jimmy Ciampi (125) closed out the win.  

Still, it was a tremendous run for Long Branch, which won its fourth straight sectional championship on Friday despite graduating the most talented senior class in school history coming into this season. A 9-3 decision by David Carmona gave Long Branch the 21-18 lead before West Essex’s final surge, and senior Matt Eggie picked up a tough 1-0 decision over West Essex’s Anthony Pompei at 135 for an important early win.  

The Green Wave finished the team portion of their season with a 19-5 record, and will now gear up to make a run in the NJSIAA Individual Wrestling Tournament, which starts on Friday with the District 22 Tournament, where they are the defending team champions.  

Sophomores Luke Balina and Nick George, Eggie, and senior Luis Filipe are all returning District 22 place-winners who each look to capture their first District title.  

Week ahead: District 22 Tournament, Friday-Saturday at Red Bank Regional.  

Long Branch Boys Basketball

On the boys basketball side, the Green Wave may have missed out on a berth in the Shore Conference Tournament, but they played the role of spoiler this week.  

It started with a 65-62 win over Monmouth Regional in Class B North on Monday. That victory knocked the Falcons out of a berth in the SCT and gave the Green Wave their second divisional win of the season, and they followed that up by knocking Freehold out of SCT contention with a 50-38 win on Thursday for their third divisional win.  

Senior forward Nate Bolden continues to play well for a team that is now 5-14 through this weekend’s games. The Green Wave also missed out on a berth in the NJSIAA Tournament, so they will just finish out with some regular-season games to cap the 2010-11 season.  

Week ahead: Monday at Red Bank, 6:30 p.m.; Wed. at Toms River South, 5:30 p.m. 

Shore Regional Boys Basketball

The Blue Devils came up short in their quest for a berth in the Shore Conference Tournament this week, but still received a spot in the field for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II Tournament. 

Shore lost 69-50 in a nondivisional game to Point Beach, as Rice University-bound Garnet Gulls star Jarelle Reischel scored 28 points. Shore rebounded with a nonconference win over Ranney, but then fell to rival Rumson-Fair Haven, 65-54, in a Class A Central game despite 19 points from senior guard Zack Hoffman.  

Shore, which is currently 10-13, picked up the No. 10 seed in the Central Jersey Group II Tournament, which starts in March. The Blue Devils will travel to seventh-seeded Roselle for a first-round game and then most likely will have to face second-seeded Ewing on the road if they can knock off Roselle.  

Week ahead: Wednesday at Toms River East, 6 p.m. 

Shore Regional Wrestling 

On the wrestling mat, the Blue Devils closed out the team portion of their season by going 1-4 in five matches this week as they try to get their top individuals tuned up for the upcoming NJSIAA Individual Wrestling Championships, which kick off with the District tournaments this coming weekend.  

Shore beat Manasquan 60-7 before dropping matches to Marlboro, Toms River North and Manchester, three top opponents, as well as a 39-31 setback against Freehold Township.  

Senior 145-pounder Luke Bush, who bumped up to 152 for a few bouts this week, remains undefeated and will look to win a second District 23 title this season. He also finished fourth in Region VI last year, so the goal this season is to place in the top three and punch his ticket to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the site of the overall individual state championships.  

Junior 130-pounder Derek Arnette is also a returning District 23 place-winner for the Blue Devils who will look to claim his first District crown this season. Senior 171-pounder Kevin Chapman also looks to earn his first trip to the Region VI Tournament by placing in the top three in District 23.  

Week ahead: District 23 Tournament at Brick Memorial, Friday and Saturday.