ATLANTIC CITY – It will be a little bit of the old and a little bit new when it comes to the NJSIAA Individual Wrestling Championship bouts Saturday at Boardwalk Hall.
The old will be represented by one of the great names in the history of New Jersey wrestling as Rumson-Fair Haven junior 215-pounder Hudson Skove became the fourth member of his family spread out over 40-plus years to advance to final.
More of the old is represented by returning state champions Anthony Knox (St. John Vianney, 120); Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial, 175) and 2021 state champion and now four-time state finalist Anthony Santaniello (Brick Memorial, 132).
Representing the new and making their first state final appearances will be Southern junior Matt Henrich (150); Christian Brothers Academy senior Zander Silva (157); St. John Vianney senior Jasiah Queen (165) and Southern senior Riley O’Boyle (215).
The eight finalists for the Shore are the major part of a 26-medal haul for the Shore Conference. Eighteen wrestlers are in the wrestlebacks.
The tournament will conclude Saturday with the wrestleback semifinals at 9 a.m; The third, fifth and seventh-place bouts at 10 a.m.; the 12 girls championship bouts around 1:30-2 p.m. and the 14 boys championship bouts around 4 p.m.
Ludington is excited and eager
Ludington will wrestle in the most anticipated final when he meets Delbarton’s Simon Ruiz. Ludington won last year at 175. Ruiz won at 157 last season.
However, Ruiz was awarded the No. 1 seed in the tournament because he is a three-time top three finisher.
“I’m super-stoked,” said Ludington, after he majored Red Bank Catholic’s Sabino Portella 8-0 in the semifinal. “I’m the defending (champion) and he won last year and now he’s at my weight. I want that second title.”
As dominant as he has been all season, with his only defeat coming in the Beast of the East final on Dec. 18, Ludington is the underdog in many people’s eyes because Ruiz has been extraordinary all season. He began his season by winning the Princeton Open 165-pound championship over collegiate wrestlers. Ruiz beat Rider University freshman Hunter Mays in the final. Mays was a state champion the last two seasons at Howell.
“I’ve got to turn it up. I’ve got to get fired up,” Ludington said.
It will be an interesting matchup of styles. Ludington is always attacking and is very tough on top. He said, Ruiz is also aggressive.
“He’s super technical and super aggressive. That’s my favorite kind of style,” Ludington said. “He’s a wrestler who will adapt to your wrestling style to beat you. If he’s going to adapt to me, then I’ve got to adapt to him. The whole match is going to be about adapting.”
Ludington, who won last year as the No. 7 seed, appears to have relished the challenge of being in what most people feel is the toughest weight class in the tournament.
In addition to Ruiz and Ludington, three past state runners-up were in the bracket, including Portella.
“I wanted the harder weight class,” Ludington said. “In a way, it’s less stressful. I can just go out an attack.”
Ludington and Santaniello made it four straight seasons Brick Memorial has had at least two state finalists.
Skove makes history for his school and begins a new chapter for his storied family
Skove is accomplishing several things. He is Rumson-Fair Haven’s first state finalist. He is making his own name for himself and he bring the legacy of the Skove family into a second generation.
Skove’s uncles, Luke (three), Jude (one) and Andrew (one combined for five state championships and six state final appearances in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s for Long Branch. His father Thomas was also part of the Skove legacy at Long Branch.
“I have a lot of respect for what my uncles and dad did. I think they were just crazy good,” said Skove, after he defeated Warren Hills’ Jarrett Pantuso 7-3 in the semifinal. “It’s insane looking at the pictures in the basement.”
Skove, who will wrestle O’Boyle in the final, said his uncles have given him advice about wrestling in state finals.
“One big thing they’ve said to me is ‘conditioning, conditioning, conditioning,’ ” Skove said. “They’re saying, ‘You’ve got to be the guy running back to the circle’, pushing pace.’ ”
Skove also got over the hurdle of coming up one win short of a state medal the last two seasons. He cleared that hurdle in dramatic fashion by rallying from a two-point deficit in the tiebreaker period for a 5-3 win over St. Joseph (Montvale’s) Aidan Schlett in the quarterfinal.
“I’m not the kind to celebrate too much,” Skove said. “I haven’t celebrate too hard for most of my high school career. I screamed twice (after he beat Schlett to clinch his medal). I was absolutely jacked up. It was awesome.”
Southern having a weekend to remember
O’Boyle and Henrich lead a school-record six medal haul for Southern as the Rams are putting a capper on what may be their best season ever. They won the NJSIAA Group 5 championship and are the consensus No. 1 ranked public school in the state.
“This year, we’re different,” said O’Boyle, after he defeated North Hunterdon’s Brendan Raley 2-1 in tiebreaker period No. 1 in the semifinal. “We’re a lot closer as a team. This year, we really focused on the bond, hung out as a team and worked hard as a team.”
O’Boyle, who was one win short of a medal last season, has taken it to another level this year. In his quarterfinal, he pinned Mount Olive’s Anthony Moscatello with five seconds remaining in the ultimate tie-breaker period.
“My short term goal (for the season) was just to place,” O’Boyle said. “But, I had the goal in the back of my head to be a state champ. I’ve been coming here (to the state tournament) since I was a little kid. I always watched all the good kids.”
Henrich, the No. 1 seed, advanced with a 2-1 win in tiebreaker period No. 1 over Bergen Catholic’s Christopher Bacchioni. He rode Bacchioni out in the second part of that period despite incurring a stalling warning during that portion of the period.
“I kept trying to come out to the side. You can’t ride parallel. When he comes to his feet, you’ve got to make an effort to return (to the mat),” Henrich said.
Henrich and O’Boyle will be trying to become Southern’s first state championship since Glenn Carson won at 215 in 2009. That season was also the one where the Rams set their previous school record for medals in a season with five.
“It would mean the world, especially for our coaches because it’s been so long since they’ve got a state champ,” Henrich said. “It would just be awesome for my family and my coaches.”
Henrich will wrestle St. Augustine’s Brady Conlin in the final.
Silva with late heroics.
Silva appeared headed to defeat in his semifinal with Cranford’s Jordan Chapman. But, a takedown with 11 seconds remaining gave him the lead. He then held off a Chapman attempt to reverse him for a 5-4 win.
”I knew if I just kept my composure and wrestled in every position, I would be victorious,” Silva said. “It’s my senior year, I figured I would be cheating myself I didn’t let it fly.”
Silva, who was third at 157 last season, is one of five medalists for CBA. He will meet Delbarton’s ultra-impressive Alessio Perentin in the final.
“I’m just going to continue to let it fly,” Silva said. “I’m going to go into (Saturday) with a positive attitude. I did everything right before the tournament to prepare. Now, it’s time for me trust myself and my abilities.”
How the Shore’s other finalists advanced
Knox, who won at 113 last season, majored DePaul’s Adrain DeJesus, 18-5, in the semifinal. DeJesus won at 106 last season, when he was at St. Peter’s Prep. Knox appears to have taken his game to an even higher level this season.
Knox will wrestle Delbarton’s Daniel Jones in a rematch of last season’s 113-pound semifinal and this season’s Beast of the East final. Knox won both those bouts.
Santaniello won by technical fall over Southern’s Wyatt Stout. He has three technical falls and a pin in his four bouts in the tournament. He will wrestle Mount Olive’s Jack Bastarrika in the final.
Queen defeated St. Joseph (Montvale’s) Ryan Burton 5-1 to make it two straight seasons St. John Vianney has had two state finalists. He is one of four medalists for St. John Vianney. Queen will meet Delbarton’s Louis Cerchio in the final in a rematch of the Beast of the East final, won by Cerchio 10-1.