HOLMDEL – The cut to try and be able to wrestle in the 113-pound weight class became too much for St. John Vianney sophomore Patrick O’Keefe.
“It was hard to make weight and maintain it,” O’Keefe said Thursday night after St. John Vianney advanced to the NJSIAA Non-Public B championship match with a 56-21 victory over Red Bank Catholic. “I wasn’t wrestling the best I could at the time. I went up where it felt good and where I could compete the best.”
O’Keefe, the NJSIAA runner-up at 106 pounds last season and the Shore Conference Tournament runner-up at 113 pounds this season, went up three weight classes Thursday night and wrestled at 132 pounds. He recorded a solid 16-2 major decision over Michael Milke in the first bout of the match.
More:Shore Conference wrestling Feb. 9, 10 Scoreboard
He will wrestle at 132 when the individual part of the season begins Feb. 18 with the district tournaments. St. John Vianney is in District 17. He weighed in at 133.6 Thursday night.
HOW DID IT FEEL FOR O’KEEFE?
O’Keefe wrestled at 113 in the SCT on Jan. 27-28. Due to allowances, the actual weight for the 113-pound weight class at the SCT was 117.
He had not wrestled since the 6-1 defeat in sudden victory to Christian Brothers Academy freshman Bobby Duffy in the SCT final.
“I didn’t feel like I was competing the best at that weight. I was just worried about cutting weight,” O’Keefe said. “Here I just worry about getting better and not cutting weight all the time.”
O’Keefe said he tried to make 113, which with the two-pound weight allowance that kicked in on Jan. 14, is actually 115, one more time Tuesday night for St. John Vianney’s match against Donovan Catholic in the Non-Public B quarterfinal. Not being able to was the final factor in the decision for him and the St. John Vianney coaching staff.
Another reason O’Keefe may have had to go up to 132 was the presence of last year’s 113-pound state champion Anthony Knox at 120 and returning state qualifier Jake Zaltsman at 126.
“That’s whatever, I feel good at this weight. I’m happy with the decision I made,” O’Keefe said.
“ITHE COMPETITION FOR O’KEEFE AT 132.
The competition for O’Keefe at his new weight will be tough.
Leading the way at 132 is Brick Memorial senior Anthony Santaniello, the 2021 NJSIAA 120-pound champion and three-time state finalist.
Among the others at the weight are Kingsway’s Nathan Taylor, who was third in the state at 126 last season, and St. Peter’s Prep’s Donovan Chavis, who was seventh in the state at 120 last year.
“I didn’t wrestle my best tonight,” O’Keefe said. “I didn’t feel that good because I gained a lot of weight in a short period of time, but I’ll be fine by districts and team states Sunday.”
WHAT DID ST. JOHN VIANNEY’S WIN MEAN
The Lancers (12-2) will wrestle Camden Catholic (13-5) Sunday at 11 a.m. at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena in the Non-Public B championship match. They will be trying to win their first state group championship since they won Non-Public B in 1995 under former head coach Jack Shepherd. That is the Lancers’ only state group wrestling championship.
More:Matchups set for NJ wrestling team state semifinals
UPDATE ON SABINO PORTELLA
Red Bank Catholic senior Sabino Portella, who has been battling injuries all season, did not weigh in Thursday night and has not wrestled since Feb. 1. He has walked on to the mat just nine times on the season and wrestled only five bouts.
Caseys’ head coach Joe Gallagher said Portella will wrestle once Saturday when Red Bank Catholic wrestles in a quad meet at Matawan against Matawan, Keansburg and West Morris. Gallagher said Portella will be entered in the District 20 Tournament.
ST. JOHN VIANNEY 56, RED BANK CATHOLIC 21
132: Patrick O’Keefe (SJV) md. Michael Milke 16-2.
138: Robert Connelley (RBC) d. Anthony Paulino 9-4.
144: John Saraiva (SJV) md. Marco Conroy 15-4.
150: Cole Stangle (SJV) p. Robert Stolfa 3:02.
157: Kevin McBride (SJV) p. Vincent Joseph Muscillo 3:29.
165: Jasiah Queen (SJV) by forfeit.
175: Thomas Cleary (SJV) p. Frank Romeo 1:36.
190: Michael Pal;mieri (RBC) p. Luca Minardo :25.
215: Michael Foley (SJV) by forfeit.
HWT: Lorenzo Portella (RBC) p. Ryan Buchanan 1:19.
106: Matthew Gould (SJV) p. Arthur Torrone :23.
113: William Dodds (RBC) p. Ryan Kearney 4:27.
120: Anthony Knox (SJV) p. Noah Michaels :48.
126: Jake Zaltsman (SJV) Anthony DeGaetano :41.
