Woodbridge Township's Farrell and McLaughlin win GMCT wrestling titles
PISCATAWAY - Challenges of very different natures were met and conquered by two top-seeded Woodbridge Township wrestlers at Saturday night's Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament finals.
John F. Kennedy senior 170-pounder Brandon Farrell (19-1, 92-27) – once again competing as he has the last two seasons with heavy knee braces -- won his second county title by outlasting East Brunswick senior Anthony Tamayo. Woodbridge High sophomore Bryan McLaughlin (25-0, 54-7) put a halt to South Plainfield junior C.J. Maszczak's run as 15th seed with an 8-1 victory. McLaughlin was third at 138 last season.
McLaughlin built a big lead early with two take downs and a reversal before getting two back points.
"Six minutes might seem like a short time, but it seems slow out there, you have to give it everything you possibly can for those six minutes,'' said McLaughlinm beaten 4-3 in last year's semfinal before taking third with two major decision victories. "I had to make a statement early, build a big lead and not stop.''
Farrell has been giving plenty over the last two seasons. He was also a linebacker/running back until this past season when he told coach Andrew Maurizio he wasn't going to play so he could focus on wrestling and getting back to full capacity after a string of injury that would leave most other athletes pondering different pursuits.
He is competing with a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and a partial one in the right knee. He has recovered from a broken left elbow during a summer tournament in Long Branch, but was good enough to finish 34-3 for the season. He had surgery after the season in March where two pins were inserted to stabilize the injury. He had the pins removed in July, but came down with a MRSA infection and was in the hospital for two weeks.
Outside of that, Farrell is completely 100 percent.
"Brandon has wrestled through some very difficult injuries,'' said Kennedy coach Nick Cilento. "But even with those injuries he's a powerful wrestler.''
Farrell's main concern after the title bout was the missed chances of closing out Tamayo.
"I have to do a better job of finishing my shots,'' said Farrell, who sees a career in law enforcement ahead.
Farrell doesn't entertain thoughts of the injuries being the real culprit in keeping him from his first NJSIAA Tournament berth in Atlantic City. His records in the last two seasons suggest it really hasn't been a deterrent. He was 33-0 last season before being pinned by North Hunterdon's Joe Guzzo in the Region V Tournament semifinals. He won District 12 and Greater Middlesex Tournament titles along the way with the nagging elbow and sore knees along for the ride.
His only loss this season was to Wayne Valley's Daniel Kilroy in the finals of the Mountain Lakes Tournament.
"I have a bum knee so I have braces, but I'm running a lot, trying to help my stamina,'' said Farrell.
Farrell isn't making any great pronouncements of making a run or breezing through 170 at Region V where he'll likely see returning state runner-up Josh Ugalde of Bound Brook and unbeaten Bidgewater-Raritan junior Kyle Murphy. That's a few weeks away.
"I'd like to go as far as I can and give it everything I possibly can,'' said Farrell, whose brother, Tommy, also wrestled for the Mustangs.
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