WRESTLING NOTEBOOK: New Top 10 rankings, South Plainfield on roll, Zecchino out and Ryan returns
Despite competing without a full lineup, the South Plainfield High School wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in the Home News Tribune Top 10, is off to a 7-0 start.
The Tigers are expected to be at full strength for Saturday's 10th annual Boresch Duals, where they will receive their strongest challenge to date, outside of a quad meet involving Delaware Valley and Hunterdon Central earlier this week.
As a prohibitive favorite in its other duals, South Plainfield sat many starters in those contests, a measure which enables head coach Kevin McCann to maintain match limits for his varsity regulars.
"We really haven't put our full lineup out there as much as maybe you would like," McCann said, noting he felt the Tigers did not wrestle their best in the 31-27 win over Delaware Valley, an opponent against whom South Plainfield uncharacteristically yielded some bonus points.
Kyle Bythell (132) and Joey Heilmann (106) have been among the most impressive of South Plainfield's newcomers. The Tigers have competed without starter Ryan Duhamel, who is expected to return for the Boresch Duals.
Howell, Morris Knolls, Middle Township, Caldwell, Northern Burlington and host Newton round out the field which initially included defending champion Hanover Park.
Hanover Park, however, had to withdraw from the Borescsh Duals because it competed in the Mountain Lakes Invitational on Tuesday and NJSIAA rules state that member schools cannot participate in more than one tournament per week.
"It's still going to be a tough tournament," said McCann, whose team won the Boresch Duals in 2012 and 2013.
South Plainfield won the season-opening Morris Knolls Invitational, defeating the host school by 20 points.
Morris Knolls and Howell, which is the top seed for the Boresch Duals, pose South Plainfield's biggest challenges.
The tournament will prepare South Plainfield for the Virginia Duals, which will be contested Jan. 8-9 at the Hampton Roads Coliseum in Norfolk, Va.
Zecchino out
Woodbridge has lost the services of promising sophomore Vincent Zecchino for the remainder of the season to an injury, according to Barrons head coach Michael Carbone.
Despite weighing in at 175 pounds last year, Zecchino wrestled at 195 for the postseason, placing third in District 19 and advancing to the second round of wrestlebacks at Region V, where he finished fifth/sixth.
Carbone said he believed Zecchino had a good chance to get to Atlantic City and to earn 100 career wins.
Woodbridge (2-1) already felt the absence of Zecchino in a regular-season dual, dropping a 40-30 decision to South Brunswick earlier this week as the Barrons competed shorthanded due to injury and weight issues.
"Our lineup is obviously going to struggle without him because he is such a key cog," Carbone said. "We were hoping on him possibly being a state qualifier because last year he had such a very successful region run."
Carbone described Zecchino, who compiled a 22-13 record last season, as one of the "nicest kids on the team."
"I feel bad for him because some of his goals are already crushed and he's a great kid," Carbone said.
Ryan returns
After missing the entire football season with a broken leg, in which a metal rod was surgically implanted, South River's Doug Ryan will return to the mat during Saturday's DiMario Quad.
The event features the Rams, North Brunswick, Perth Amboy and host J.F. Kennedy.
Ryan is the defending 195-pound Greater Middlesex Conference and District 20 Tournament champion.
He will likely compete this season at 195 and/or 220 pounds.
TOP 10
1. South Plainfield 7-0
2. Monroe 1-0
3. Edison 1-0
4. Old Bridge 1-0
5. Sayreville 1-0
6. Bishop Ahr 3-3
7. Middlesex 3-0
8. J.F. Kennedy 1-1
9. East Brunswick 0-0
10. South Brunswick 2-4