Nationally ranked wrestlers stand in way of GMC's highest-seeded state qualifiers

The top-ranked wrestler in the nation appears in the weight classes of all five grapplers from the Greater Middlesex Conference who earned a top four seed for this weekend’s state tournament, but none may have a tougher road to the final than East Brunswick’s Mitch Polito.

Polito’s 120-pound weight class, which is the state tournament’s most challenging, features four wrestlers who InterMat ranks among the Top 15 nationally.

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Robert Howard of Bergen Catholic is ranked first, Antonio Mininno of Gateway-Woodbury is ranked 10th, Joe Manchio of Seneca is ranked 11th and Polito is ranked 13th. The quartet boasts a combined 139-1 record.

A total of 24 wrestlers from the GMC qualified for the state tournament, which will be contested Friday through Sunday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City beginning with preliminary-round bouts on Friday at 2:30 p.m. and concluding with  finals at 3 p.m. Sunday.

The three-day event is expected to draw more than 40,000 spectators.

The GMC is represented in 11 weight classes (all but 113, 170 and 285). South Plainfield has the most state qualifiers (six) of any GMC school.

ICYMI: Region champ wrestlers from three Woodbridge Township schools looking for state medals

Bergen Catholic qualified 13 wrestlers for the state tournament, including Joey Zargo, who transferred there from South River before the start of the academic year.  

Of the 23 preliminary-round bouts involving GMC wrestlers, one features an intraleague matchup between Carteret’s 29th-seeded Jacob Vega and Piscataway’s fourth-seeded Michael Petite at 160 pounds.

Petite registered a late first-period pin of Vega when the two met in the conference tournament semifinals.

Owner of a 34-1 record, Petite’s lone loss this season is to Colonia’s John Poznanski, a 6-4 setback in the GMC Tournament final.

Poznanski is the third seed at 160 pounds, where Shane Griffith of Bergen Catholic is the nation’s top-ranked wrestler and the top seed in the weight class.

South Plainfield’s Joe Heilmann, a University of North Carolina signee, earned the second seed at 126 pounds, where, if the seeds hold, his opponent in the final would be Delbarton’s Patrick Glory, the nation’s top-ranked wrestler and the top seed in that weight class.

Glory posted a 15-0 technical fall in 5:31 over Heilmann during last year’s 120-pound NJSIAA Tournament semifinals.

Heilmann, who was making his second state tournament appearance, was sick in the week leading up to the event, but managed to place third, improving upon his fifth-place state finish in 2016.  

J.F. Kennedy’s Aaron Coleman is the fourth seed at 138 pounds, where, should he advance to the semifinals, would likely face Quinn Kinner of Kingsway, the nation’s top-ranked wrestler and the top seed in that weight class.

The only other GMC wrestlers who do not have double-digit seeds are South Plainfield’s Luke Niemeyer, who is seeded sixth at 195 pounds, and Middlesex-Dunellen’s Jeff Johnson, who is seeded ninth at 145 pounds.

Should Niemeyer and Monroe’s Kaylon Bradley win their preliminary bouts, the wrestlers would square off against one another in the ensuing round.

Bradley opens with a rematch against Middletown North’s Jacob Anderson (30-1), whose only loss came to Bradley in the Region 5 semifinals.

Niemeyer, the reigning league tournament champion, and Bradley never met this year because Bradley lost in the GMCT semifinals and missed Monroe’s dual meet against South Plainfield with a shoulder injury.

A three-time region champion, Polito placed third in New Jersey last season at 113 pounds, dropping a 3-1 semifinal decision in sudden victory to eventual state champion Mininno.

Mininno, who is committed to Drexel University, is the second seed this year at 120 pounds, and Polito is the fourth seed in the weight class.

If the two are to meet in the finals, Polito must first get through top-seeded Manchio of Seneca in the semifinals, and Mininno must defeat second-seeded Howard in the same round.

A Columbia University commit, Manchio won a state title in 2016 at 106 pounds. Last season, Manchio lost 5-4 to Howard in the quarterfinals before enduring an injury in the consolation rounds and forfeiting the seventh-place match.

Mininno defeated Howard 4-3 in tiebreaker one to win last year’s state crown.

STATE QUALIFIERS FROM GMC BY SCHOOL

Carteret: Jacob Vega (160), Frank Coghan (220). Colonia: John Poznanski (160). East Brunswick: Mitchell Polito (120). J.F. Kennedy: Aaron Coleman (138). Middlesex/Dunellen: Jeff Johnson (145). Monroe: Joseph Fiordaliso (106), Andrew Lombard (138), Kaylon Bradley (195). North Brunswick: Kenneth Abode (182). Old Bridge: Jake Wiatroski (120). Perth Amboy: Joseph Pacheco (106), James Rodriguez (132). Piscataway: Joseph Hatcher (152), Michael Petite (160). Sayreville: Trevor Mastorio (145). South Plainfield: Anthony White (106), David Loniewski (120), Joe Heilmann (126), Thomas Fierro (132), Joe Sacco (145), Luke Niemeyer (195). Spotswood: Shea Obado (160). Woodbridge: Nick Nyers (220)

NJSIAA TOURNAMENT PRELIMINARY-ROUND BOUTS FOR GMC WRESTLERS

106

No. 17 Gabriel Leo (Roselle Park) 35-7 vs. No. 16 Anthony White (South Plainfield) 37-2

No. 25 Joseph Fiordaliso (Monroe) 28-11 vs. No. 8 Justin Bierdumpfel (Don Bosco) 9-3

No. 21 Ethan Fernandez (Westwood) 35-6 vs. No. 12 Joseph Pacheco (Perth Amboy) 35-4

120        

No. 17 Brock Laggini (Somerville) 33-7 vs. No. 16 Jake Wiatroski (Old Bridge) 33-8

No. 29 Jordan Iannone (St. Joseph Montvale) 15-6 vs. No. 4 Mitchell Polito (East Brunswick) 33-0

No. 15 David Loniewski (South Plainfield) 22-4 vs. No. 18 Alex Strashinsky (Delbarton) 21-3

126        

No. 31 Garrett Stewart (Sparta) 33-8 vs. No. 2 Joe Heilmann (South Plainfield) 40-0

132        

No. 21 Rick Eli (Paulsboro) 30-5 vs. No. 12 Thomas Fierro (South Plainfield) 30-8

No. 11 James Rodriguez (Perth Amboy) 33-4 vs. No. 22 Justin Cantor (North Bergen) 26-4

138        

No. 5 Andrew Gapas (No. Hunterdon) 34-2 vs. No. 28 Andrew Lombard (Monroe) 33-8

No. 29 Ty Bailey (Pointt Pleasant Boro) 27-12 vs. No. 4 Aaron Coleman (J.F. Kennedy) 32-2

145        

No. 17 Matt Surich (Mahwah) 34-3 vs. No. 16 Joe Sacco (South Plainfield) 34-7

No. 9 Jeff Johnson (Middlesex/Dunellen) 37-2 vs. No. 24 Brian Berry (Woodstown) 31-10

No. 13 Stanley Wojdylak (Middletown North) 38-4 vs. No. 20 Trevor Mastorio (Sayreville) 32-7

152        

No. 25 Joseph Hatcher (Piscataway) 28-3 vs. No. 8 Francis Marshall (Pt. Pleasant Boro) 35-5

160        

No. 9 Matthew Liberato (Hanover Park) 26-5 vs. No. 24 Shea Obado (Spotswood) 31-7

No. 29 Jacob Vega (Carteret) 32-8 vs. No. 4 Michael Petite (Piscataway) 34-1

No. 3 John Poznanski (Colonia) 36-3 vs. No. 30 John DeVito (West Morris Central) 30-10

182        

No. 29 Kenneth Abode (No. Brunswick Twp.) 34-5 vs. No. 4 Aaron Carter (Collingswood) 33-4

195        

No. 11 Kaylon Bradley (Monroe) 26-5 vs. No. 21 Jacob Anderson (Middletown North) 30-1

No. 27 Noah Tandy (West Orange) 28-9 vs. No. 6 Luke Niemeyer (South Plainfield) 36-4

220        

No. 25 Frank Coghan (Carteret) 37-5 vs. No. 8 Jajuan Hayes (Bordentown/Florence) 35-4

No. 15 Benny Dahdah (Westwood) 37-3 vs. No. 18 Nick Nyers (Woodbridge) 33-4