Brearley wrestlers to host GL Friday night with the North 2, Group 2 championship on the line; The Highlanders came back to edge the Bears in Kenilworth a month ago

By JR Parachini

Union County Sports Editor

Rick Iacono, who is in his 38th season as a head wrestling coach and 11th at Governor Livingston, has always demonstratively proclaimed wrestling as the greatest sport.
“There’s wrestling and then there’s everything else,” Iacono said.
It was on Wednesday night when his Highlanders produced one of their greatest victories.
Trailing by 10 points with four matches to go, fifth-seeded GL won the final four bouts – all by decision, with the last two majors – to stun top-seeded Voorhees 26-22 in a North 2, Group 2 semifinal in Glen Gardner.
GL senior Ryne Morrison, who last month missed by two points of repeating as a Union County Tournament champion, defeated Tyler Yarnell 9-1 at 120 pounds in the evening’s final bout. Those four points clinched GL’s come-from-behind triumph.
Wins by Lehigh-bound (for football) senior Tony Manganiello at heavyweight over Max Lamport 3-1, sophomore Joe Colder at 106 over Cody Ihling 4-3 and junior Jon Mele – who did repeat as a UCT champion – at 113 over Thomas Beishke 12-2 evened the match at 22-22 with one bout to go.
While Voorhees saw its season end at 22-4, GL moved on to the final where it will return to Kenilworth to face second-seeded and four-time defending champion Brearley in Friday’s scheduled 7 p.m. start.
Brearley (6-5) will be out to grab a seventh consecutive sectional championship, including the first two titles it won in Central Jersey, Group 1 over Roselle Park in 2006 and 2007. The Bears have been the champion in North 2, Group 2 every year since 2008.
Brearley will also be out to avenge a 31-29 home loss to GL which took place back on Jan. 5.
GL, which finished second to Brearley in last year’s UCT by 1.5 points, went 9-0 in the regular season against Union County teams and is the only Union County school that has not lost to another Union County squad this season.
The Highlanders are now 19-2, including a sectional quarterfinal 38-15 win at fourth-seeded Parsippany Monday night. The losses came to Kittatinny 46-21 at West Milford Dec. 23 and at Christian Brothers Academy 43-18 on Jan. 7.
Union County opponents GL defeated were – in order – Rahway, Brearley, Union, Linden, New Providence, Elizabeth, Roselle Park, Westfield and Cranford.
Brearley received a quarterfinal round bye because only six teams in the section qualified. The Bears improved to 6-5 after beating sixth-seeded Becton Regional of Bergen County 45-21 Wednesday night.
In last year’s 3-at-2 semifinal, host Brearley defeated Governor Livingston 46-19. The visiting Bears then won the final at top-seeded Delaware Valley 36-22.
Brearley followed up a fourth straight North 2, Group 2 sectional title by capturing its first state championship. The Bears defeated Delsea 42-18 in the Group 2 semifinals and West Essex 42-27 in the Group 2 final at Toms River North. Brearley reached the Group 2 final in 2008 and 2009, falling to Long Branch both times.
In the regular season match between visiting GL and host Brearley last month, both teams won seven matches. Winning by fall for the Highlanders were Mele at 113, Morrison at 120 and senior John Bohrer at 126 and for the Bears were junior John Balboni at 160 and senior Mike Christian at heavyweight.
The Highlanders overcame a 22-7 deficit by winning five of the final seven bouts.
GL junior Jeremy Klein defeated Brearley junior Brandon Sigarroa 6-0 at 145 to give the Highlanders a 31-25 lead going into the final match. At 152, state-ranked Brearley senior Nick Lospinoso – who won a third UCT title this season – defeated GL senior Victor Orozco 17-5 for four points and the final score of 31-29.
Orozco did his job of not getting pinned, which would have allowed Brearley to gain the six points necessary to finish the match tied with GL.
The winner of Friday night’s sectional final will advance to Sunday’s Group 2 semifinals at Toms River North. The final will also be contested Sunday at TRN.

Here’s a look at the results of GL’s 31-29 win at Brearley Jan. 5. The match began at 160:

GL 31, BREARLEY 29 – AT BREARLEY, JAN. 5

160: John Balboni, Brearley, pin Ryan Dobbs, GL, 1:41.
Brearley leads 6-0.

170: Shane Haddad, GL, maj. Dec. Anthony Scorese, Brearley, 17-5.
Brearley leads 6-4.

182: Zach Heissler, GL, dec. Jeff Velez, Brearley, 4-3.
GL leads 7-6.

195: Anthony Tancs, Brearley, maj. dec. Vinny Bennett, GL, 13-2.
Brearley leads 10-7.

220: David Yablansky, Brearley, dec. Jay Luciani, GL, 5-1.
Brearley leads 13-7.

HWT: Mike Christian, Brearley, pin Tony Manganiello, GL, 1:27.
Brearley leads 19-7.

106: Nick DeMarco, Brearley, dec. Joe Colder, GL, 8-1.
Brearley leads 22-7.

113: Jon Mele, GL, pin Frank Chessa, Brearley, 1:01.
Brearley leads 22-13.

120: Ryne Morrison, GL, pin Dylan Oliva, Brearley, 2:31.
Brearley leads 22-19.

126: John Bohrer, GL, pin Matt Samansky, Brearley, 4:36.
GL leads 25-22.

132: Ryan Hoy, GL, dec. Mike Disko, Brearley, 8-4.
GL leads 28-22.

138: Eoghan Savona, Brearley, dec. Willy O’Sullivan, GL, 8-3.
GL leads 28-25.

145: Jeremy Klein, GL, dec. Brandon Sigarroa, Brearley, 6-0.
GL leads 31-25.

152: Nick Lospinoso, Brearley, maj. Dec. Victor Orozco, GL, 17-5.
GL wins 31-29.

ROSELLE PARK IS NOT IN A SECTIONAL FINAL
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1995

The significance of defending champion Roselle Park’s 31-29 loss at New Egypt Wednesday in a Central Jersey, Group 1 semifinal is that it was the first time in 17 years that the Panthers did not reach a sectional final.
Roselle Park, which won sectional titles the last four years, including three in CJ, G1, was last deprived of reaching a sectional final on Feb. 16, 1995 when the Panthers were defeated at Belvidere 51-21 in a North 2, Group 1 semifinal.
Roselle Park finished 11-5 that season and this year – highlighted by a come-from-behind win over Brearley – wrapped at 13-5.
Roselle Park has won 19 sectional titles, 16 in North 2, Group 1 and three in Central Jersey, Group 1.
Last year Roselle Park defeated New Egypt 35-23 at home in the semifinals.

2012 NORTH 2, GROUP 2 WRESTLING
SEEDS: 1-Voorhees. 2-Brearley. 3-Parsippany Hills.
4-Parsippany. 5-Gov. Livingston. 6-Becton.

QUARTERFINALS:
Monday, Feb. 6
Gov. Livingston 38, Parsippany 15
Becton 33, Parsippany Hills 20
Voorhees and Brearley received byes.

SEMIFINALS:
Wednesday, Feb. 8
Brearley 45, Becton 21
Gov. Livingston 26, Voorhees 21

FINAL
Friday, Feb. 10
5-Gov. Livingston at 2-Brearley, 7 p.m.
Defending champion: Brearley