Middletown North Senior Wrestlers
Finish Season with Tremendous Records
Tyler Klinsky’s historic, record-shattering
season was just the icing
on the cake for Middletown High
School North’s wrestling season.
While Klinksy became the rst
Lion to capture the state individual
championship since Middletown split
into North and South high schools, the
Lions enjoyed team success after putting
together one of their nest seasons
in school history. North captured the B
North Division crown after sharing it a
year ago and went 25-2 in dual meets.
“We had a special team this year,”
said Lion Head Coach Matt Sirchio. “Getting
through B North was a tall order
BY TIM MORRIS |
with Wall, Ocean and Colts Neck. We
didn’t want to share it. Getting through
the schedule 25-2 was big. What was
great is that we were ranked No. 1 in
Region 6, and the coaches voted us in
the Top 20 in the state.”
It took a team effort with everyone
stepping up to lead the Lions to the
repeat division championship, despite
some injuries.
North started its run to the division title beating Ocean, 36-27, thanks
to a 15-6 edge in bonus points. Middletown North led Ocean by just three
points, 30-27, going into the last match of the night. Nico Cerbo clinched the
victory emphatically with a pin.
Wall succumbed, 40-20, leaving the division to be decided in the last
dual meet of the division season against Colts Neck. Lucas Santos was the
hero of match with a walk-off pin at 113. The match was tied at 33-33 when
Santos walked on the mat.
“That was a huge pin for us,” Sirchio said.
North wrestlers also excelled
individually in the NJSIAA tournaments,
starting with District 22
where Middletown had four champions
and nine medal winners.
Klinsky, wrestling at 113, won
his fourth district title and was joined
on the top of the podium by teammates
Thomas O’Keefe (126), Eddie
Farrell (152) and Cerbo (220).
Colin Oden (106), Fred Luchs
(120) and Gabe Lubrano (182)
came in second place while Jack
Butler (132) and Chris McCarthy
(145) earned third place nishes.
Four Lions advanced from
the Region 6 to the state championships
in Atlantic City. Klinsky
picked up his second career region
championship with Luchs reversing
his second place in the district and
18 APRIL 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
capturing the region title. O’Keefe nished
second and McCarthy took third,
punching their tickets to Atlantic City.
Klinsky took his place among the
conference’s greatest wrestlers by capturing
the state title that had eluded
him in 2019 when he nished in second
place. He had a full resumé prior to
the state championship, but to be one
of the truly all-time greats, he needed to
win a state championship. Klinsky, who
is headed to Rider University next year,
defeated Don Bosco’s Kelly Dunnigan,
6-3, in the nal.
“Winning a state championship
is hard to achieve,” Sirchio said. “Tyler
amped his training up. He put all the pieces
together and found that little extra.”
Klinsky’s work ethic made him an
“unbelievable leader,” his head coach
said.
Klinsky went 49-1 this year, establishing
a single-season conference record
for wins. He concluded his brilliant
career with a Shore Conference record of
Middletown North wrestling Coach Matt Sirchio (center) is anked by 113-pound champion
Tyler Kaminsky (left) and Fred Luchs, eighth place at 120.
169 career wins, four more than the previous holder Robert Kanniard of Wall
(Howell’s Shane Reitsma equaled Kannaird’s 165 during the season).
Luchs, also a senior, ended his career winning a medal in Atlantic City, nishing
in eighth place at 120 pounds.
It was seniors Klinsky, Luchs, O’Keefe and McCarthy who were the core
of the Lions’ team this season. They were the strength of the line-up from the
lower to middle weights, and their leadership rubbed off on their teammates.
They left their mark on the program individually. Luchs recorded 141 wins in
his career and O’Keefe had 123. Along with the division titles, North won its
rst NJSIAA district championship since 2002 last year.
Tyler Klinksy shares a moment with Coach Matt Sirchio after the
Middletown North wrestler won the state championship at 113 pounds.
Middletown North’s Tyler Klinsky celebrates after he captured the
113-pound crown at the state wrestling championships in Atlantic City.
Klinsky set Shore Conference records for
wins in a season (49) and career (169) this year.
/TheJournalNJ.com