Rumson-Fair Wrestlers
Capture Individual District and Region Titles
A(LEFT PHOTO) Jack Kelly – two-time District champion (RIGHT PHOTO) Aidan Shaughnessy – District 18 and Region 5 champion t the annual District 18 tournament, Rumson-Fair Haven wrestlers
claimed eight medals, with four Bulldogs taking individual titles.
Capturing District championships were Aidan Shaughnessy (113),
Max Brignola (145), Jack Kelly (170) and Liam Horan (195). In addition,
Shaughnessy and Shay Addison (160) went on to gain Region 5 crowns.
Based on his No. 5 seeding, Shaughnessy arrived at the District 18 as
an overlooked underdog. He promptly proved the seeding committee wrong
when he started the day with a pair of quick pins. The sophomore began with
a pin of South River’s Joseph Lepore at just 1:05 in the quarternal.
In the semi, he was matched with 31-bout winner Cole Psemenek, of
Hillsborough, who advanced to this point with a 13-second pinning in the
quarternal. Shaughnessy shocked the No. 2 seed, ending the bout via a
pin in a mere 45 seconds to move on to the nal.
In the nal, Shaughnessy faced Holmdel’s Nick Ammirati, a crafty veteran
with 115 career wins under his belt. It was a hard-fought defensive
contest with the RFH athlete emerging victorious by a close 4-3 decision to
gain the title.
The Regions are the next level of competition, where District champions
and medalists square off. Once again, Shaughnessy was considered an
underdog, seeded fourth in the 113-pound Region 5 brackets.
His quarternal bout was a rematch with Ammirati. The replay was a
completely different engagement, a high scoring romp with 28 points tallied.
However, the result was the same; the referee raised the RFH contender’s
hand following a 16-12 decision.
In the semi, Shaughnessy defeated the top seed and District 19 champion,
Jacob Venezia, of Hopewell Valley, by a 7-3 decision. He then defeated
Manalapan’s Justin Schifter, the District 20 champion, with a 7-5 decision to
take the crown.
Brignola took a District title at 138 pounds last year and was looking
to repeat now at 145. Although the junior Bulldog was undefeated on the
season, he was not named top seed.
Brignola pinned Hillsborough’s Evan Karolewski at 1:23 in the quarter
nal. In the semi, he dispatched Luke Dupont, of Holmdel, via a pin 1:32
into the match.
28 APRIL 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
That win punched his ticket to the nal where he would meet top-seeded
Colton Washleski, a 35-bout winner hailing from Hunterdon Central. The
pair battled to a 1-1 deadlock in regulation, Brignola emerged victorious in
overtime by a 3-1 decision.
Kelly, like Brignola, was a returning District champ. His quarter and
seminal matches both ended in less than one minute. He pinned Pingry’s
Zach Ventura in 58 seconds and John Rieche, of Hunterdon Central, in 44
seconds. He clinched the 170-pound title with a 10-6 decision over 36-bout
winner Marcus Petite, of Piscataway.
Horan powered through the 195 brackets with three consecutive pins.
He took out Edison’s Bryan Blanchette in 55 seconds. Marcus Granadeiro, of
South River, managed to last 32 seconds with the RFH senior in the semi. In
the bracket nale, Horan pinned Jacob Ventura of Pingry at 2:15. The victory
was particularly satisfying as it also marked Horan’s 100th career win.
Addison settled for a silver medal at the Districts, bowing to Norman
Cella, of Hunterdon Central. However, much like a Hollywood script, Addison
would ultimately gain a rematch in the Region 5 tournament that followed.
The sophomore entered the Regions as the No. 8 seed, suggesting the
likelihood of earning a medal was bleak. Addison started with pin at 4:28
of North Hunterdon’s William Cole.
In the quarternal, he took on the top seed and District 20 champion
Matt Benedetti, of Manalapan, a 39-match winner on the season. Addison
orchestrated the most shocking upset of the tourney with a 2-1 decision.
He earned a trip to the nal by pinning Perth Amboy’s Gilbert Sosa in
the semi. The 160-pound nale was a rematch with Norman Cella, who had
defeated Shay at the Districts. Addison avenged the District loss posting a
3-1 decision to seize the Region 5 title.
Addison and Shaughnessy join an elite group of just six Bulldog wrestlers
who have taken Region championships. RFH Head Coach Bryan Heller
was the rst to achieve that feat in 2002 and repeated in 2003. Shay’s
brother, Nick, earned a title last year. Other RFH Region champions are Patrick
Berger (2003) and Marcus Iwama (2014 and 2015).
District 18 silver medals were garnered by Tristan Izzo (120), Tyler Brignola
(152) and Mike Ponenti (182).
BY LES PIERCE
/TheJournalNJ.com