Wave gives strong first impression in Neptune BY VIN RAPOLLA Staff Writer PHOTOS BY SCOTT PILLING staff Above, Long Branch’s Scott Festejo wraps himself around Neptune’s Kenny Bacon during a bout at the Neptune Classic on Saturday. Below, Monmouth Regional’s Omar Akel fights off the advances of Bridgewater-Raritan’s Wayne Hampton. After a strong showing at the Neptune Classic, the young Long Branch wrestling team seems to have a lot to look forward to this winter. Much to the surprise of head coach Dan George. The young Green Wave team lost four wrestlers from last season to graduation, all of whom were 25-plus match-winners. For that reason, Long Branch entered this campaign as a bit of an unknown, with several new faces spread throughout the line-up. However, over the weekend, Long Branch had 10 wrestlers get into the quarterfinals of the Neptune Classic, and managed to win five out of six matches in the tournament’s medal rounds. The immediate success surprised many of the team’s in attendance, and while George was pleased with his squad’s performance, he had an idea they were capable of that kind of effort. “We were hoping for it,” said George, now in his eighth season at the helm. “The kids have shown their capabilities out of the gates.” The Green Wave got gold medal performances out of 135-pounder Jon Robertson and 140-pounder Nick Visicaro. George knew both were capable of winning individual titles coming into the tournament. “These two had done a tremendous amount of wrestling and had been successful in the offseason,” said George. Visicaro, a freshman, took home the 140-pound title with a hard-fought 4-3 decision in the final, while Robertson, a sophomore, scored a 3-2 decision in the 135-pound final. Others medaling for the Green Wave were senior Sean Sims (27-4 last year), who took second at 171, losing a tough match to Jackson’s Ken Carney in the final; senior Chris Menkin (17-9 last year), who was third at 119 after a 13-5 win in the third-place match; and Scott Festejo, who took third at 103 with a 12-9 win in the consolation round. Their efforts helped the Green Wave finish third in the team standings with 110.5 points, behind Bridgewater-Raritan (134), and the title-winner Jackson, the top-ranked team in the state, which finished with 219.5 points. George is happy with this performance, knowing that his team may have one of the toughest schedules in the Shore Conference. “We’re wrestling in one of the toughest divisions in the Shore (Class B North),” said George. “We have to wrestle No. 5 in the state, Ocean Township, a Wall team who’s fifth in the Shore, and Freehold Boro who’s another top 12 team. We’re going to have to be pretty good in order to compete.” The team will also benefit from sophomore Andrew Balina (14-12 last year), junior Ryan Kirsch (13-15 last year), and junior Pat Vaccaro (8-8). George will look to these guys to help in the building of the team. “All of them look to be top wrestlers for the team this season,” said George. “The team is practicing very hard, the kids are putting long hours in, and everyone is excited for the season.” The team’s first dual-meet test comes tonight against division rival and seventh-ranked Wall. “Anytime these teams get together it is interesting,” said George. A win over Wall could possibly put the Green Wave into the Shore’s top 10, coming off their surprisingly strong finish at Neptune. “The team is realizing what they’ll need to do to get better and compete with the teams on our schedule,” said George. And while their schedule really picks up in January, the team is not looking ahead at this point, taking it one match at a time instead. However, with a strong early season start, George is confident his team will make a solid run at the postseason. “We’re only looking to get better,” said George. “Making the sectional finals is a big goal for us this year.” Surprisingly enough. Tournaments offer early tests for locals While Long Branch was impressive in taking third at the Neptune Classic, the wrestling team from Christian Brothers Academy was putting forth a strong effort in its own Colt Classic over the weekend. CBA finished fourth in a very strong field with 142.5 points. High Point won the team title with 276 points, followed by Northern Burlington (202) and A.P. Schalick (201). The Colts got a win from senior James Beshada, who beat High Point’s Gavin Tarsa, 10-8, to win the 135-pound title, and earn the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award. He also became the event’s first four-time winner. Also wrestling well was CBA’s Sal Musto, who took second at 171, falling to Northern Burlington’s Geoff Bauma at 3:25 in the final. Reaching the finals was quite a feat for the 10th-seeded Musto, who knocked off second seed Kyle Harper, of Spotswood, 9-7, in the quarterfinals. CBA’s Joe Favia also took home a silver medal, finishing second at 152. Among the other local grapplers who performed well in their season-opening tournaments was Monmouth Regional senior Anthony Bongarzone, who took the 152-pound title at the Neptune Classic with a dominating 19-2 technical fall win over Jackson’s Dave Concepcion in the final. Bongarzone, who was 35-4 last year, will be among the top grapplers to watch throughout the season, as he looks to wrestle well into the postseason and compete for a spot on the podium in Atlantic City in March. At the Matawan Ice Breaker Tournament, which was won by Old Bridge, Shore Regional’s Jim Freudenberg got off to a good start in his senior year, taking second at 189 pounds.