R8 Seedings

I have stolen this from the NJ.com south forum. It's something. I will post a link to the brackets when I figure out where there are.

103 - 1. dunnet vs 8. knauer 2 boylen v. 7. zeisloft 3. conley v. 6. becker 4. higgins v. 5. jilliard
112 - 1. rivera v. 8. pagano 2. curcio v. 7. cocciolone 3. fisher v. 6. cuff 4. duca v. 5. reger
119 - 1. matos v. 8. cheek 2. fedechko v. 7. wilson 3. wurtenberger v. 6. layton 4. johnson v. 5 cohen
125 - 1. luma v. 8. miller 2. lopez v. 7 higgins 3. bushby v. 6. winterbottom 4. caban v. 5. conger
130 - 1. catalano v. 8. michalek 2. wilcox v. 7. boczar 3. garrett v. 6. mccormick 4. renard v. 5. rizzolo
135 - 1. baldosaro v. 8. berkauzer 2. shea v. 7. thomas 3. burman v. 6. hall 4. harvin v. 5. smith
140- 1. wear v. 8. masarone 2. dormann v. 7. vicente 3. sparks v. 6. bakukcas 4. digalbo v. 5. palese
145 - 1. hague v. 8. kronberger 2. grsemeyer v. 7. lowry 3. willing v. 6. hughes 4. foulke v. 5. gentile
152 - 1. deckard v. 8. interlante 2. hamilton v. 7. kelly 3. whedon v. 6. deshields 4. apostle v 5. williams
160 - 1. cucionatta v. 8. aregood 2. gattuso v. 7. hoffman 3. agostino v. 6. conner 4. lloyd v. 5. williamson
171 - 1. mccauley v. 8. flannery 2. hassett v. 7. smith 3. starcevich v. 6. donahue 4. greenwald v. 5. delia
189 - 1. mancuso v. 8. corcoran 2. damiana v. 7. harris 3. grisko v. 6. hodges 4. castellini v. 5. demartin
215 - 1. silvestro v. 8. santiago 2. daniels v. 7. smith 3. capella v. 6. hummell 4. berry v. 5. sperlak
285 - 1. Hester v 8. Flegel 2. Archie v 7. Hinrichson 3. Kuhn v 6.Skunkly 4. Connors v 5. Tomasello

Ryan Hoehn

OK, forget everything I said in the previous post. I had the match-up wrong. It's B2 vs A3 at 140. Told you not to bet the mortgage.

Anyway, Ryan will be facing Chris Vicente of Triton. All I could really find out is that he's a senior and his record is 33-4. I checked the Triton website and he wasn't listed as a past District place winner or anywhere else. The site didn't really have much info on individuals.

Ryan can do this. If he wrestles like he did against Palese in the semi's, Ryan will be seeded for Friday night. I won't be making the trip to Gami tomorrow but I'm with you in spirit! Go get'em Ryan!

12 Advance to Regions

What a Good Looking Group!

Actually this isn't all of them but it's what I got. This was such an excellent weekend from a Paulsboro point of view. I was just oozing with pride.

Ryan Hoehn got the party started with his Consolation Finals win. Actually his Semi-final match against Palese was the heart stopper. I think Ryan had one of his best matches (if not his Best match) on Saturday morning. He gave it his best shot and we were really proud of him. Then he took 3rd and will be advancing to Regions on Tuesday night. The best I can figure is that he will face Nick Masarone from Oakcrest. Don't bet the mortgage but that's what I came up with. If I'm right, Hoehn beat him in the regular season with a pin at 3:36. This is a good thing.

The Finals, which were almost the Paulsboro vs D29 duals, were awesome. Dunnet kicked it off with a pin against Zeisloft from Gateway. Mr. Zeisloft has got to be one of the most "cut" 103lbers I have ever seen. Mr. Dunnet, however, was not impressed. I think Eric logged at least 2 miles from simply pacing the hallway at GCC. He had a bye Friday night but still had to be dressed and on the mat to get his hand raised. The young man was frustrated - he wanted to wrestle. Then he pins his opponent in the semi's in a little over a minute and then Zeisloft in a little more than that. Eric didn't get to wrestle a full period let alone 3 matches. Good job Dunnet.

I've pretty much let everyone on this planet know how it went at 112. Joey Duca is the MAN! And the D29 Most Outstanding Wrestler. R8 is not going to be a piece of cake, but I personally would not want to go up against Joe right now.

I admit I didn't see that beginning of Eddie Wurtenberger's match. It took me a minute to land from Duca's match. But good ole Eddie once again made it interesting and took it the whole 6 minutes, winning by 2, count'em, 2. I swear he does this just to torture his family and the fans. Just kidding, he had some very good competition and he stayed focused. That's what 4X District Champions do. I have an ongoing wager with young Wurtenberger...I have a feeling I'm going to have to pay up this year.

Niko, Niko, Niko! After his match, Niko looked like someone had just kicked his dog and I asked him why? He was sad because it was the last District Title he was going to win. It wasn't the ONLY title for Niko, he was last year's D29 MOW, but it would be his last. He majored for his crown this year once again demonstrating his determination to go further into the tournament this year. I'll be right there watching the magic.

Right before his match, I saw Jimmy Gentile under the bleachers with his head bowed as he was shifting his weight from foot to foot. The Lord heard him. There was no break in the Paulsboro dominance as Jimmy recorded his win with a 5-2 decision. Our celebration continued.

I did play by play for my friend on the phone for this next match and when the bout was over...I had reported the wrong score. Right winner, wrong score. I had the score 7-3. Buddha looked as good as I've ever seen him. He was quick and light on his feet and I knew this was in the bag. Oy vey. It got a little hairy when Buddha got hit for stalling even though Buddha had clearly been the aggressor the whole match and was possibly even moving forward when he got banged. It didn't prove to make a difference in the overall match but the call was definitely not well received by the Paulsboro coaching staff and the fans. When I talked to Buddha after the match, I told him I had reported the wrong score to our friend and he laughed and said, "nah, it was 7-4." Apparently Buddha wasn't paying attention either, the final score was 7-5. More stiff competition at 152 at Regions but my money is on Jeff making his 3rd trip to the show.

I have gotten to know Cucinotta so much better this season and I'm so glad I have. This is a really, really nice guy with a great sense of humor. I've teased him this season about his deformed body parts from wrestling (cauliflower ears, missing 2 front teeth) but I can say for certain that one part is definitely not missing: HEART. Mike embodies the concept of team. You can rest assured that when he's on the mat, you're gonna get your nickel's worth. As all the Paulsboro fans know, Mike would be facing Aregood from Gateway in the Finals. Mr. Aregood had defeated Hamilton during the regular season in a dual. I talked to Mike before his match and he told me, "don't worry. I'll show Buddha how it's done." How do you not like a kid like that. As promised, he got it done - with bonus points.

I don't even want to talk about the next match. I haven't fully recovered. This match is exactly why I periodically ask myself, "why do you put yourself through this. You don't have any kids on the mat anymore. Stay home, bake something." But no, I go to wrestling matches. Zach Greenwald has embraced the meaning of Paulsboro Pride in a big way. Yea, he wants to win, for himself, for his family (and what a great family) but it's also just as important to him to carry on the tradition. Paulsboro wrestlers are revered, respected - the stuff legends are made of. Zach blends. In case you weren't on Earth and didn't know, we all knew Zach would be in the Finals and we knew he would be facing CJ Delia from Clearview. This wouldn't be the first time they met this year, Zach already had a win in the dual meet, which is why he got the #1 seed. Delia is the returning D29 Champ and a senior. Without doing a play by play commentary - Zach was on the attack (the Zach attack) the entire match. Shot after shot, Delia only countering. And that was his downfall because the ref hit him with stalling. And then hit him again. And then with the score 3-2 in Delia's favor with less than 50 seconds left in the match, the ref banged him again. We're going OT. By now I'm on my feet in the hallway of GCC, babbling incoherently to anyone that would listen. The gym had erupted into hysteria. That Paulsboro fans were on their feet - the rest of the gym (not just Clearview fans) were actively booing. That's another story. Anyway, OT starts, tick, tick tick and then with 1.4 seconds left on the clock, Zach is in on the shot and puts Delia on his back. The ref started with a back count and then the buzzer sounded. No back points but who cares - takedown - 2 points and new D29 Champ - Zach Greenwald. I think that's when I started breathing again. I have no idea when my heart started beating. The resounding boos I could hear from the gym were music to my ears. Zach had done it in true Paulsboro style. The whole gym was cheering against him - just like it's always been where Paulsboro is concerned. And I honestly don't have a problem with that. I'll worry when the boos stop.

Gerald Hodges has quietly been absolutely phenomenal this season. match after match he methodically takes the to the mat and dismantles his opponent. He doesn't panic, he doesn't move without thinking, he plots his every move. He has emerged as a true leader, both in wrestling and on the football field. It's funny but I can remember people making comments about how Hodges is a gifted athlete but he'll never amount to anything because he's a hothead, a selfish, immature primadonna. Today's Gerald Hodges is the antithesis of all that. Big Man also quietly went on to win his District Championship with a major decision over Harris of Glassboro. No fanfare, no showboating - just a hand raised in victory and another notch in the Paulsboro belt. I'm proud FOR him.

The next two guys have been a staple in the Paulsboro line-up for the last 4 years. The anchors of murderer's row and money in the bank. Alex Silvestro is head and shoulders above his competition, physically and literally. I tease his family that he's just a fluke and that his younger brother, Mike, is the Real Deal. And yes, Alex is just as nice as everyone says he is. I've seen little kids huddle around him after a match and he always takes the time to talk to them. He understands how important he is to them - if he can do it maybe they can do it. Alex has big family support - they take up an entire section - which explains a lot about Alex's success. Now and in the future. Alex pinned his way to his 4th District 29 Championship. I see another podium spot filled in AC.

Bid D, Meat, Demi, Big Fella - all rolled into one, Demitrius Hester. The gentile giant. I owe him so much food this season but he won't collect until March 5th - after his State Championship. I know Demitrius pinned his way through Districts last year and he did it again this year. I wonder how much time he's actually spent on the mat at Districts? Not much I imagine, he's also a 4X Champ. Chances are good that Demi will meet Mr. Rey in the State Finals again this year. Chances are also good that the outcome will be VERY different this time. I'll let you know - I'll be right there to witness it myself.

So Paulsboro does it again and with (3) four time District Champs. How cool is that? Some schools are looking for their first, Paulsboro produced 3 THIS YEAR! For anybody sitting on the fence - now's a good time to jump on the Paulsboro band wagon. Celebrations at the Sons are the best!

Congratulations to all the fellas that wore the Red this season. Thank you for your efforts, for your time and dedication and for giving us all something to be proud of. My continued respect and admiration goes out to the coaching staff. The non-Paulsboro world tends to take for granted the things that you accomplish day in and day out. 300 straight Colonial Conference victories, 29 straight Sectional titles, 25 straight (29 total) NJ State Group Titles, 10 consecutive (29 total) District 29 titles - and all the individual champs that go with that. It's mind boggling. If we, as fans don't say it enough - Thank you. We appreciate all that you do.

Next up Region 8 at Gami. I hate that gym. The Region will reseed the wrestlers after the first round Tuesday night. I'll post what I know when I know it. Good luck to all the young men advancing. The fans will be there, same bat time, same bat channel, same bat section.

Most Outstanding Wrestler!

Joey Duca is the MAN!!!!

I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to Joe after his semifinal match against Uva from Glassboro. As most of you know, lots of wrestling folks predicted that to be a really tight match, with Uva most likely to win. Ha!

Joe walked passed me in the hallway at GCC and I asked, "did you wrestle?" Joe responded with, "yup." I said, "Uva?" Joe once again said, "yup." "You win?" I asked. Another, "yup. I beat him 8-1 or something like that." So I looked at Joe and said, "well how can that be? That was supposed to be a close match. You were supposed to lose. Folks were talking a lot of trash and besides, you're only a freshman." Joe smiled and said, "Yea, I heard the talk. Doesn't mean anything. But it wasn't close."

So now I took the opportunity to ask Joe about the upcoming Final with returning Champ, #1 seed, Tony Cocciolone from Pitman. I asked him, "You gonna win?" Joe said, "Yea, I'm gonna win." I said, "You know, you beat Cocciolone, you have a real shot at MOW." Joe smiled again, looked down and then looked back up and said, "I'm gonna deck'em."

That was as close to trash talk I have ever heard from Joey Duca. It barely even qualifies as trash talk. Joe was stating facts, he was going to deck'em. He reeked of confidence. It was a matter of fact. Focused, focused, focused. Very sure of himself.

I was on my cell phone in the GCC hallway, relaying the news to a friend that Eric Dunnet had just pinned Zeisloft of Gateway in the Finals and was now a 2X District Champ. I was watching the tv monitor as Duca and Cocciolone took the mat. I was giving a poor play by play of the match to my friend on the phone (I'm terrible at describing what's happening on the mat). But then it happened. Joe Duca decked'em and Cocciolone was on his back. Even I know how to describe that. I believe my exact words were, "Oh my God, he's on his back!!!" Followed by a lot of words I shouldn't repeat. My poor freind on the phone was trying to grasp words he couldn't understand. I was shouting, at no-one in particular, and he just happened to be on the phone. At 0:57 in the match - the GCC gym and hallway erupted. Joe Duca had just pinned Tony Cocciolone and Joe was the District 29 Champ!

The fans in the gym saw it live, those of us holding down the fort in the hallway watched it on the monitor but the electricity was felt by all of us. And then we watched Joey leap into the arms of his Uncle, Dean Duca, assistant coach for Paulsboro and Joe's mentor. My eyes are tearing up again now. It was one of those special Paulsboro sports moments that I will always remember. All the emotion that Joe was keeping just below the surface, exploded. We lost sight of him on the monitor but we knew where he was. He was with his family. I can't even begin to imagine how proud they are of him.

Then all of a sudden, a very sweaty, red-eyed, emotional, Joey Duca burst into the hallway and spent the next 10 minutes hugging everyone in red. (I'm actually crying as I'm typing this). He did it - he decked'em!

We all held our breath at the end of the festivities when we knew the MOW was about to be announced. We all knew who deserved it, who had earned it, but it doesn't always work out that way. It worked out exactly right last night - Joe Duca was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the District 29 Tournament.

I will remember that for as long as I have memory. I was so happy for Joe I almost couldn't stand it. Congratuations Joe - You're The MAN!

Districts

Well, seedings are up, here's how Paulsboro is looking:

103: (1)Dunnet vs forfeit
112: (2)Duca vs (7)Tzitzifas (Gateway)
119: (1)Wurtenberger vs (9)Hirst (Glassboro)/ or (8)Black (Clayton)
125: (1)Lopez vs (8)Bowell (Deptford)
130: (6)Samuels vs (3)McCormick (Clayton)
135: (5)Kline vs (4)McCord (Clayton)
140: (3)Hoehn vs (6)Smith (Deptford)
145: (1)Gentile vs (9)Marino (Gloucester) or (8)Verdi (Pitman)
152: (1)Hamilton vs (8)Scarelli (Gateway)
160: (1)Cucinotta vs forfeit
171: (1)Greenwald vs (9)Reed (Deptford or (8)May (Glassboro)
189: (1)Hodges vs forfeit
215: (1) Silvestro vs (9)Sheets (Clearview) or (8)Weingart (Gloucester Catholic)
HWT: (1)Hester vs forfeit

So boom, right off the bat....4 into the semi-finals without even wrestling. I think Paulsboro did extremely well with the seedings and still have an excellent chance of advancing everyone. Stix and Kline have a rough road because of the lower seedings but they can do this.

The best part is....we start at 103 again! Yipee! I can never keep track of what's what when we start somewhere else. Don't forget, bring your appetite. I've even heard rumors about chili dogs!

Here's the link for the District Seedings (all of them when they're up) in bracket form:

http://www.escapesports.com/NJSIAA/2007NJSIAAResults.php?whatyear=2007

Gloucester County Times D29 Review: http://www.nj.com/gloucester/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/1171437934155920.xml&coll=8

Chazz Witherspoon news: http://www.nj.com/gloucester/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/1171437993155920.xml&coll=8

25th Consecutive NJ State Group 1 Title

That's a mouthful. Congratulations to the entire Paulsboro wrestling team - wrestlers and coaches - past and present - for this amazing accomplishment. For any of you who may not know - this is a National record for any High School sport. No other high school sports team in the country has ever matched this record - ever. How mindboggling is that? Little ole Group 1 Paulsboro - setting National records!

Could we be any prouder of these fellas? I just ooze with pride when I talk about them. I am so thankful I get to be a part of this program, as a fan.

Thanks to FityCent who posted the live results on the forum yesterday. Geez that was nerve wracking - I hate not being there. A couple of the boys were supposed to have nail biters and God Bless'em, they got it done. 103 and 215 against Brearley were supposed to come down to the wire - did anybody let Eric and Alex know? I believe Brearley had chalked up wins at 171 and 152 also - awwwww - the Raiders just ruined their whole day. Then I hear that a couple of the Bears fans were a little less than gracious when it was over. Tsk, tsk, tsk. They should know better than to get our fans riled up. We and our toothless selves don't take kindly to trash talk!

Now we move ahead to the individual tournament - Districts start Friday night. I think the seeding meeting is tonight. Mission - advance all 14 to Regions. That would be so cool. I talked to Paul today and told him that's his job now. He gave me the same answer he always gives - he just laughs at me.

Here for your reading pleasure, are the links to the news stories I could find covering yesterday's festivities. See you all at Districts!

Courier Post: http://courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070212/VARSITY/702120360/1037/varsity

Courier Q & A with Alex: http://courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070212/VARSITY/702120369/1037/varsity

Gloucester County Times: http://www.nj.com/gloucester/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/1171257145186450.xml&coll=8

Star Ledger Groups Recap: http://www.nj.com/hssports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1171271743273410.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

More Fellas

The Seniors - Ryan, Eddie, Mike, Niko and Demitrius (Not pictured Alex, Jeff, Justin and Matt)

171 - Zach Greenwald

140 - Ryan Hoehn

160 - Mike Cucinotta

152 - Jeff Hamilton

The Fellas

119 - Eddie Wurtenberger

103 - Eric Dunnet

HWT - Demitrius Hester

189 - Gerald Hodges

125 - Niko Lopez

South Jersy Group 1 Champs

Wasn't that fun and exciting! Congratualtions to Niko Lopez on his 100th career victory tonight! He handled Mr. Sweezy. So much for Larson majoring Silvestro. Buddha impressed me with his win over Commisso - held him scoreless. Eddie got the party kick started with the pin! Hats off to Stix for not bagging it on the slam - very classy. Kline, Hoehn, Gentile and Duca all had tough bouts tonight and all wrestled really well. Big Man had a 2 second take-down - I didn't even know that was possible. Zach had his hands full but got the job done. Could Big D have lifted that child any higher? Geez he's strong. And are we sure Mr. Dunnet missed mat time this year? Good job Dunnet.

Next up, Group semi's and finals in Toms River. I don't even know who we have yet. Some reporter huh. I won't be making the trip (lip poked out) but my heart will be with the fellas. Hopefully my friend will call me with updates so I don't chew my arm off.

Finally, I managed to snap some pics tonight. Not when they were actually posing for pictures (I'm not the brightest light in the harbor). I'm missing a few but I got most of the Raiders in their natural habitat. I'll post them separately.

Bring on Delran

I'm sorry but it just doesn't get anymore impressive that it did tonight. Paulsboro put up 70 points tonight against Haddonfield's -0-. None. Not one point in the match and it's the South Jersey Group 1 Sectional Semi-final match. Haddonfield clobbered Clayton 49-24 in the quarterfinal match. Then Paulsboro turns around and shuts them out. 14 more points and it would have been a perfect match. How crazy is that.

Paulsboro looks to be peaking at just the right time. The fellas are healthy, and they are asserting their dominance out on the mat. I said this to a friend in an email earlier and I stand by it now.....I'm not going to be truly surprised when Paulsboro advances all 14 weight classes to the Regional Tournament. Admittedly some will have to take the hard road by placing 2nd or 3rd at Districts but they can make it as a team. That will definitely be something to see.

Last year we advanced 8 wrestlers to the tournament in AC - impressive. I say there will be more in 2007. Boy am I going to have to do a lot of baking post season. It will be a labor of love.

But I've gotten way ahead of myself here. First we need to deal with Delran on Thursday. They seem to be a very enthusiastic bunch, maybe even a little dillussional. I honestly can't see them scoring more that 12 points total. And even those points will be hard to come by. Our fellas are getting pretty stingy about giving up points.

My game plan is to be at this match. Tonight was just a little too nippy. I will be glad when the artic air goes back to the land of the jolly old elf and leaves us alone. Think thaw!

Congratulations to each of the 14 Raiders that were in the line-up that refused to give up any points. Each of you fulfilled your responsibility to yourselves and to your team. Doesn't get any better than that. We're so proud of you!

Memory Lane

The nice thing about having your own Blog is that you can write about whatever you want.

Someone on the South Jersey forum posted today about some of the all time thrilling matches that have taken place. He listed some definite classics and others added their memories. One of mine is just a little more personal and I wanted to share it. I haven't been the same since.

I'm going back about ten years now to a dual meet at Paulsboro against Delsea. Bear in mind that at the time, I was blissfully ignorant about wrestling. I couldn't tell you the difference between a take down and a feather duster. But you see, my friend had a son who was wrestling. Unfortunately my friend had a VERY difficult time watching her baby wrestle. So being the good friend that I am, I decided that I would do play by play for her even though I had no idea what I was talking about. Aren't I a good friend.

These were the days when the weight classes went in order so we were off and running right from the beginning, 103. Hunckler vs Alexander (Joe Alexander, maybe you heard of him?). I have absolutely no recollection of the first two periods other than I was in severe pain from the squeeze my friend had clamped on me. I have bruises to this day. As best I can remember it was 2-1 Alexander in the lead going into the 3rd period. I'm pretty sure they started neutral.

Then the fun started. Hunckler scored the take down. (I have the scars to prove it). But it was still early in the third. My friend, who hasn't seen one second of this match, looked me dead in my eyes and as she hyperventilated said, "he can't hold him". Each word was said as she was taking short gasping breaths in. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. All I knew was that the score was now 3-2, Hunckler. That was a good thing.

The next 2 minutes or so lasted about 3 hours. Did I mention the blood yet? Not on the mat....mine. My dear friend was now cutting off my circulation and I don't think she was breathing. She was crying, but not breathing. No stress.

Finally, with probably less than 20 seconds on the clock (thank God) I looked at her and said, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about but he's holding him.....watch...he's holding him." And during the brief seconds that ticked away, my friend watched her son "hold him" and win that match against the guy who would go on to win the State title that year. Whatever Alexander's record was....that year it was whatever and 1.

My friend and I went on to endure her son's entire career - most of which she never saw (except on tape) - and I am just now starting to physically recover. Lots of thrills and exciting matches followed (I even survived him winning Region 8) but none quite as special as that first match against Alexander. Years later I travelled with my friend to UVA (Alexander's school) to watch a meet against George Mason(Matt's alma mater) because there was a possibility that the two might meet again. 5 hours one way. But it didn't happen - Joe was injured at the time. I'm still trying to figure out why in the world I was going to subject myself to such excruciating pain again. Friendship. Ha!

So that's my "most thrilling match" story. I hope you enjoyed it - I know I did. Here's to the kids that give us those memories everyday. Thanks Matt - I wouldn't trade all my friend inflicted injuries for anything.

Group Finals

Well, after a phone call to the Ritacco Center, Steve has learned that there will not be any advanced tickets sales for Sunday and that the prices are lower than what is listed on the NJSIAA site.

Prices will be $16 all day for adults and $12 all day for students and seniors. That's the end of the good news. The entire wrestling world will now have to get to the Ritacco Center at the crack of dawn just to make sure they get a seat. Even the Paulsboro fans even though Paulsboro doesn't wrestle until 12:30pm. Lovely huh. You know you're going to have to park in Toms River North.

I've already decided they've made this too difficult for me to go so I wish the rest of you much good luck. You lucky ducks get to fight the crowd from the first session because none of them are going to move. It's going to be 4 degrees so nobody is leaving the building. You get to try to get a seat at least halfway up the bleachers because if you sit below that, you can't see because of the people standing in your way or the folks walking in front of you. Have fun when they herd everyone into the side gym before the Finals and then when they open the doors, the people that did actually leave for lunch get ahead of you in the hallway and it's a giant bottle neck jam.

No serious thought has gone into this. So forget what I said about getting your name on the list and paying for your tickets by Thursday. You're on your own.

Super Bowl Breakfast

Ahhhhhhhh....that was delicious. Pancakes, sausage, orange juice....now I need a nap. The fellas did a great job serving this morning and the PWA as always did a phenominal job sponsoring the event. My grandson even ate all his breakfast which I really don't think had very much to do with hunger but it was because Buddha served him. You all of course know that the sun rises and sets on Buddha. Buddha is the greatest thing since sliced cheese.

Oh and for the record, I'm taking the Colts and Manning today.

So we have a couple of days until the fun starts again. It really doesn't matter who we wrestle Tuesday night but I'm leaning towards the Clippers. No disrespect to the Dawgs but been there, done that. Let's face someone new. And it seems Delran fans are talking some good old fashioned smack. They need to get passed Schalick first but hey....let's do it. I'm always amused when a team comes into the Raider gym full of energy and expectatation. They wrestle really well in the quarter final match.....maybe even blowing out the other team.....and then they wrestle the Red. Pin, pin, pin, pin and their poor fans, once so enthusiastic, are faced with the reality that this is the Paulsboro they've heard about. There's a big difference between being really good and being a team that legends are made of.

Group States is in Toms River again at the Ritacco Center. I hate that place. It's just not big enough to handle everything. This year we're the second session (12:30) which means we have to wait while the first session fans file out (and not all of them do) and then try to find a decent seat somewhere near where Paulsboro will be wrestling. It's a nightmare. If they want to keep Groups all in one place, they should go back to having it at Trenton. At least they're comfortable, individual seats and there's plenty of them.

Anyway, ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell Paul but Steve Hunckler is going to go to the Ritacco Center on Friday to buy avanced tickets. Ticket prices are as follows: adults $10 1st session and $8 2nd session ($18 for all day); Seniors and Students are $8 1st session and $6 2nd session ($14 all day). If you want Steve to purchase your ticket(s), make sure your name gets on the list and your money is paid by Thursday. Tickets will be available for pick up at the High School on Friday night (time to be determined) and possibly on Saturday also. Tickets will not be delivered at the Ritacco Center on Sunday.

Lastly, here is some coverage of the Paulsboro vs Phillipsburg match yesterday. Merry Super Bowl folks!

Star Ledger: http://www.nj.com/hssports/wrestling/ledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1170596715163930.xml&coll=1

Gloucester County Times: http://www.nj.com/gloucester/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/1170577530136100.xml&coll=8

End of the Regular Season

Phewwwwwww......that's over. What a day. It started out better than anyone could have scripted. Big Man with a pin, boom, up by 6. Silvestro with a pin, boom, up by 12. Demitrius with a pin, bang, up by 18. Dunnet with a pin, slam dunk, up by 24. Duca wrestles tough, gets the decision in OT and Wurtenberger handles his business....don't blink - Paulsboro is up by 30 to 0.

And then Niko had to wrestle Luke Grassi. Oy vey. To Niko's credit, he battled all six minutes but Grassi is no slouch. So now, Pburg has 3 points on the board. Next up for his first bout of the season, Josh Kline. Nice to see Josh back out and I'm sure we'll see him get progressively better but he's no where near Match shape yet and he got stuck in the 2nd period. Fine, Pburg now has 9 points.

Justin Sullivan returned to the mat also today and he was next. I was really proud of Justin. No he didn't win but Justin wrestled all 6 minutes. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult that is, especially in a big match like today. So now they have 12 points. It's Hoehn's turn next and it became apparent in this match that somehow the ref was starting to lose it. The man (I'm assuming man, he looked about 12 years old to me) hadn't called stalling all day and trust me, Pburg had been stalling. I'm all for banging kids that aren't wrestling but you can't change your criteria in the middle of a match. Anyway, he hit Ryan with a few calls when Ryan wasn't doing anything the Liners hadn't been doing all day. Whatever - now they have 15. Remember, we still have the 30 we had a life time ago.

The next victim, Matt Funston. Apparently Gentile is still sick (didn't make the trip) so Matt got some more experience. He was doing a good job but once again, the ref decided to get in on the action. he actually hit Matt with a stall call while Matt was on his feet moving forward. It was ridiculous. Not that Matt was winning the match but still, let's not punish the kid for something he didn't do. And so the Pburg score climbs to 19.

We're down to 3 matches now. Do the math. If Buddha wins, just wins, the match is mathematically over. Seems simple enough. Ha! Buddha got screwed. I mean screwed, big time. I know Buddha has had his moments this season but right from the opening whistle, we knew Jeff was here to wrestle. He shot, he was quick and scored right off the bat. Then the ref got involved. Buddha got poked in the eye but hang on, no point is awarded. Without doing second by second recall, let's just say that it got ugly. Buddha got hit with cautions, he got hit with stalling, he had back points counted when he wasn't on his back. The final straw was with less than 10 seconds left in the match (4 seconds actually), with the match tied at 4 apiece, the ref awarded back points to the Pburg wrestler when no count should have even been given. It was CRAZY! The fans (myself included) went wild. Buddha didn't lose that match but not according to the scoreboard. So now - Pburg is within striking distance with 22. Flashback - Raiders still have that 30. 125lbs - 152lbs seemed like an eternity.

God Bless Mike Cucinotta! Mike stayed cool, collected and focused. All we need is a win and it's over. Mike worked the hell out of his kid and then with 30 seconds left to go in the match - Cuch pinned him! Amen. Paulsboro was on their feet - Pburg "fans" were on their way out the door.

Now, for what should have been the icing on the cake - Greenwald is up. It looked like he and the Pburg wrestler were pretty evenly matched and they traded a couple of take downs. And then the ref reared his ugly head again. Pburg was up 6-4 and all of a sudden we see the ref counting back points. Zach had come down on the mat on his back but that's it, he only landed on his back. He wasn't on his back for any count. And then Zach got the reversal but..... too late. The ref had already awarded the 2 back points (8-4) so when Zach got the 2 for the reversal, it still wasn't enough (8-6). Unbelievable.

So - a day with some very mixed emotions. I feel for the guys that got hosed, I was thrilled to see the new additions to the team and I was really proud of all the fellas that gave it their all. The 2 guys that continue to really impress me are Hodges and Cucinotta. Big Man is showing real poise, maturity and purposefulness on the mat. I'm not going to be surprised when he places at States this year. And Cucinotta...talk about team player. he has worked so hard, done more than his fair share of getting it done and I can't wait to see him at the big show in March.

Tuesday we have the Sectionals at home. First up, Clayton and Haddonfield at 5:30pm and then Paulsboro wrestles the winner at 7:30ish. Bundle up - the windchills will be in the single digits. Oh Joy!

Don't forget - tomorrow - Super Bowl Sunday...Pancake Breakfast in the PHS cafeteria, 8:00am to noon. Come out and support the program. See you there!

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaack!

Boy I've missed you guys. Head colds suck! But, I'm feeling froggy now and my ticket for Pburg has been purchased! Wooooohooooo - live wrestling. I almost forgot what a gym smells like.

My friends have been keeping me posted on the Mighty mighty Raiders and thanks to Comcast I've been watching some matches. The fellas are on a roll. Wouldn't it be nice to have a match tonight.....wink, wink, wink. I'm not even going there. Unlike the Courier Post, who for some reason, have written 4 (count'em four) articles today about a match that isn't reality. But they couldn't cover the Showcase match at Clearview last Sunday. Is it me?

I did get to watch the Showcase match and I was really impressed with our guys! Way to represent the Red! Niko kicked it off with the win over Bushby - nice Niko! Hoehn had a tough loss to Wilcox. Buddha got the win. Cuch got the win - in OT - with a ride out. I honestly think Mike would have lost last year because he would have taken an illadvised shot trying to make something happen. But this match he wrestled very smartly and I for one continue to be impressed. Zach also had a tough one with McCauley. If you did get to see the match on Comcast, you can't tell me McCauley wasn't smirking at the crowd right after he called for the injury (out of breath, out of shape, poorly conditioned) time out. Classless. I'm not saying Zach would have won the match without the strategic time out but we'll never know huh. Alex and Demi closed things out nicely.

And Dunnet is back. Amen Lord. I heard his first match back was a forfeit which did not sit well with the young man. I know he has to be so anxious to get to the business of wrestling again this year. I tease him about AC, asking him if he bought his ticket yet so he can sit with me, but seriously - he's got a legit shot at standing atop the podium at States. Wouldn't that be something. Fudge for everybody!

Mr.'s Kline and Sullivan should be making the trip to the Pit on Saturday also. Welcome back gentlemen. Eddie Wurtenberger got his 100th win recently. Congratulations on a job well done Ed! I find it amusing that most schools don't have 3 wrestlers in their history with 100 wins and Eddie is Paulsboro's 3rd so far this season. Kinda keeps things in perspective.

So, Phillipsburg, Saturday. I refuse to worry about this. I have done more than my share of worrying about the damned Liners. I will never forget that first year. Ever. Ever. I can't remember my own name most days but I won't forget that. I was so happy for the kids, the coaches, the fans, the town - Pburg had no idea what had just hit them. Preston Hamilton hopped over the rope onto the mat, pinned his Liner and that was the beginning of the end. Hell, even a Paulsboro person won the 50/50 that day.

Just incase I forget - Merry Groundhog Day tomorrow! Try not to overdo the celebration! See y'all Saturday - in the Pit.

Links to today's Courier coverage of the phantom match:

http://courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/VARSITY/702010478/1037/varsity

http://courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/VARSITY/702010513/1037/varsity

http://courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/VARSITY/702010512/1037/varsity

http://courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/VARSITY/702010477/1037/varsity

Gloucester County Article about Real news:

http://www.nj.com/gloucester/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/117031766623920.xml&coll=8&thispage=1