Shepard(s), Loughney, Campanaro, Ramos Advance to States

By David Yaskulka

Young New Jersey wrestlers dream of Boardwalk Hall. West Morris Central’s Michael Campanaro, Malachi Shepard, Eli Shepard, Colin Loughney, and Kevin Ramos have earned entry to compete with the best of the best this weekend.

Eli and Loughney won silver, Campanaro bronze, Malachi and Ramos took fourth as WMC placed 2nd out of 31 public schools competing at last week’s NJSIAA Region 3 Championship at West Orange.

Robert Bohr, already a two-time state qualifier, concluded his all-time great career with a heart-breaking loss to fall just short.

Campanaro may be the first freshman in school history to advance to states. Malachi is only the fourth sophomore in recent memory to qualify (Bohr, Justin LeMay and Shane Metzler).

Eli punched his return ticket to Atlantic City defeating 35-win senior David Guerra in the semis. His only loss was to one of the Delbarton wrecking crew members in the finals, Andrew Troczynski, ranked No. 8. His plans are simple: “I intend on placing down in AC.”

“It feels great to earn a spot down in Atlantic City,” said Loughney. “I've been working hard all off season up until now to get on the podium. It’s my goal since freshman year.”

He advanced by topping Mendham’s Andrew Bryan, then fell 8-4 to Delby’s No. 3 ranked Kieran Calvetti in the finals.

“Colin and Eli have been excellent leaders all year,” said Coach Ken Rossi. “The other guys can look to draw on their experience.” They are now two-time state qualifiers.

Ramos advanced with flair, winning 4-2, losing 4-3 in overtime, winning 3-2 in overtime, then losing 2-1. In the blood round (where wrestlers qualify or go home), Ramos advanced to AC with the 3-2 Ultimate Tie Breaker victory over fourth-seeded Ricky Perez.

“It felt surreal,” said Ramos. “My goal was to make it past Wednesday night of Regions, which I hadn't done the last two years. So to qualify for states was definitely an amazing experience.

“I plan to just wrestle my hardest in AC and appreciate every moment. It's a once in a lifetime experience and I’m going to enjoy it all!”

“Ramos started wrestling as a sophomore and has progressed at a tremendous rate,” reflected Rossi. He is in great shape and can push the pace of a match. He used his conditioning to outlast his opponent in overtime to qualify.”

Bohr Finishes All-Time Great H.S. Career

Bohr, a team captain, two-time District champion and two-time state qualifier, wrestled his last match for WMC. The 132 lb. weight class was stacked with six top-35 NJ wrestlers (RankWrestlers.com), including two in the top-10, Joey Olivieri (No. 1) and Simon Ruiz (No. 7). Bohr lost to Ruiz in the semifinals, and then to D11 champ Giovanni Rivera 6-4 in the blood round. As seeding luck would have it, Bohr didn’t get to face bronze medalist Cahil Love Jr., whom Bohr pinned earlier in the season.

“Robby has been my teammate since we were kids,” said fellow senior captain Loughney. “He's been nothing but a leader, hard worker, and a third brother to me. He will always be family to me. He was a great captain this year, and an even better person these last four years. I couldn't be prouder of him.”

Bohr will go down as one of the great wrestlers in school history. Unofficially, Bohr’s 55 career falls rank 2nd all-time to Dylan Luciano’s 58, and his 95 career wins rank 12th, just behind 11 Wolfpack 100-win wrestlers, and ahead of Loughney (94), Shepard (94), and Cory Fleming (91).

Rossi says “We are unbelievably proud of how Robby has grown as a wrestler and an individual.”

Underclassmen Campanaro and Shepard Shine, Ferrante and Frayne Fantastic

“It felt great to make it to states but to be the first freshman for WMC made it even better,” Campanaro said. “The plan is to place down in AC. But I'll take it one match at a time.”

With 36 wins and counting, Campanaro shattered WMC’s all-time freshman record. His Regions loss was to eventual champ Tyler Vazquez, ranked No. 3.

“Campanaro is dominating matches on his feet and scoring from the top position,” revealed Rossi. “He has the experience and ability to move deep into the state tournament.”

Malachi’s 126 lb. weight class featured unusual parity, with seeds 2-11 all ranked top-70. Malachi topped two top-50 grapplers to advance.

“The feeling is great,” said Malachi, “but I am more excited that I made it with my brother, Campanaro, Colin and Kevin. I just want to win a match down in AC and use it to fuel the drive for next season.”

“Malachi had a tremendous performance,” said Rossi, “beating a state qualifier in a close match by securing a cradle late in the third period. Malachi capitalized on the experience he gained from wrestling so many top-notch opponents in our high-powered schedule.”

Sophomore Michael Ferrante and freshman Henry Frayne conclude outstanding seasons. As returning Regional Qualifiers, they’ll join Campanaro and Shepard as the “core four” season. Expect big things in their collective 10 remaining Wolfpack seasons.

Borgia and Montenegro End Outstanding Careers, Battaglino Ends Impressive Debut

Matt Borgia advanced to day two with a 10-8 victory, then fell to eventual champ and No. 6 ranked Dylan Weaver. Borgia’s loss to the 33-win four-seed Peter Haverick, another one of the seven top-35 wrestlers at 152, ended his WMC career.

Borgia is an X-Calibur and Goles place winner, district finalist, two-time regional qualifier with key dual meet wins over Hanover Park, Roxbury, Kittatinny, West Essex and more.

Montenegro won his first match before falling. He’s an X-Calibur, District and Morris County place winner. They conclude outstanding careers for the Wolfpack.

Mike Battaglino ended an impressive first-ever, and final wrestling season as a District finalist.

Warren Hills Wins Public Crown, Delbarton Dominates with All Star Recruits

Warren Hills won the public school crown, just edging WMC. Non-public No. 1 ranked Delbarton dominated Region 3 in historic fashion, sending all 13 of their competitors to the finals (and Atlantic City), while crowning nine champions. Delbarton’s wrestlers, recruited from around the state and country, were 5-0 against WMC, knocking out Campanaro, Bohr, Eli, Loughney and Montenegro.

Alumni Notes

Rob Rosen sports a winning record as a sophomore HWT, at 11-10 for Washington and Lee.

Kade Steck-Loughney is 22-10 in his sophomore year at NYU.

John DeVito is 26-11 as a Wilkes freshman.

Redshirt junior Dylan Luciano is 14-7 for Centenary.

Shane Metzler is 9-6 as a redshirt junior for Rutgers.

Justin LeMay is injured in his first (redshirt) year at Maryland.

Marco Gaita is 27-4 as a Wesleyan sophomore, and just punched his ticket to NCAA’s!

Next Up

NJSIAA State Championships in Atlantic City 3/5-7 in storied Boardwalk Hall.

Credits

Photos by Laura Ferrante.

Contributing writer David Yaskulka was inspired by his wrestling sons to live out his high school dream of being a sportswriter. He’s also the CEO of Nature’s Logic 100% natural pet food, based in Lincoln, Nebraska.