By Rich Chrampanis
PHILLIPSBURG – It wasn’t the pageantry of the Atlantic City Convention Center but one of New Jersey’s great wrestling towns near the Pennsylvania border was able to ensure the Garden State’s wrestlers had the chance to compete to be the best on the mat. The 2021 state tournament had just 16 spots per weight class as opposed to the normal 32. An event that is usually spread out over a couple of days had grapplers playing through the entire bracket in one long day of grueling competition last weekend.
Here are some news and notes on the eight state medalists from the Two River area:
PORTELLA PUTS RBC WRESTLING ON THE MAP
Sabino Portella became the Caseys’ first state finalist since 1974, dropping an 8-2 decision to Aaron Ayzerov of Paramus in the finals. Portella reached the state final with a dramatic 5-1 win in double overtime against Bergen Catholic’s Justin Onello. Only a sophomore, Portella showed that he can make it to the top of the mountain and will be a contender to win a state championship over the next two years.
KELLY MAKES RFH HISTORY
Rumson-Fair Haven senior Jack Kelly had dreams of squaring off with High Point’s Brian Soldano in the 182-pound state championship but the No. 2 seed fell just short of the goal. After getting pinned by Shawnee’s Isaac Dean in the semifinals, Kelly showed his resilience, winning two straight matches to finish third in New Jersey at 182. His final high school match was pinning Seton Hall Prep’s Conner Decker in the third place match. Kelly has the best state finish in RFH wrestling history and will now compete in the Big Ten for Penn State University.
TWO-TIME MEDALISTS
Kelly is a two-time state medalist along with teammate Max Brignola who earned fourth place at 152 pounds. Brignola heads to Lehigh this fall. Middletown South’s Jack Zaleski made noise in Phillipsburg with his takedown of Delbarton’s Tyler Vazquez in the quarterfinals at 120 pounds. Zaleski finished in fourth and is a two-time state medal winner as a sophomore. Shore Regional’s Jack Maida is the school’s first two-time state medalist, finishing with 136 career wins. CBA’s Garrett Totten won his first state medal last year at Northern Burlington and in his first season with the Colts grabbed his second medal, placing seventh at 120 pounds.
CBA ON THE RISE
CBA had three medalists for the first time in the pro- gram’s history. While Totten is a senior, Alex Nini is a freshman and Julian George is a sophomore. This duo will headline coach Billy Ashnault’s Colts over the next two years. There are many in the wrestling community who believe this is just the start for CBA as it is poised to be a fixture in state tournaments for years to come.
LOCAL STATE MEDALISTS
Second Place
170: Sabino Portella, Red Bank Catholic (sophomore)
Third Place
182: Jack Kelly, Rumson-Fair Haven (senior)
Fourth Place
120: Jack Zaleski, Middletown South (sophomore) 152: Max Brignola, Rumson-Fair Haven (senior)
Seventh Place
120: Garrett Totten, Christian Brothers Academcy (senior)
132: Jack Maida,
Shore Regional (senior)
Eighth Place
113: Alex Nini, Christian Brothers Academy (freshman)
132: Julian George, Christian Brothers Academy (sophomore)
This article was originally published in the April 29-May 5, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
