By Rich Chrampanis
MIDDLETOWN – After two years as a team competition, the Shore Conference returned to individual tournaments in each weight class, resulting in a number of state championship contenders getting a valuable tune-up for what’s to come on the road to Atlantic City. Middletown South served as the host for the 2023 Shore Conference tournament and the Two River area produced an impressive nine champions over 14 weight classes.
Christian Brothers Academy Steals The Show With Four Champs And A Huge Upset
The Colts have emerged as an elite wrestling program and it wasn’t a surprise to see six Colts reach championship matches. CBA won three titles in a row when Julian George got started at 144 pounds in a major over Long Branch’s Joe Giordano. Tyler Barrett followed, scoring a 3-1 decision against Ocean’s James Farina at 150. Zander Silva made it a trio of Colts champs when he took a 1-0 win against Middletown South’s David Hussey at 157. All three Colts champs were No. 1 seeds and are very much in the title picture for individual state titles.
The stunner came in the final match of the evening: CBA’s Bobby Duffy, a freshman, came into the Shore Conference Tournament as a No. 10 seed. He was the underdog in the 113-pound final against top seed Patrick O’Keefe of Saint John Vianney. O’Keefe reached the state finals a year ago and is currently the top ranked wrestler in his weight class in the state. Duffy came through with an escape with just 23 seconds left in the third period to tie the match at 1-1 and force overtime. Duffy scrambled and scored a 2-point takedown along with three back points for a stunning 6-1 win that sent the CBA supporters into a frenzy.
“I feel great right now. I’m ready to eat some food right now, to be honest,” Duffy said about his huge victory. “He was there on my legs but you have to push through sometimes and keep wrestling. I didn’t think I was going to be the last match but it’s fun, I love it. It’s what you live for.”
There were 14 Shore Conference champions and 11 of those were No. 1 seeds, with two more champs coming from the second slot. That makes the 10th seed’s victory all the more special for a CBA team that topped SJV by 16 points to earn the Shore Conference team title.
SJV Pair Continues To Dominate
It’s safe to say Saint John Vianney has high hopes when Atlantic City rolls around as sophomore Anthony Knox and senior Jasiah Queen continue to make names for themselves up and down the East Coast. Knox has wins at Beast of the East, Escape the Rock and now the Shore Conference at 120 pounds. Queen, who will wrestle in college at Drexel, was a runner-up at Beast of the East but has now matched Knox with wins at Escape the Rock and the Shore. Both wrestlers were dominant throughout the two-day tournament in Middletown.
“We feed off each other a lot,” Queen said. “If he wins, I have to win because I can’t let him one-up me. He’s in the room with me, so I can’t let him one-up me.”
Zaleski Wins On Home Mat
Middletown South’s Jack Zaleski became the Eagles first Shore Conference wrestling champ when he scored a 3-1 win over Howell’s Sebastian Ortega in the 126-pound championship. Zaleski finished fourth in the state last year and is set to wrestle at Rutgers. But first he’s got his sights set on making history in Atlantic City, looking to close out his career with a state title.
“It felt good. It’s my last home match here ever,” Zaleski said. “To go off on a win felt really good. You have to treat it like every other match.”
Klinsky Keeps The Family Tradition Strong
Brady Klinsky knows all about Shore Conference ti- tles. His older brother Ty- ler, now starring at Rider University, won two Shore titles in 2019 and 2020 be- fore winning a 113-pound state championship. Brady added to the family tra- dition with a 3-2 win over Saint John Vianney’s Mat- thew Gould to win the 2023 106-pound Shore Conference title. Klinsky is now 25-1 on the season.
Skove Leads The Way At 215
Rumson-Fair Haven junior Hudson Skove is currently ranked as the top wrestler in New Jersey at 215 pounds and continues to impress every time he’s on the mat. Skove needed overtime to get a 2-1 win over Christian Brothers Academy’s Robert Canterino in the finals.
“Canterino’s a great wrestler,” Skove said. “He’s tough to take down, he’s a great athlete. At the end of the match it’s about the top-bottom game. I’ve tried to make improvements there since the beginning of the season and I feel especially on top is somewhere where I’ve improved and I was able to show that.”
Team Standings
Christian Brothers Academy 196
Saint John Vianney 180
Howell 115
Raritan 101
Brick Memorial 87.5
Jackson Memorial 71.5
Middletown South 67.5
Rumson-Fair Haven 66
Middletown North 61
Point Pleasant Boro 59.5
Individual Finals
120 lbs. Anthony Knox (1), Saint John Vianney, tech falls Xavier Ortega (2), Howell 5:52 (22-7)
126 lbs. Jack Zaleski (1), Middletown South, defeats Sebastian Ortega (2), Howell (3-1)
132 lbs. Anthony Santaniello (1), Brick Memorial, wins by medical forfeit vs. Giovanni Scafidi (2), Howell
138 lbs. Zach Reilley (2), Raritan, wins by medical forfeit vs. Angelo Messina (1), Freehold Boro
144 lbs. Julian George (1), Christian Brothers Academy, major decision vs. Joe Giordano (2), Long Branch (13-5)
150 lbs. Tyler Barrett (1), CBA, defeats James Farina (3), Ocean (3-1)
157 lbs. Zander Silva (1), CBA, defeats David Hussey (3), Middletown South (1-0)
165 lbs. Jasiah Queen (1), SJV, major decision vs. Anthony Lawrence (2), CBA (20-8)
175 lbs. Harvey Ludington (1), Brick Memorial pins Alexander Reyes (3), Holmdel 1:33
190 lbs. DJ Henry (1), Howell defeats Matt Coon (2), Lacey, (6-4)
215 lbs. Hudson Skove (1), Rumson-Fair Haven defeats Robert Canterino (2), CBA, (2-1) OT
285 lbs. Ryan Fischer (2), Jackson Memorial defeats Keisun Sanders (1), Wall (1-0)
106 lbs. Brady Klinsky (1), Middletown North defeats Matthew Gould (2), SJV (3-2)
113 lbs. Bobby Duffy (10), CBA defeats Patrick O’Keefe (1), SJV (6-1) sudden victory
The article originally appeared in the February 2 – 8, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
