By Dillon Stambaugh
For local wrestlers at non-public schools such as Red Bank Catholic and Christian Brothers Academy, the path to becoming an NJSIAA State Champion may become a harder road to follow.
The NJSIAA Executive Committee approved a proposal in May that would relocate all non-public schools from Regions 1-8 and create an entirely non-public Region 9.
Four non-public districts would be created – two in North Jersey and two in South Jersey – for the wrestlers to compete in prior to the regional tournament.
According to the proposal, Region 9 would take the top four place winners from the 14 weight classes, whereas Regions 1-8 only take the top three finishers. The proposal, if passed by the NJSIAA’s full membership in December, would be implemented for the 2016-2017 season.
“It’s almost a death sentence for all other non-publics,” explained RBC Head Wrestling Coach Joe Gallagher. “Why should the smaller schools be grouped into this when it’s really only meant for the couple of powerhouses up north?”
The “powerhouses” Gallagher is referring to are North Jersey non-public schools like Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco, St. Joseph’s Montvale, St. Peter’s Prep, and Delbarton, among others, who have dominated the individual state tournament as of late. RBC and CBA, along with the other Shore Conference non-publics St. John Vianney, St. Rose, and Donovan Catholic would compete in a new region that boasts five of the top 10 teams in the state last season, according to NJ.com’s top 20.
With high octave clamor rising from a proposal to realign non-public football conferences, the recent wrestling proposal with very similar characteristics has been slightly overshadowed. This can partly be attributed to the little resistance the proposal has faced, allowing it to pass swiftly through both the NJSIAA Advisory and Executive Committees.
The proposal, spearheaded by Demarest principal James Santana, is intended to level the playing field for public school athletes. The Region 9 brainchild would only allow for 56 non-public wrestlers to complete in the individual state tournament, whereas 336 public school athletes would participate.
The state tournament brackets would increase from 24 wrestlers to 28 per weight class, effectively increasing the size of the tournament, but decreasing the participation of non-public wrestlers who have overwhelmed the podium in recent years. In the 2014-2015 season, 74 non-public wrestlers earned a spot in the state tournament. With the Region 9 proposal only allowing 56 wrestlers to punch their ticket to Atlantic City, not only will 18 fewer non-public wrestlers compete at Boardwalk Hall, but a deterrent may also be created where wrestlers will choose to wrestle locally for their public schools.
Red Bank Regional High School’s Scott Ferris, head wrestling coach and Region 6 president, explained that there is a more appropriate way of balancing the talent level.
“I’ve been trying to pass a proposal to realign the 32 districts,” said Ferris. “Some regions only have 35 or so teams, whereas (Region 6) has 44. And people wonder why our region does so well. We have about 10 more kids fighting for a spot than other regions.”
A realignment of this nature could spread the dominant non-public schools across different districts and regions, immediately balancing talent across the board. Non-publics could still wrestle in inclusive regions, and the public school wrestlers who have battled unsuccessfully in the regions like Region 2, which contains both Bergen Catholic and Don Bosco, would be afforded a better opportunity to make it to Atlantic City.
Non-public Coach Gallagher similarly agreed.
“All the powerhouse schools are in the same one or two regions. If you re-aligned them and spread them out, there wouldn’t be an outcry and smaller non-publics wouldn’t have to be affected.”
RBC recently had its first state medal winner in 35 years during the 2013-2014 season when Shawn McCord placed 7th in the 220 lb. weight class. Gallagher questions whether or not this newly proposed system would allow for someone like McCord to reach the podium. McCord upset Bergen Catholic’s highly touted Christian Jenco to begin his podium run in Atlantic City.
“It’s not easy to beat the same kid twice,” said Gallagher. “With Region 9, Shawn would have to wrestle some of the best kids in the state during districts, regions, and then again in states.”
RBC and CBA wrestlers will have to wait for the decision through their summer training and into December, where they will then learn their fate. For next year’s seniors, the decision will not make a difference they will graduate before the proposal takes form. However, incoming freshman and underclassmen may soon be heading down a road aggressively rockier than the one previously paved.
