Schools
Bengals Roundup: Wrestlers Open SCT with Rematch vs. Toms River East
A periodic roundup of Barnegat high school sports
The Barnegat wrestling team will be looking for a little revenge when the Bengals host Toms River East Tuesday night in the preliminary round of the Shore Conference Tournament.
The Bengals, who won the Buc Classic on Jan. 7, have hit a rough patch since that tournament, losing six of their last nine matches, starting with a 34-32 loss to Central on Jan. 11. The loss to Toms River East 10 days ago also was close, as Barnegat tried to rally in the middleweights for the victory.
The winner of the match tonight, which begins at 6:30 p.m., moves on to face third-seeded and host Howell at 4:15 p.m. Thursday in the Round of 16. Ed Santiago has been solid for the Bengals of late at 145, with a loss to Toms River South’s BJ Clagon, who his only significant recent defeat.
Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In boys basketball: Barnegat (8-4, 5-1) downed Pinelands 72-27 on Friday in Shore Conference Class B South action, where the Bengals have a chance to win the division crown. Barnegat’s only division loss is to Lacey, and the Bengals get another shot at the Lions in two weeks. In the meantime, they face Manchester and Brick this week, both of which Barnegat beat easily in the first meetings. Brothers Aaron and Anthony McGugan have been led the Bengals in scoring along the way.
In girls basketball: The Bengals have struggled this season, with victories being difficult to come by. Barnegat lost a heartbreaker on Friday to Pinelands, 52-51, after leading 33-20 at halftime. Sarah Ridgway had 18 points and Danielle Chiarella had 17. The Bengals face Manchester, Long Branch and Brick – which Barnegat beat in the teams’ previous meeting – this week.
Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In swimming: The boys 400 freestyle relay team of Grant Scull, Billy Breunig, Matt Ihnken and Riley Francisco placed eighth in the event, the best showing for the boys at the Ocean County Championships at the Ocean County YMCA. On the girls side, the still-developing program had an 11th-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay as the team’s best showing.
