West's Marini, 4 Camden Catholic Wrestlers Win District 27 Titles

Mike Marini swears he wasn’t angered when the seeds for the NJSIAA District 27 wrestling tournament were released, revealing him as a No. 3 seed. The fact that he had beaten one of the wrestlers seeded ahead of him could have been enough to frustrate the Cherry Hill West senior, but he chose to shake it off.

“I was a little surprised, but in no way was I insulted,” Marini said. “I beat a couple of the kids that were above me and the ones I didn’t beat, it was a close match. The two and three seeds are the same thing and get to the same place, so I was fine at being three.”

By the end of the week, Marini was No. 1.

Marini scored a convincing 11-4 victory over Seneca’s Ricky Robbins in the finals of the 160-pound weight class to claim the district title.

“It’s awesome,” Marini said. “I just worked hard all week and went to the top.”

Marini was the lone wrestler from Cherry Hill West or East to win a title, but both schools placed multiple wrestlers in the top three. Any wrestler who finished in the top three earned the right to continue their season next week at regions. Cherry Hill West saw Nick Mohrfeld (2^nd, 106) and David Capone (2^nd, 195) advance, while East saw Patrick Swenson (2^nd, 145), Daishi Goto (2^nd, 182), Jerry Peralta (3^rd, 195) and Quinn Sanchez (3^rd, 285) punch their ticket to regions.

As expected, it was a banner day for the Camden Catholic wrestling team, which had four grapplers reach the top of the podium. Tyler McBride (113), T.J. Miller (145), Chad Walsh (152) and Jeff Miller (285) each claimed a District 27 title. It was extra special for T.J. Miller and Walsh, who both finished their careers as four-time district champions.

Even though each of the wrestlers expected to leave with a title, it didn’t make the victory any less meaningful.

“It’s a big deal to win a district title, and I get excited for the tournament,” Miller said. “It’s the end of the year, which means it’s the final stretch.

"The ultimate goal is down in Atlantic City, but you have to wrestle well here and at regions. You have to show up.”

The Irish wrestlers pride themselves in being in peak conditioning during this time of year. At a time when most wrestlers are tired or sore from nearly three months of action, Camden Catholic's wrestlers seem fresh and energetic.  

“In the beginning of the year is when we have most of our conditioning practices, so you get in good shape to start off,” Miller said. “Once you are in that shape, I personally like to stay there. Through most of the season I stay in good shape, and then towards the end is when I turn it up again. You have to get that extra conditioning in, because the rest of the state is working just as hard.”

All the wrestlers who advanced through to regions will be looking to repeat their accomplishments at reagions and earn a top-3 position to qualify for the state championships in Atlantic City in two weeks.

Marini said he's excited for the challenge ahead and is confident he will end his career on a high note.

“Going forward I have three more weeks, so I just have to keep my head down and go,” Marini said.