Absegami High School Wrestling Team Advances in the Playoffs

Anthony Tamburelli only had his arm raised in victory once before Monday night.

However, the Absegami High School 140-pounder wrestler made his second win count, as he clinched the Braves' 38-20 victory over Lenape in the quarterfinals of the Group IV South Jersey playoffs.

The Braves, the No. 3 seed, won nine of the 14 weight classes over Lenape, the No. 4 seed, to advance to the sectional semifinals. Absegami will travel to face Cherokee, the No. 2 seed, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Tamburelli won a 6-5 decision over Craig Middleton to seal the win for the Braves. 

"I haven't had one in a while,” Tamburelli said. "It feels good to go out there and actually win."

It was Tamburelli's second match since returning from a shoulder injury that still bothers him.

"Every time I would get my arm cranked it felt like my muscle was being ripped off," he said.

"It's great for Tamburelli." said Absegami coach Shawn Scannell, who picked up his first playoff win as a head coach. "He is a kid with not a ton of experience, but he works his butt off and never complains. I'm so happy for him."

Lenape held a 22-17 edge halfway though the match, but Absegami reeled off three straight wins to take a 29-17 lead.

Mike Jiampetti recorded a pin at 119, Gavin Guglielmi rallied for a 9-7 decision, and John Willette won a 13-3 major decision at 130.

The night started off with both teams taking turns recording wins in the first four bouts.  

Absegami's Chris Hahn led the match off with a 9-6 decision at 152, and Alex Gong outlasted Connor Wasson at 171 in what was the matchup of the night. Both wrestlers came in with 20-plus wins, and Wasson has had past success against Gong. 

"I wrestled that kid during the summer at random tournaments and lost to him every time," Gong said. "It was a good match for me." 

Neither wrestler scored in the opening period, and both registered escapes as the third period ended at 1-1. Gong looked to have a takedown in the one-minute extra period, but the referees said otherwise.

Wasson was then hit with two cautions to give Gong a 3-1 lead. After an escape by Wasson, Gong caught his opponent not paying attention. Wasson scampered out of the circle, thinking the whistle was going to blow, but instead Gong dove at his ankle for the takedown and a 5-2 lead.

The Absegami grappler went on to win 7-3.

Absegami's Kevin Stadmueller and Steve Schwartz came up with big wins at 215 and heavyweight, respectively. Stadtmueller won a 12-3 major decision, and Schwartz recorded a pin in two minutes, 27 seconds over a much bigger opponent.

"I think everybody realized what was on the line," Schwartz said. "We had to come and wrestle."

Absegami's Nate Ross won by forfeit at 145 pounds.