Absegami to Face Cherokee in Wrestling Semifinals

It's not a habit most coaches like, but sometimes teams can turn in their best performances like turning on a switch.

That seemed to be the case on Monday night, as the Absegami High School wrestling team displayed the effort, mental toughness and intelligence Braves’ coach Shawn Scannell has been looking for the past few weeks.

The Braves, the No. 3 seed, defeated Lenape, the No. 4 seed, 34-20, in the Group IV South playoffs.

"We have been losing, and there is only so much you can take of that," Absegami 171-pound wrestler Alex Gong said. "We had to come out and make sure we don't have that feeling anymore."

Gong and the Braves will need the same mindset tonight at No. 2 Cherokee in the sectional semifinals.

The winner will move on to Friday's championship round.

"I give the same speech over and over, and it's up to them if they want it," Scannell said.

Both teams beat Lenape this season. The Chiefs did it twice: once a close 35-27 win, and the second—and most recent win—was a 52-16 rout.

As usual, the outcome will hinge on matchups, which team piles up bonus points, and which team minimizes the damage in losses.

The Chiefs seem to have more room to shift wrestlers up and down the lineup than the Braves. They are deeper in several weight classes.

Below are possible matchups for Wednesday night.

103: Cherokee's Jimmy Goldschmidt (7-6) or Billy Lobosco (7-6). The Chiefs will most likely gain six points from a forfeit.

112: Cherokee's Alex Baider (13-6) or Billy Lobosco (7-6) vs. Absegami's Brandon Goldberg (15-11). It's a weight class the Braves would love to see in their favor.

119: Cherokee's DJ Mele (21-5) vs. Absegami's Mike Jiampetti (23-6). It would be interesting to see these two match up, but Mele could easily wrestle at 112.

125: Cherokee's Mark Weaver (12-7) vs. Absegami's Gavin Guglielmi (15-12). Guglielmi is coming off a come-from-behind victory that was important to the Braves' win on Monday. 

130: Cherokee's Nick Nastasi (11-4) vs. Absegami's John Willette (14-14). Willette had a solid win on Monday night.

135: Cherokee's Timothy Albertson (10-16) vs. Absegami's Frank Malloy (0-5) Malloy is looking for his first win, which almost came against Lenape.

140: Cherokee's Steve Nastasi (16-11) vs. Absegami's Nate Ross (24-6) or Anthony Tamburelli (2-22). Ross didn't get a chance to wrestle against Lenape, and could be bumped up to 145. Tamburelli won just his second match against Lenape, but it clinched the win.

145: Cherokee's Sam Savoia (13-4) vs. Absegami's Nate Ross (24-6) or Anthony Tamburelli (2-22). See above.

152: Cherokee's Michael Cascio (16-6) vs. Absegami's Chris Hahn (22-7). Hahn was called upon to set the tone against Lenape and did his job.

160: Cherokee's Benjamin Fanjoy (29-0) vs. Deonde DeGennaro (9-19). DeGennaro would do well to limit bonus points against the Chiefs' top wrestler.

171: Cherokee's Paul Sims (20-4) vs. Absegami's Alex Gong (24-5). For the second straight match, Gong may be involved in the bout of the night. He rose to the occasion on Monday.

189: Cherokee's Jeremy Reese (22-6) vs. Absegami's John Carr (5-20). Carr has another tough bout, and knows he needs to limit bonus points.

215: Cherokee's Michael Zeuli (17-0) vs. Absegami's Kevin Stadtmueller (25-2). Stadtmueller has had trouble finding opponents to wrestle. That shouldn't be a problem on Wednesday night.

285: Cherokee's Tim Swanson (13-1) vs. Absegami's Jim Schwartz (24-4). The Braves usually have an advantage at the heavier weight classes. A win by Schwartz will help the Braves' chances.