Boom! Pack Shocks No. 6 Pope John with Jolt from Shepard

by David Yaskulka.

Photography by Susan Hill, Mollissa LeMay, Margaret Stefanelli and JoAnn Vazquez.

“People don't know what our team is capable of, but they will soon,” reflected junior Eli Shepard as his epic victory charged West Morris Central wrestling to a shocking 45-20 win over Pope John XXIII, the No. 6 ranked team in New Jersey (Wrestling Full Circle) Wednesday 1/16.

After upsetting No. 16 Hanover Park a week earlier, WMC entered the rankings at No. 21 – and No. 19 at Jersey Wrestling.

“The crowd carried the momentum throughout the match,” said senior captain A.J. Hill (170, 12-10, #81), who contributed one of the Pack’s five pins.

Coach Ken Rossi said the Senior Night match had an “electric atmosphere, due to our parent, community, and student body support.

“I do not recall ever beating a top ten team,” said Rossi, “or beating two top 20 teams in a row,” he reflected. “But rankings are just that, rankings. We have goals to be public school division champs, Morris County Tournament public champs, and North 2 Group 3 section champs. This is a stepping stone to those goals and we will continue to relentlessly pursue them.

“I'm really proud of the way the boys stepped up tonight,” said the coach.

After Robby Bohr (120, 10-7, #68, RankWrestlers.com) started the match with a pin, Shepard stepped to the mat to face the No. 6 ranked wrestler in the state.

Shepard shocked Kaya Sement 4-2 to jolt the team – and the crowd.

After two losses to Pope John’s hammers including No. 1 ranked Rutgers recruit JoJo Aragona, the Pack’s celebrated seniors won five in a row. Justin LeMay (152, 16-3, #13), John DeVito (160, 16-4, #15), Hill and Jack Lyden (182, 6-5) electrified the crowd with pins, and Luke Stefanelli (182, 12-3, #40) delivered a big win over a top-75 wrestler. DeVito’s impressive fall was against a top-50 grappler.

Juniors Jorge Montenegro (220, 10-9, #79) and Kevin Ramos (HWT, 9-9) extended the winning streak to seven, giving WMC a surreal and insurmountable 42-9 lead. Malachi Shepard (113, 10-10) completed the Pack scoring.

“Eli wrestled a really smart match,” said Rossi. “He made Sement wrestle his match. Because of his excellent conditioning, Eli scored in the second and third periods. Keys to winning a match like that are having a great work rate in practice and believing you can win before you step on the mat.”

“The key was to go out and wrestle him, not his ranking,” said Shepard (132, 13-6, #33). “I treated it like any other match and made sure to stay calm and wrestle like I always do. This match was pretty personal. Kaya and I have trained together at clubs and he has helped me make improvements.

“This match shows the culture that we have created at WMC. Beating two top-20 teams in a row shows that we are able to hang with the powerhouse programs of NJ.”

Before the match, an emotional ceremony honored the team’s seniors, including Brian Cherifi (195, 6-7, #92), Dan Kern (126, 4-10), Adrian Hefner, Zachary Miller, Jayden Melicharek, Tyler Torner, LeMay, DeVito, Hill, Lyden and Stefanelli.

“The scene in the locker room after the match was a memorable moment in my career,” said Shepard. “We've been through ups and downs together as a team and to go back to the locker room and celebrate after an amazing win like that is something I will never forget.”

WMC Tops Kittatinny 38-30 Behind Stefanelli and Bohr

Saturday 1/19 the Wolfpack won its fourth straight, 38-30 over Kittatinny before a snowstorm cut short the scheduled quad.

Stefanelli and Bohr took down top-60 wrestlers. Bohr surprised the very solid Mike Nelson with a 51 second pin. Stefanelli’s win secured the victory.

Colin Loughney (145, 12-7, #34) also pinned a top-75 wrestler. LeMay and Hill followed with pins of their own.

Since falling by one point to No. 6 Wyatt McCarthy at Goles, LeMay’s won 12 straight. As teams jockey their best wrestlers away from facing him, LeMay’s now pinned four in a row. Only two NJ wrestlers prevented LeMay from delivering bonus points all season.

Malachi and Eli Shepard delivered majors for the Wolfpack, as DeVito also got his hand raised.

Malachi Shepard’s now won four in a row, and Eli Shepard six straight.

Hill’s last seven matches have all ended by fall, with Hill on top five times. He’s faced nine top-25 wrestlers, accounting for all but one of his losses this season.

Stefanelli’s fourth consecutive win helped WMC rise to 8-4 on the season. Kittatinny had won three straight before facing the Pack.

Next Up

Pin Cancer night is Tuesday 1/22 at Mendham. The Morris County Tournament is 1/25-26 at Mt. Olive, followed by matches at Sparta 1/30 and High Point 2/1. The road to Atlantic City begins 2/16 at the District 12 Tournament.