Caso, Metzler, Loughney and Gaita are champions as WMC wrestles to Goles Tournament bronze

(December 28, 2016, Washington, NJ) West Morris Central continued its early-season success, leading the John Goles Tournament with six finalists on the way to a team bronze Saturday at Warren Hill High School. Mike Caso won his first career gold medal, joining Shane Metzler, Kade Loughney and Marco Gaita who successfully defended their championships.

“I felt proud because last year I placed third, and this year I won my first gold,” said Caso. Channeling a mantra of WMC coach Ken Rossi, the junior reflected, “It showed me how important the off-season grind is!”

Colin Loughney -- the first WMC freshman in recent memory to reach the Goles finals -- and Justin LeMay both took second place. Luke Stefanelli finished third, and both Eli Shephard and John DeVito earned fourth.

Team Points

WMC, Delaware Valley and home team Warren Hill were neck-and-neck all day in team points, but Del Val pulled away late, ending with 162.5 points. Warren Hill (152) was second and WMC (148) fell to third, in part due to entering fewer wrestlers. North Hunterdon (109) finished fourth, followed by Newton, Sparta, Donegal (PA), Edison and Millburn. Del Val also had the most team points per wrestler entered with 12.5, followed closely by WMC (12.3), then Warren Hill (10.9), Newton (9.3) and North Hunterdon (8.4).

"The guys ability to close out close matches was impressive," said Rossi. "When wewere in close matches we were able to score points late to secure thewin or we were able to shut down late attacks to win the match. Closing out matches is a sign of maturity and poise."

Individual Highlights

At 106, seventh-seed Colin Loughney’s 10-4 win sent him to the semifinals, where second-seeded Del Val senior Dylan Uderman (who took Goles bronze last year) awaited. Loughney (4-5) pulled off perhaps the biggest upset of the tournament with a 7-5 triumph to earn silver. He lost in the finals to North’s Connor Robinson, who took the tournament by storm, pinning all he faced.

Caso (7-2) was the top seed at 113, and did not disappoint. The WMC junior won 12-3 in the semifinals, and 16-4 in the finals to become a Goles champion in dominating fashion.

“My focus and confidence level was very high,” said Caso. “That set the tone on the mat.”

Shephard (4-5) continued his strong freshman year with 2-1 win before falling to eventual champion AJ DeRosa, a state qualifier now ranked #13 in NJ (Full Circle). Shephard won again in wrestle backs 6-5 to place fourth at 120.

"The young guys have been stepping up for us in tournaments and dualmeets so far and it has been enjoyable to see their progression each match," said Rossi.

Metzler (9-1) took home his third Goles championship, winning 126 in workmanlike fashion without giving up a single point. He topped Millburn’s Dylan Saggio, a district champ, 3-0 in the finals.

“I have wanted to win Goles each year and I was able to take my third and last championship on Wednesday,” said Metzler. “It felt fulfilling to say the least.”

Sophomore DeVito (5-5) won 8-4 in the 138 quarterfinals, and pinned his way to the wrestle back finals for the fourth place finish.

Fellow sophomore Justin LeMay (8-4) was seeded sixth at 145. He upset Del Val’s regional qualifier Rhys Zigich with a dramatic pin, and then surprised second-seeded Newton senior Nicholas Giordano, also a regional qualifier, by 4-3 to reach the finals. Top-seed Warren Hill senior Zach Nauta, yet another regional qualifier, prevailed with his Goles-leading 25th team point of the tournament by topping LeMay in the finals.

"He used his athleticism to battle out of some tough situations," noted Rossi.

Kade Loughney (9-1) won his second consecutive dramatic overtime Goles finals victory, taking gold at 152 with a 2-1 triumph over North Hunterdon’s regional place winner Cole Marra. He also beat fellow Goles returning champion Peter Tomasino by 11-6. Kade’s victory completed an impressive day for the Loughney brothers.

Gaita (10-1) dominated at 170 for his second Goles championship, contributing 23 team points (third among all wrestlers), with two tech falls and one pin. In fact, the WMC junior had two of the three techs won all day.

No wrestler in the entire tournament exceeded his seed-place more than Stefanelli (6-3). Seeded eighth at 182, the WMC sophomore lost to Warren Hill hammer and state qualifier Jared Ostir in his first bout. After that, Stefanelli would not be denied, winning by fall, by 3-2 in overtime, and then 5-3 to take bronze.

Christian Trimarchi (7-4) and Robert Rosen (1-4) each contributed team points with wrestle back first round pins at 160 and 195 respectively. Rosen faced two hammers, falling to Sparta’s Robert Gennat, ranked #9 in NJ, and Donegal’s winningest wrestler Keegan McCord.

Jonathan Vazquez (2-5) also drew tough bouts at 132, falling to North Hunterdon district finalist Andrew Gapas, then hanging tough in a 10-3 loss to Sparta’s Garrett Stewart – ranked #18 in NJ.

“As for the team, we wrestled like we train: hard and non-stop,” said Metzler. “Everyone pushed the pace and I'm proud to be part of this Wolfpack.”

Goles History

“This tournament, started in 1958 by [Washington and Warren Hills coach] John Goles, is the second oldest holiday tournament in New Jersey,” according to the event web site.

Last year, WMC won five gold medals and the team placed third. Caleb Isemann and Alex Kaltenhauser topped the podium, along with Metzler, Loughney and Gaita. Caso won bronze, and Trimarchi placed fourth.

In 2014, WMC placed second (http://patch.com/new-jersey/longvalley/wolfpack-garners-goles-silver-metzler-and-luciano-gain-gold), with Metzler and Dylan Luciano gaining gold.

In 2013, Jesse Windt gained gold for the Pack (http://patch.com/new-jersey/longvalley/windt-wins-goles-gold-luciano-and-migliaccio-silver), with Metzler bringing back bronze. At 2012 Goles, Nick Matthews and John Sickles won gold (http://patch.com/new-jersey/longvalley/bp--matthews-stays-undefeated-joins-sickles-in-winninab9bd7bd95).

Photos

Credit: JoAnn Vazquez, Mollissa LeMay.

Goles medalists (l-r) Luke Stefanelli, Justin LeMay, Marco Gaita, Kade Loughney, Shane Metzler, Mike Caso and Colin Loughney by Mollissa LeMay

Individual photos: Mike Caso, Shane Metzler, Kade Loughney by JoAnn Vazquez; Mike Caso, Colin Loughney and Marco Gaita by Mollissa LeMay.