Will Constellation of Returning Stars Point WMC Wrestling North?

with reporting by James Bilinsky

Like the Big Dipper, West Morris Central features seven stars in its lineup. Coach Ken Rossi hopes that constellation of returning 20-win wrestlers will point his team north of last season’s sectional championship loss, despite a stellar 15-3 record. The Wolfpack begins its 2018-19 season Saturday at the X-Calibur Tournament in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

State qualifiers Robby Bohr, Justin LeMay and John DeVito, along with fellow regional qualifiers Eli Shepard, Colin Loughney, AJ Hill, and Luke Stefanelli, all won at least 20 bouts last season. Rossi will count on their leadership at X-Calibur and beyond.

“My personal goal is to place in states this year,” said Stefanelli. “I’ve been wrestling with this group of guys for most of my life, so it’s going to be fun seeing what we can do this year.”

DeVito agreed, saying “I’m definitely going to try to get on the podium, and definitely try to help the team out getting as many bonus points as possible. I want to be a good team leader and help the younger guys get ready for their future with the team.”

“Eli Shepard put a ton of work in this summer and should be making a big jump this year,” said Rossi. “He aspires to hit the mats in Boardwalk Hall and his tireless work-ethic is sign that he can do it.”

“Loughney has been wrestling really tough in our opening scrimmages. His season ended at the districts last year because of an unfortunate injury and that has left him a little bit more hungry. I expect him be more offensive and more consistent this year.”

X-Calibur 2017

Last year the team took bronze at the 23-team event, featuring some of Pennsylvania’s top squads. Wyoming Seminary, which was ranked #4 in the nation, dominated. A team-record nine WMC wrestlers grabbed X-Calibur medals.

Stefanelli and DeVito won bronze medals. Hill and Bohr placed fifth, and Nicolas Kaltenhauser placed seventh.

Star Preview

Opponents will observe first-magnitude stars filling out half the WMC lineup.

Bohr (27-12 last season) qualifed for the State Championships as a sophomore. He’s ranked #16 by RankWrestlers.com, and projects to start at 120 as a junior after wrestling 106.

Classmate Shepard (21-15) was a Goles and District finalist, and comes in ranked #35. He should move from 120 to 138.

Loughney (21-13, ranked #24), also a junior and District finalist, is projected to ascend from 120 to 145 this year.

Returning team captain LeMay (32-8, #5) stays at 152, where he fell just short of the states podium. He missed X-Calibur last year.

DeVito (31-12, #15) placed in six tournaments last season, and scored a pinfall in Atlantic City. He’ll stay at 160.

Hill (21-14, #33) was a district finalist, and looks to jump from 145 to 170, though he may sometimes flip-flop with DeVito at 160.

District champion Stefanelli (25-8, #24) seemed destined for states before a regions injury ended his season. He looks to stay at 182.

Stellar Evolution?

In astronomy, new stars – or protostars – form from a dense core, with a balance of self-gravity, and external pressure (Astrophysical Journal). With Long Valley Youth Wrestling and WMC JV forming the dense core -- balanced by self-motivation and Rossi’s notorious external pressure -- which new stars will emerge?

X-Calibur medalist Kaltenhauser (5-5, 170, #79), district finalist Kevin Ramos (5-4, 220, #87), and frequent starter Jack Lyden (7-7, 170, #64) have already sparkled for the team, and could easily emerge this season. So could returning starter Adrian Hefner (3-20, 195) and Matt Borgia (1-4, 138).

Freshmen Michael Ferrante and Malachi Shepard [Eli’s brother], along with sophomore Nick Chisari, should man 106 and 113 between them. Both freshmen were youth league stars.

Senior Dan Kern, stellar as a JV freshman, returns and projects to start at 126, while classmate Tyler Torner (145) could be in the mix.

While Lyden and Kaltenhauser may be underdogs for start at 170, and the same for Hefner at 182, they bring more experience than the team’s projected upper weights, including junior Jorge Montenegro, senior Brian Cherifi, and Zack Miller, and even regional qualifier Ramos. They are all listed at 220.

It won’t take billions and billions of years to find out who shines brightest.

Next Up

The Pack starts the season at the grueling X-Calibur Tournament in Wilkes-Barre, PA 12/15-16. WMC hosts Montville Tuesday 12/18, and Union City Saturday 12/22. The Goles Tournament is 12/27 at Warren Hills. The team is home 12/29 vs. top-25-ranked North Hunterdon, away at Roxbury 1/3 and the Mt. Olive quad 1/5 with Paramus and #7 ranked Southern. Pin Cancer night is 1/22 at Mendham.

Photos

Credit: JoAnn Vazquez