Youth Wrestlers Grab Playoff Spot With Help From Matheny Friends

Editor’s note: The following article and photos were submitted by the Long Valley Youth Wrestling program.

The Long Valley Wrestling Grade School League team got by with a little help from their friends Thursday night at the Middle School, defeating rival Watchung Hills 46-42 to secure a spot in the League playoffs next Sunday in East Brunswick. The Wolfpack needed a win to earn a trip to the playoffs, and to avenge two losses to Watching last season, one in the championship semi-finals by one match.

In addition to wrestling the biggest match of the year, Long Valley also honored its graduating 8th graders, and invited a group of residents from the Matheny Medical and Education Center in Peapack to serve as honorary captains for the match. Several Long Valley wrestlers and other Middle School students volunteer at the Matheny Center as part of the school’s “Include Me” program, and have developed close relationships with the residents there. As one of the graduating 8th grade Wolfpack wrestlers said before the match, “We’re not losing in front of our Matheny friends.”

The 8th graders delivered on a night when the team needed them, getting pins from AJ Hill, Justin LeMay, Johnny DeVito, Matt Blount, and Dan Kern. Jack Lyden threw in a big 4-0 win, and Luke Stefanelli gave up 35 pounds to take on Watchung’s undefeated 175-lb wrestler. Will McCartney rounded out the 8th grader efforts, also stepping on the mat against one of Watchung’s top wrestlers. Adrian Hefner, injured early in the season, was medically cleared to compete literally hours before the match, but the Wolfpack had built a large-enough lead by the time of his match, so the coaches decided to give him another week to prepare for competition.

Despite the 8th grader’s clutch performances, the win would not have been possible without the underclassmen. Malachi Shepard lost a hard-fought 3-1 match, while Dylan Turner won 6-2 to get the Wolfpack on the board early. Robbie Bohr turned in a big pin at 80 lbs, and was followed by a major decision by Colin Loughney. Matt Borgia nearly upset a highly favored opponent, losing 3-1 and nearly scoring in the final seconds to the delight of the large crowd. Program newcomer Ryan Brady filled a major hole for the Wolfpack at 95 lbs, wrestling in his first Grade School match, while 7th grader Grayson Apgar wrestled up a weight class to take on another one of Watchung’s premier wrestlers.

Surprisingly, Coach Tim Lutke was especially proud of the wrestlers that lost matches, “This is a chess match. Ryan (Brady), Grayson (Apgar), and Will (McCartney) know they’re wrestling the best guys on their team, and that allows our best guys to build bonus points. We don’t win that match without those guys. We didn’t need Adrian (Hefner) tonight, but he was ready to go after being injured all season. All our guys had heart tonight, win, lose, or even if they didn’t get a chance to wrestle.”

The Wolfpack head to the playoffs for the second straight season in the 24-team League considered to be the premier youth wrestling league in New Jersey on Super Bowl Sunday.

Too bad they can’t bring their friends from Matheny.

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