Manchester Brothers Heading to State Wrestling Championship

This past Saturday at the NJSIAA Region VI individual wrestling championships, Manchester junior Ken Theobold watched intently as his younger brother, Matt, stunned the higher-seeded Jalen Ramos of Central Regional in the semifinals of the 119-pound weight division.

The win gave Matt Theobold, a sophomore and No. 6 seed his weight class, a spot in the 119-pound Region VI final and, more importantly, a guaranteed spot at this Friday’s state championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Matt accomplished another unusual feat for a younger sibling – he inspired his older brother.

Minutes after Matt Theobold punched his ticket to Atlantic City, Ken pinned Raritan’s Nick Liguori in 3:31 in the 125-pound semifinal to earn a spot on the Boardwalk Hall mat along with his long-time mat partner.

“It felt great watching him win,” Ken Theobold said about his little brother, “He’s wrestled (Ramos) like 6 times and lost to him every time. So seeing him win got me really pumped up and ready to wrestle and I went out there and pinned my kid.”

Both brothers lost in their respective final to their division’s top seeds, but since the top three place-winners in each region advance to Atlantic City, the semifinal wins for the Brothers Theobold were the landmark match of the day. Matt Theobold lost to Toms River East sophomore Rich Lewis 3-1.

“I felt like I wrestled tough but when it comes down to regions, I feel like you have to be mentally tougher than everybody,” Matt Theobold said. “Everybody has talent, so it comes down to who wants it more and who is mentally the toughest.”

Matt Theobold is plenty familiar with Lewis, who has lost only three times this season. The two wrestlers have squared off on the club scene numerous times and have even been workout partners.

“I wrestle Rich a lot in club, so we know each other really well,” Matt Theobold said. “He beat me 8-3 last time, so it was good to get a little closer to him. Now I just need to figure out how to beat him.”

One match later in the 125-pound final, Ken Theobold fell to Southern Regional’s Kyle Casaletto, 7-1, taking the defending state runner-up down to the final seconds trailing only 2-1 before Casaletto turned a takedown of the Manchester wrestler into a near fall to win his third straight regional championship. Although he took home a silver medal Saturday, Ken Theobold will head to Atlantic City knowing he has already shared the mat with the favorite to win the 125-pound championship.

“Knowing that I went up against the guy who finished second and wrestled fairly well does boost my confidence,” Ken Theobold said. “It just really got me to the next level and it makes me want to go wrestle my heart out down there and see what happens.”

Although both brothers lost their championship bouts, both had unique runs to the final match. As a No. 6 seed, Matt Theobold had to beat two higher seeds to advance to the final. He edged out Marlboro junior Anthony Anzalone 3-0 in the quarterfinal and then outlasted Ramos, a junior, 7-5 to guarantee a trip to Boardwalk Hall.

While his younger brother was upsetting opponents left and right, Ken Theobold was simply dominant. Before pinning Liguori, a No. 7 seed who upset second-seeded Zach Torchia of Middletown North, he won by major decision over St. John Vianney senior Robert Cigna, 11-2.

The Feb. 26 regional championships at Poland Spring Arena were a proving ground for the brothers, who now have a combined record of 55-6 with each Theobold losing only three times all season. Friday night will begin a new challenge to show that all the hard work both at practice at home has paid off.

“He’s great to have, especially when it’s time to cut weight,” Matt Theobold said. “He always helps me out – we run together, we work out together, we’re like best friends. We’re never away for each other, so we’re always there to help each other out. It’s great having an older brother there to talk to and help you out.”

“We’re always kind of competing with each other,” Ken Theobold said. “We have kind of a rivalry going on, but I love to see him win. If I lose, he’s always there to back me up and I’m there for him.”

Considering the grand stage, the sibling rivalry may be put on hold. Both brothers will be wrestling in Atlantic City for the first time after watching as spectators for a number of years and while the game of one-upsmanship will certainly continue, the two brothers will be in each others’ corner.

The brothers will also be joined by fellow Manchester wrestler Anthony Prendimano at the tournament.

“It’s going to be pretty exciting,” Ken Theobold said. “I’m glad me and my brother are both going down and experiencing AC together. It makes it even better.”

“My goal was to get down there, so win or lose, I’m going to be happy,” Matt Theobold said. “I just want to enjoy the experience.”