Schools
VIDEO: Stepien, Hoy Propel GLHS to Last-Second 28-25 Victory in State Tournament
Come-from-behind win over Raritan in sectionals sets the stage for Wednesday's rematch at Brearley. Check out video highlights and photos.
Packed stands, a screaming crowd, and raised intensity can only mean one thing: playoff time is here. For Governor Livingston wrestling, things were about as intense as they get during Monday night’s showdown with Raritan.
In fact, the intensity lasted right until the end, when Joe Hoy’s 13-2 major victory over Raritan’s clinched a 28-25 win for the Highlanders that came down to the final match.
“I think it gives us a lot of momentum," said Hoy of the win. “We’re gonna go into Wednesday night with a good opportunity. We’re gonna be optimistic.”
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It wasn’t an easy victory for the Highlanders (15-1), who defeated this same, albeit improved Raritan team earlier in the season.
“This is a tremendous win. Not only is it a great win, but it was different than the first time we beat them, and I knew it was going to be," said Highlanders’ head coach Rick Iacono. “They made some adjustments as far as their skills, (and) they did a much better job, I thought, in a lot of areas. We still wrestled well.”
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Both teams had to work hard to earn their victories, combining for just three pinfall victories in the event’s fourteen matches. The Highlanders fell behind early after Victor Orozco (145 pounds) came up short in a hard-fought effort against Raritan’s Brian French. French won by a score of 5-3.
Senior Brian Sobol (152) then got the Highlanders on the board, defeating Raritan’s Steve Corona 8-5 to tie the score at 3 for the Highlanders. However, a 6-1 loss by Pat Eichner (160) and a pinfall defeat of 171-pound Shane Haddad put Raritan up 12-3.
The Highlanders, however, got a couple of clutch victories by Zach Heisler (189) and Matt O’Sullivan (215), each of whom scored a critical takedown in the final seconds of their respective matches. The victories brought the score to 12-9 in favor of Raritan.
O’Sullivan, a senior, was able to upset Raritan’s Nick Rice to get a victory that was as important as it was unexpected.
“They never expected us to win at 215," said Iacono. “When Matty O’Sullivan turns that kid, that was the big match.”
A hard-fought, quadruple-overtime loss to Raritan’s Adam Daniels by heavyweight Tony Manganiello widened the Highlanders’ deficit back to six. However, that was only before three consecutive victories by Jon Mele (103), Ryne Morrison (112), and Anthony Defranco (119) would give Governor Livingston its first lead of the night at 18-15.
The lead wouldn’t last for long. After Ryan Hoy (125) was defeated in a major decision, 14-4, senior Linton Benitez (130) was pinned by Jason Bohal of Raritan to put the Highlanders down 25-18.
Then entered the Highlanders’ pair of 100-match winners.
All-time wins leader Mike Stepien (135) came onto the mat confidently and captured the Highlanders’ only pinfall of the night in 1:37 against Raritan’s Devin Holmes. With the Highlanders now only down 25-24, Stepien had set the stage for his classmate to seal the deal.
Hoy, the GLHS Boys’ Athlete of the Week, took a calm approach as he got set to face off against Connor McGrath of Raritan for the right to advance, even with his team’s fate hanging in the balance.
“I think I kept my composure," said Hoy. “I just wrestled like I would any other match and I didn’t let the pressure get to me.”
Hoy and McGrath battled for three full, two-minute periods. However, Hoy scored several key takedowns and had taken control of the match by the end, sealing the win and the right to advance for the Highlanders.
Hoy, who won his 100th career varsity match last week against Union, hopes that he can continue his recent red-hot success.
“It is really exciting. I’m happy with how it’s going so far," said Hoy. “I just hope I can continue, keep improving, and make it into states.”
For all of the tense moments of the evening, the win over Raritan provided an exciting night for Hoy and the rest of the Highlanders, who gave their home fans something to be proud of.
“It was a lot of fun. It was fun for this crowd, and I’m glad we did it at home," said Iacono. “These kids deserve everything that comes their way; they’ve been real good kids.”
“It was a big night for the community, it was a big night for this high school, and a big night for these kids. I’m very proud of the way we competed," continued Iacono. “You never know; heroes comes in different shapes and sizes on different nights. Tonight, the heroes were different, but we’ve got to put it together.”
Putting it together, even for a team this successful, proves to be a tall task as the Highlanders now shift focus to the Bears of David Brearley High School. Governor Livingston and Brearley will face off in Kenilworth on Wednesday night.
In their last meeting, the Bears gave the Highlanders all they could handle on the way to a 43-21 Brearley victory.
“We’re 15-1, and they’re the ‘one," said Iacono, when talking about the additional focus his team will need on Wednesday.
Still, the lessons of resilience from Monday night’s match against Raritan are sure to stay with the Highlanders for the match against Brearley—and beyond.
“When someone fell down, the next kid went out and picked him up,"said Iacono. “Staying off our back at 125 and not giving up six (was important). I’m proud; I’m very proud of these kids. They really deserve everything that’s come their way, and now we’ll focus on going forward. We’ll see what we can do, but I’m very, very proud of the way they didn’t quit and stayed focused.”
