D'Anton's Dream Season Continues At State Finals

There is no question that when it comes to regions in the state, there are not many tougher than Region VI.  So it should come as no surprise that Jersey Shore wrestlers do so well when they make the trip to the state finals at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

For Monsignor Donovan senior Anthony D'Anton, he proved winning the region title at 103 was a legitimate title when he beat Tony Giancola 5-2 in the pre-quarterfinal round. Giancola was the second place finisher in Region VII coming out of Collingswood High School with a 30-6 record.

His first real test will come on Saturday when he takes on undefeated Region V champion Cody Barbiche of Delaware Valley. The senior has yet to lose in his 37 matches this year. In the 112 weight class, Region VI was well represented by Danny Rodriguez of Toms River North, and Kevin Corrigan of Toms River South. The two had met in the region finals, and once again it was Corrigan having the better day.

The Indians wrestler had just one match on the night after earning a first-round bye. He took on Ryan Nicotra, the Region I champion from Hackettstown who had a 33-3 record coming into the tournament. In the end, region titles did not matter as Corrigan pummeled his opponent to an 11-1 major decision. 

For Rodriguez, his tournament lasted just one match as he fell 7-2 to John Vanbrill from Clearview High School. Vanbrill had taken third in Region VIII and had a 36-2 record showing just how tough the brackets can be on any given year.

At 119 it was Richard Lewis of Toms River North representing the local district. Lewis had won the regional title and found himself facing Dante Porrazzo, the Region I champion from Depaul Catholic. With both earning a first-round bye, the pair were both assured of at least one match on Saturday.

But on Friday night, it was the Mariners'  representative who pulled off a 7-2 win. He will face Region VIII champion Billy Ward, a sophomore from Buena on Saturday. Ward dispatched of his only Friday opponent as he pinned Anthony DePasque of Clifton in 35 seconds.

Another region champion from the Toms River schools who was in action on Friday was Bryant Clagon of  Toms River South. The sophomore entered Friday night's action with a 33-0 record and left for the night with one more win. This time it came at the expense of Ron Hoover of Haddon Township as Clagon rumbled to a 9-2 victory.

Next up for Clagon is a match against Julian Quintero from North Bergen. Quintero picked up one of the upsets of the night as he beat Jorge Lopez, 8-5, the Region III champion from Delbarton. He may not have won a regional title, but Toms River South's Kyle Kenny showed he belonged at Boardwalk Hall after two impressive victories. The Region VI third-place finisher started his night with a 10-6 win over Taylor Black of Bishop Ahr. Kenny then advanced to the quarterfinals after a 5-4 victory over Harley Palyck of  Northern Burlington.  He will now face Vincent Favia, a junior from Shore Conference rival Christian Brothers Academy.

Rounding out the field of Jersey Shore wrestlers was Evan Tarver, the Toms River South senior who is coming off a second-place finish in the Region VI Tournament. Tarver started his tournament with a match against Kyle Nerger of North Hunterdon, who finished third in Region V.

With a 2-1 overtime win, Tarver advanced to face Jack Pohlman, who was the Region IV champion. The Indians wrestler was undaunted by his opponent's credentials and worked his way to a 3-2 win.Tarver wrestle on Saturday in the quarterfinals against Michael Zeuli of Cherokee. This year, the senior has a 26-0 record including his pre-quarterfinal win over Region II champion Richie Torres of Bergenfield who at the time had a  30-0 record.

Be sure to check back with Patch all day on Saturday to see how Jersey Shore  wrestlers do when action resumes at 10 a.m.