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WRESTLING: POINT BORO 30, LONG BRANCH 28

Boro rallies for win in last two bouts
RESILIENT: Taking some punches

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/15/06BY JOE ADELIZZI
STAFF WRITER

POINT PLEASANT Point Boro stood up to Long Branch's best 1-2 punch and walked away with a thrilling 30-28 nondivisional victory Saturday.

Leading by eight points with two matches remaining, Boro had to face John Jasio (215) and Darius Williams (heavyweight) — two contenders for district championships — in the final two bouts. And while Marty Infante and Gage Bongiovi both lost decisions, neither gave up bonus points, allowing the Panthers to improve to 5-1 on the season.

"I just went out there trying to win the last bout," Bongiovi said. "But it's the best loss I've ever had."

He fought off Williams, who had about a 40-pound weight advantage, in the early going. He stayed away and seemed to tire the Long Branch wrestler, who knew he needed a pin for his team to win.

"I couldn't catch him," Williams said.

"It wasn't about my bout," said Bongiovi, who lost 4-2. "It was about how our team responded today. We did what we had to do to win."

The key to victory came in the two weight classes before the big boys. Skylar Engelken held off Matt Coccurello, 3-2, at 171, and sophomore Kyle Coleman got a reversal with 20 seconds remaining in his bout to beat Genero Feliciano, 8-7, at 189.

Coleman had led most of his bout, but Feliciano got a takedown with 35 seconds left to take the lead.

"I could see the clock and I knew I had to do something," Coleman said. "I knew if the team was going to win I was going to have to win."

Point Boro coach Dave Kirk said he knew the match with Long Branch would go down to the wire.

"We are very much alike," he said. "The key was that there were three bouts decided by a point and they all went our way."

Anthony Tarantin won 3-2 at 119 to join Engelken and Coleman.

Things seemed to be going Long Branch's way after Sergio Chapparro beat John Rose at 152 following a pin by Sean Sims for the Green Wave. It gave Long Branch a 22-18 lead.

But Jeff Jacobs pinned at 160 to start the Panthers on their roll.

Both teams had lost big matches last week against division foes — Boro to Central Regional in Class B South and Long Branch to Wall by a point in Class B North.

"Marty (Infante) really bounced back for us after his loss against Central. We told both him and Gage to worry about being in good wrestling position. If you maintain your position, you won't get pinned," Kirk said.

Neither wrestler was ever close to being pinned and the gym shook with noise as the seconds ticked off in the heavyweight bout.

"Wrestling is a team game with individual efforts," Bongiovi said. "Everyone gave their all today."