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Howell hangs on for win

Second-seeded Rebels will face Rams in SCT semifinals
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/2/06
BY BOB BADDERS
STAFF WRITER

HOWELL * The capacity crowd at Howell High School was surely salivating at the prospect of seeing two NJSIAA Region VI champions * Howell's Billy Woodward and Central's Nick Weaver * square off in a possible match-deciding bout.

Golden Eagles coach Mike Bischoff also wanted this match to happen. Rebels coach John Gagliano did not. So when Howell won the toss it immediately had the ability to dictate the possibility of a Woodward-Weaver showdown, and in turn, the match.

Woodward opened the match by earning his team three points with a win at 160 pounds while Weaver, waiting at 152, never got a chance to make his presence felt. In between, the Rebels won two more bouts than the Eagles and got timely bonus points for a 35-30 victory in the quarterfinal round of the 2006 Shore Conference
Tournament.

"I think (winning the toss) was huge," Gagliano said. "Of course everybody wanted to watch Woodward and Weaver but we had to look out for our team first."

With the Rebels holding a 31-21 lead with three bouts to go, the Eagles (13-3) were faced with two must-win situations. Both Len Forsyth (140) and Jack Weaver (145) had to win to make sure Nick Weaver would have a chance to wrestle at 152. Forsyth cut the lead to 31-24 by scoring two third-period takedowns to defeat Paul Calafiore, 5-2. But Tom Tuminelli put an end to Central's comeback by majoring Jack Weaver, 9-1, to clinch the match for the Rebels.

Neither team won more than two consecutive matches but the Rebels (16-0) made sure they answered each of the Golden Eagles' three pins with bonus points of their own. After Sean Dedyn pinned Warren Lisa at heavyweight to tie the match at 12, Howell made some changes in the lower weights that resulted in pins at by Blaise Supczynski (103) and Joey Langel (112).

"We were planning on getting bonus points there," Gagliano said. "But what was key was the upper weights. We needed to keep (Central) from getting too far ahead and our guys did great job."

Nick Tenpenny pinned Pat Sheehan at 171 to give the Golden Eagles an early 6-3 advantage, but the Rebels took the next two bouts with Josh Barnhard pinning at 189 and Mike Bonfig winning by decision at 215. Barnhard was down 2-0 and working from the bottom in the second period when he reversed Mike Denver to his back and for a pin at 3:14. It was Barnhard's 15th win of the year and 14th by pin. Last season, all of Barnhard's 14 wins were by pin.

"He was on top wearing himself out so I was just waiting to hit my move," Barnhard said. "They always throw me out there expecting me to pin. It's what I do, I'm a pinner."

The second-seeded Rebels will face third-seeded Southern in a semifinal match Saturday when the tournament continues with the final two rounds at Southern Regional High School.