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HISTORICAL: The teams have developed one of the best rivalries in the state

Jackson vs. Southern is quite a show
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/5/06

STAFFORD
In the mind of Jackson wrestling coach Scott Goodale, it's Yankees vs. Red Sox or maybe Ohio State vs. Michigan. That is the level to which the Jackson-Southern wrestling rivalry has ascended.

At the risk of infuriating every baseball fan in Toms River, every soul in the stands for Wall and Manasquan on Turkey Day, and every girls hoopster whose lives revolve around the letters S-J-V or R-B-C, Goodale has a point.

If you don't believe that Southern-Jackson wrestling has become the preeminent Shore Conference sporting rivalry, you haven't been paying attention, and you certainly were not one of the 2,000 fans packed in Southern's gym on Saturday.

For three straight seasons now, the winner of Jackson-Southern has gone on to win the Shore Conference Tournament. After Jackson's 28-24 win Saturday, all three of those titles belong to the Jaguars. Before we start calling the rivalry one-sided, however, Southern did emerge from this position a year ago to grab the one title Jackson doesn't have: a NJSIAA Group IV title.

"When we went to "The Clash' in Minnesota (in December) we wrestled four nationally ranked teams in a row," Goodale said. "And nothing compares to this day. The Shore Conference Tournament semifinals and finals are the best wrestling we go to. Period."

Nothing stirs the Jaguars' faithful, however, like seeing black-and-gold across the mat.

"We can wrestle the Paulsboros and the Absegamis, but there is nothing like the Southern matches," said senior Matt Bradley, who fell 7-6 to Luke Lanno at 135.

Which is why the regular season meeting between the two teams * that has been held on opening night the past two seasons * causes such headaches for Scott Goodale the football coach. As the Jaguars prepared to face Brick Memorial in the Central Jersey Group IV football final in the first week of December, Goodale, who serves as the team's offensive coordinator, was noticeably agitated.

"I'm mad that Danny Hopkins isn't in the wrestling room right now," or something to that effect, Goodale muttered at the time. Two weeks later, Hopkins, who plays linebacker, was noticeably rusty in the season's first wrestling match, losing by decision to Josh Cipolla.

"I had to turn my match around," said Hopkins, whose 8-5 decision over Cipolla on Saturday was one of Jackson's key wins, and a necessity once Bradley and Dave Concepcion lost after winning in the Jaguars' 29-17 victory Dec. 21.

"The first match of the season I was dead. I was so out of shape and I think that's where I lost it," Hopkins said. "Nothing ever beats Jackson and Southern. I saw all the Southern fans with the shirts that have the Superman logo on them. I guess Jackson's just their kryptonite."

"We have to wrestle a perfect match to beat these guys," Southern coach John Stout said. "We lost the match by one bout-point, a 3-2 decision at 103. It's hard to swallow."

That 103-pound bout demonstrated there is no better way to teach freshmen about Jackson-Southern than to throw them in head-first. Southern's Jason Walters, who was called for biting in a ruling that turned the December match, came close twice but could not take down fellow ninth-grader Derrik Russell in the final seconds.

Just as Southern hung its hopes on three freshmen in the final four bouts in order to win, it was a freshman who extinguished the chance. Derrik Russell can add his name to the ever-expanding cast of characters who made a name for themselves in SCT finals, like last season's hero Joe Slisky or Toms River East's Paul Sternlieb or Brick Memorial's Jimmy Hogan.

"It's top-notch wrestling," Lanno admitted after the loss. "Just look around and look at all the fans."

Just like North Carolina-Duke, Lakers-Celtics, or Ali-Frazier, Jackson-Southern stirs up the emotions on both sides of the mat, and neither side thinks this season in the life of a rivalry is through.

"Our motivation is finishing No. 1 in the state," Goodale said. "That means we're going to have to beat them again in the state tournament. If we do our part, they are going to be there waiting."