The accomplishment by Messina and Pantoja marked the second time in three years the Colonials had two wrestlers win a district title in the same season. He became a two-time district champion when he won his weight class at the District 22 tournament.Īlberto Pantoja (215) also won a District 22 championship for Freehold. Messina put together a strong junior campaign. “A bunch of the guys have bought in to help us put together a squad that is very competitive.”Īngelo Messina (126), Brandon Smith (165) and Joseph Berryman (157) were the three Colonials who advanced out of Region 6 and competed in the state tournament. “We have built a winning culture here and have guys who can compete against the best in the Shore Conference,” the coach said. Having three student-athletes qualify for the state tournament represents the most wrestlers who have qualified for the state tournament in a single year during Shepherd’s tenure at the school. In addition to winning the B North crown, the Colonials had nine wrestlers advance from the post-season district tournament to the Region 6 tournament, and three wrestlers advance from the Region 6 tournament to the state tournament in Atlantic City. Shepherd said this is the best squad he has had in 17 years at the helm. The Colonials went 14-7 in dual meets, giving the program its second 14-win season in the last four years.įreehold reached the semifinals of the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional team tournament, which marked the farthest the Colonials have advanced in that event in 20 years. “That has been something we have set out to do these past few years. “It was a really great feeling,” Coach Matthew Shepherd said of his wrestlers’ accomplishment of winning the B North championship. And the Colonials won the B North title with flair as they rolled to a 6-0 record in the division with dual meet victories over Wall High School, Colts Neck High School, Red Bank Regional High School, Matawan Regional High School, Manasquan High School and Neptune High School.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |