Region 6 Wrestling Championships

My friends and colleagues who follow high school wrestling like to kid me when I show up at an event because they know I’m a bit more comfortable watching and covering basketball. However I know enough to pick up on greatness and after witnessing Scott Winston again during the Region 6 Championships at the Ritacco Center there’s little doubt the Jackson Memorial senior belongs in the “great” category. Saturday was a coronation for Winston, who was named the tournaments “Outstanding Wrestler” and improved to 133-0 for his career after claiming the 160 pound title. The win in the final saw him break the school record for career wins which had been held by his current coach Doug Withstandley, who presented him with a plaque to commemorate the occasion. Among those in the crowd giving Winston a standing ovation was his former high school and soon to be college coach Scott Goodale, who saw three of his other Rutgers recruits win region titles…Zac Coulas & Nick Menditto of Ocean Township and Howell’s Joey Langel.

Back to Winston for a moment. Not only is he an incredible wrestler but he’s an incredible physical specimen, packing more muscle than one can imagine on his 160 pound frame. He will go down as among the greatest wrestlers in Shore Conference history, joining the likes to Damian Hahn, Jeff Parker and Glenn Pritzlaff.

How good is wrestling in this area? Six of the top ten teams in the final New Jersey Coaches Association state rankings are from the shore. High Point finished #1 followed by Long Branch & Brick Memorial. Howell, Jackson Memorial, Southern and Toms River North were all ranked in the top ten.

The Ocean County College men’s basketball team fell just short of claiming the Region 19, Division 3 Tournament as the Vikings fell to powerful Middlesex 74-55 in Sunday’s final. OCC actually led by a point with nine minutes left before the Colts went on a 20-0 run to claim the tournament title and a spot in the nationals. Despite the loss it was a terrific season for OCC under head coach Ryan O’Rourke. Players like Anthony LaBruno and Toms River East graduate James Stockton helped the Vikings go 23-6.