Short-handed Kingsway finds a way to win
CHERRY HILL – No Nathan Taylor. No DJ DiPietro. No problem.
In one of the strangest wrestling meets between two of South Jersey’s Top 5-ranked wrestling teams in recent memory, an undermanned Kingsway Regional High School squad slipped past an even more shorthanded Camden Catholic for a 33-31 road win on Friday night.
The much-anticipated showdown had six forfeits, three on each side.
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“For South Jersey wrestling, this wasn’t the dual meet we wanted with these two teams, but there’s a lesson here, too – show up, be prepared and be ready to compete,” Kingsway head coach Mike Barikian said.
“Neither of us were at full strength, but I think we both understand the bigger picture. We’ve got some real issues that we’re dealing with. You try to get healthy for the end of the year.”
Barikian wouldn’t go into detail about why two of the Dragons’ big-point producers – Taylor and DiPietro – were out of the lineup, but he expected both back for the team playoffs that start on Feb. 6.
Despite not having two of its big guns, Kingsway (10-8) turned to another banged-up wrestler, Jason Meola, who clinched the victory.
Fighting through some nagging injuries over the last couple of weeks, the 106-pound Meola is putting together some of this best wrestling of the season. The sophomore, who was a Region 8 runner-up last winter, delivered an 8-5 decision over previously unbeaten Lazarus Joyce, scoring the final four points of the third period, including two back points.
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Meola improved to 12-9, with seven wins in his last eight bouts.
“I had a rough start to the season,” Meola said. “Escape the Rock (tournament) is where I really picked it up and it’s just snowballed from there. I had to fight through some inconsistency early in the season.”
Barikian said Meola has battled through his injuries, much like several other Dragons in recent weeks.
“That’s wrestling, we’re at the point of the season where you’re going to be banged up. If you can go, you have to go and that’s what (Meola) did,” the coach said. “We were hoping that he would get an early score, take some of the pressure off and forget about the things that are ailing him, but it went the exact opposite.
“You’re down 4-1, you’re not feeling good, but instead of finding an excuse, you find a way to score some points. That’s what he did.”
Meola was fresh off another tough bout, a 4-3 decision over Williamstown’s Tyler Hildebrandt on Wednesday.
Asked if anyone donning a Dragon singlet was completely healthy, Meola responded, “only the lucky ones.”
Camden Catholic (9-4) has battled with a lack of depth all season, often forfeiting three weight classes in the majority of its dual meets.
However, this group of young Fighting Irish isn’t losing focus despite knowing they’re giving up 18 team points in most meets.
“I think they look at it like we’ve got to maximize as many points and I’ve already heard like five of them say, ‘I could have gotten more tonight’,” Camden Catholic head coach Bill Heverly said. “They’re not happy about not maximizing points. They are starting to understand that. And it’s tough to maximize points against a team like (Kingsway).”
In the top billing bout of the meet, Camden Catholic’s Austin Craft scored all three of his points en route to a 3-1 win over Ben Dryden at 165.
Kingsway 33, Camden Catholic 31
126: Nathan Lubonski, K, p. Miles Mason, 0:57; 132: Jackson Young, CC, forfeit; 138: Kage Jones, CC, d. Brendan Callahan, 7-4; 144: Wayne Rold, CC, md. Tommy DiPietro, 15-3; 150: Michael Craft, CC, d. Logan Taylor, 10-3; 157: Sean Kirwin, K, d. Jack Baylouny, 4-0; 165: Austin Craft, CC, d. Ben Dryden, 3-1; 175: Jack Gelato, K, forfeit; 190: Ross Hare, K, forfeit; 215: Luke Van Brill, K, forfeit; 285: Christopher San Paolo, K, d. Nicholas Dugan, 5-0; 106: Jason Meola, K, d. Lazarus Joyce, 8-5; 113: Dom DiGiacomo, forfeit; 120: Sammy Spaulding, CC, forfeit.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Kingsway wrestling prevails over Camden Catholic in South Jersey showdown
