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South Jersey's hope for a state title lies with these two wrestlers

tom mcgurk, cherry hill courier-post
·5 min read
St. Augustine's Richie Grungo celebrates after pinning Christian Brothers Academy's Julian George during a 144 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023.
St. Augustine's Richie Grungo celebrates after pinning Christian Brothers Academy's Julian George during a 144 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023.

ATLANTIC CITY – Richie Grungo and Brady Conlin are going to have many more fans in their corner than just the St. Augustine Prep faithful.

That’s because the seniors will be the region’s two hopefuls to land a state titles.

Grungo pulled off a thrilling pin of the top seed to advance to the 144-pound state final, while Conlin put together a workmanlike 5-0 decision to check into the 150 title bout.

South Jersey has crowned a state champion every year since 1966. Last season, Camden Catholic’s Martin Cosgrove extended the streak by winning the final bout of the tournament.

More:Complete list of guaranteed medalists at the 2023 NJ state wrestling tournament

Grungo and Conlin also extended another streak as the region has produced a state finalist every year since 1948. The two Hermits were South Jersey's last two remaining wrestlers in the championship bracket.

“It’s going to be a fun day,” Grungo said. “I know South Jersey will be pulling for us to win. There’s going to be some pressure, but pressure is a privilege. I’m just going out there and have some fun.

“It’s a dream come true to get here, but the dream isn’t over yet.”

St. Augustine has two state champions in its history with Bobby Malatesta (1985) and Jack Clark (2014).

More:Live results from the NJ state wrestling tournament in Atlantic City

Nice move

Before the semifinals, Grungo told his friends he was going to try something he usually doesn’t do.

And he wasn’t kidding.

Grungo tossed Christian Brothers Academy’s Julian George to his back and sealed the pin in just 90 seconds, as the crowd at Jim Whelan’s Boardwalk Hall erupted.

“I got in the position where I could try it and I thought, why not?” said Grungo, who placed fourth and fifth in the state the previous two seasons. “It definitely worked in my favor.”

St. Augustine head coach Bill Ward got some major air under his feet, jumping for joy when the pin was called.

St. Augustine's Richie Grungo prepares to pin Christian Brothers Academy's Julian George during a 144 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023.
St. Augustine's Richie Grungo prepares to pin Christian Brothers Academy's Julian George during a 144 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023.

“That kid totally deserves it,” Ward said. “He works his butt off and he’s always thinking about it. And I’m so happy it happened for him.”

Grungo (29-2), who has two pins, a technical fall and a 3-1 decision in the tournament, will face St. Joseph-Montvale’s Yannis Charles (23-4) in the final.

“I couldn’t do this without my support system, my family, my friends, my teammates. Every injury, every weight cut, every loss, they’ve been right there for me,” Grungo said.

While the two grapplers don’t work out often together, there’s certainly a bond between them.

“He’s a great leader in the room and he’s always pushing me,” Conlin said. “I’m so happy that we’re both going to get a chance to complete our dream.”

St. Augustine's Richie Grungo celebrates after pinning Christian Brothers Academy's Julian George during a 144 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023.
St. Augustine's Richie Grungo celebrates after pinning Christian Brothers Academy's Julian George during a 144 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Hermits go 2-for-2

Minutes after Grungo punched his ticket to the final, Conlin capitalized on his opportunity.

The third-seed was masterful during a 5-0 win over St. Joseph-Montvale’s Frank DiBella. In four tournament bouts, Conlin has outscored his opponents 33-2.

“Brady is like a machine,” Ward said. “We put him out there and he’s ready to go.”

No matter what singlet he’s wearing, Conlin has developed a knack for success. He placed eighth in the state while wrestling for Williamstown in 2020 and third while wrestling for Washington Township in 2021. He moved to Florida for his junior season and the start of this season, before transferring back home.

Conlin (18-1), who rarely shows emotion on the mat, fired his headgear into the air after the victory.

“I just got to where I want to be but the job isn’t finished,” Conlin said. “I’ve got one more to go.”

That bout will come against top-seeded Matt Henrich, of Southern, a Region 7 champ with a 39-3 record.

St. Augustine's Brady Conlin controls St Joseph's Frank DiBella during a 150 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023. Conlin defeated DiBella, 5-0.
St. Augustine's Brady Conlin controls St Joseph's Frank DiBella during a 150 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023. Conlin defeated DiBella, 5-0.

Other semifinalists

Kingsway’s Nathan Taylor scored a 7-0 win over Camden Catholic’s Jackson Young in one of the top quarterfinal bouts of the tournament. Taylor suffered a 5-2 loss in the semifinals.

Holy Spirit’s Max Elton was another semifinalist as South Jersey sent four wrestlers through the quarterfinals.

Holy Spirit's Max Elton controls Delbarton's Daniel Jones during a 120 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023. Jones defeated Elton, 4-1.
Holy Spirit's Max Elton controls Delbarton's Daniel Jones during a 120 lb. semifinal round bout of the NJSIAA individual wrestling championships tournament at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 3, 2023. Jones defeated Elton, 4-1.

What’s next

The state tournament will conclude Saturday.

Wrestling will start at 9 a.m. with a wrestleback round followed by the third/fifth/seventh placement bouts. The girls state finals are slated to start around 1:30, with the boys finals to follow.

Title bouts

Boys

  • 106: Logan Wadle (North Hunterdon) vs. Nathan Braun (Bergen Catholic)

  • 113: Logan Brzozowski (Seton Hall Prep) vs. Logan Roman (Old Bridge)

  • 120: Anthony Knox (St John Vianney) vs. Daniel Jones (Delbarton)

  • 126: Luke Stanich (Roxbury) vs. Caedyn Ricciardi (St. Peter’s Prep)

  • 132: Anthony Santaniello (Brick Memorial) vs. Jack Bastarrika (Mt. Olive)

  • 138: Tyler Vazquez (Delbarton) vs. Giovanni Alejandro (St. Joseph-Metuchen)

  • 144: Richie Grungo (St. Augustine) vs. Yannis Charles (St. Joseph-Montvale)

  • 150: Brady Conlin (St. Augustine) vs. Matt Henrich (Southern)

  • 157: Alessio Perentin (Delbarton) vs. Zander Silva (CBA)

  • 165: Louis Cerchio (Delbarton) vs. Jasiah Queen (St. John Vianney)

  • 175: Simon Ruiz (Delbarton) vs. Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial)

  • 190: Michael Dellagatta (St. Joseph-Montvale) vs. Anthony Harris (St. Peter’s Prep

  • 215: Riley O’Boyle (Southern) vs. Hudson Skove (Rumson-Fair Haven)

  • 285: Jim Mullen (St. Joseph-Montvale) vs. Max Acciardi (Paramus Catholic)

Girls

  • 100: Theresa Zeppetelli (Bogota/Ridgefield Park) vs. Paige Weiss (Sparta)

  • 107: Marlowe Donato (Jackson Memorial) vs. Leeana Mercado (Lodi)

  • 114: Ava Rose (Princeton) vs. Lennix Horsburgh (Bound Brook)

  • 120: Riley Lerner (Cedar Creek) vs. Valarie Maldonado (Somerville)

  • 126: Kira Pipkins (Bloomfield) vs. Liliana Zaku-Ramos (Newton/Kittatinny)

  • 132: Maya Hemo (Cherry Hill East) vs. Kayla Vazquez (Kinnelon)

  • 138: Jayla Hahn (Southern) vs. Kamila Bieszczad (Jackson Memorial)

  • 145: Saniyah Queen (St. Thomas Aquinas) vs. Olivia Georges (DePaul)

  • 152: Kamila Castro (Ridgewood) vs. Jenna Filieri (Immaculate Conception-Lodi)

  • 165: Ari Tyson (Cherry Hill West) vs. Savanna Marlin (Rancocas Valley)

  • 185: Apryl Coffman (St. Thomas Aquinas) vs. Jade Hahn (Donovan Catholic

  • 235: Shellitha Collins (Ewing) vs. Caroline Biegel (Lakeland)

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: South Jersey sends two wrestlers to the finals at NJ wrestling tourney