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Here's why this is a showcase season for St. John Vianney's wrestling toughness

steven falk, asbury park press
·4 min read

HOLMDEL - There is a fine line between a team of talented individuals and a team that wrestles as a team.

If St. John Vianney, which has an abundance of individual talent, is going to win an NJSIAA team group championship for the first time since 1995, it will take the type of effort it showed Wednesday night in a 41-24 win over rival Raritan in a Shore Conference Class A Central match before a boisterous crowd.

The Lancers are in Non-Public B this season after being in the power-packed Non-Public A section in recent seasons. It would appear their major opposition in Non-Public B is Camden Catholic .

St. John Vianney (5-1, 3-0), ranked No. 3 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10 and No. 11 in the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20, grinded out some wins in addition to the bonus points it got from its stars.

More:A new No. 1 and plenty of other changes in the Shore Conference Wrestling Top 10

"Come in the room and find out, we're definitely a team,'' said senior 215-pounder Michael Foley. "We all work together.''

St. John Vianney has major firepower in returning state champion Anthony Knox, returning state runner-up Patrick O'Keefe, returning state fifth-place finisher Jasiah Queen and three other returning state qualifiers.

Five of those six recorded wins Wednesday, with Knox (126), Queen (165) pinning and O'Keefe (120) recording a major decision.

St. John Vianney's returning state champion Anthony Knox pinned Avery Rafalko at 126 pounds in the Lancers' 41-24 win over Raritan Wednesday night.
St. John Vianney's returning state champion Anthony Knox pinned Avery Rafalko at 126 pounds in the Lancers' 41-24 win over Raritan Wednesday night.

But, the Lancers also won a tossup bout at 190 when Luca Minardo edged Nicholas O'Beirne 3-2 and received a 3-1 win by returning state qualifier Jake Zaltsman (132) over unbeaten and returning state qualifier Ryan Mansueto.

"Our guys showed a lot of perseverance and toughness,'' St. John Vianney coach Chris Notte said. "At the end of the day, when we're down in Atlantic City (at the NJSIAA Individual Tournament), regions, states, you're going to have to gut them out.''

More:Shore Conference wrestling stars from Week 4

WHAT IT MEANS

St. John Vianney, which rebounded from the 46-15 thumping it took from a very good Paramus Catholic team last Saturday, took a major step toward winning the outright Class A Central championship for the second straight season.

It would appear the only major obstacle left in St. John Vianney's path is a home match against Rumson-Fair Haven on Jan. 25.

St. John Vianney's Patrick O'Keefe (with his back to the camera) is shown during his 19-5 major decision win at 120 pounds over Matt Erven in the Lancers' 41-24 win over Raritan Wednesday night.
St. John Vianney's Patrick O'Keefe (with his back to the camera) is shown during his 19-5 major decision win at 120 pounds over Matt Erven in the Lancers' 41-24 win over Raritan Wednesday night.

The Lancers' lineup figures to get better when the 2-pound weight allowance kicks in Saturday. O'Keefe will eventually slide down to 113. Knox to 120 and Zaltsman to 126. Those three all weighed up a weight at 120, 126 and 132 respectively Wednesday night.

KEY BOUT

Nobody showed more perseverance than Foley in his bout against Kieran Falzon.

Falzon, who bumped up to wrestle Foley in a rematch of their wild bout in the dual meet between the teams last season in which Foley pinned with Falzon winning, led 4-1 and then 6-3 before Foley rallied to take a 10-8 lead before he recorded the fall with 56 seconds remaining.

"It's definitely not the start I hoped for, but I got the finish I hoped for,'' Foley said.

St. John Vianney's Michael Foley (top) is shown pinning Raritan's Kieran Falzon in the 215-pound bout in the Lancers' 41-24 win Wednesday night.
St. John Vianney's Michael Foley (top) is shown pinning Raritan's Kieran Falzon in the 215-pound bout in the Lancers' 41-24 win Wednesday night.

Foley, who was the quarterback on St. John Vianney's football team this past fall, is one who perhaps flies under the radar even though he was a region fifth-place finisher last season.

"He has done everything I've asked of him for the past four years,'' Notte said. "He's an unbelievable athlete. He can move well. He's got good feet. He showed unbelievable guts and perseverance.''

UP NEXT

St. John Vianney will join fellow Shore Conference teams Southern and Christian Brothers Academy Saturday and Sunday at the rugged Escape The Rock Tournament at Council Rock South (Pa.) High School.

165: Jasiah Queen (SJV) p. Jack Devaney 1:35. St. John Vianney wrestling defeats Raritan High School 41-24 in Holmdel, NJ on January 11, 2023.
165: Jasiah Queen (SJV) p. Jack Devaney 1:35. St. John Vianney wrestling defeats Raritan High School 41-24 in Holmdel, NJ on January 11, 2023.

Raritan (9-4, 2-1), ranked No. 4 in the APP Top 10, will wrestle in an intriguing quad meet at Brick Memorial Saturday against unbeaten Northern Burlington, No. 5 Brick Memorial and No. 7 Jackson Memorial.

The Rockets, who wrestled without regular 165-pounder Robert Mulligan, starting 175-pounder Stephen Moser and regular heavyweight Tom Jeleniewski, expect to be at full strength for that quad.

ST. JOHN VIANNEY 41, RARITAN 24

150: Braden Kmak (R) d. Cole Stangle 1-0 (tiebreaker period No. 1).

157: Kevin McBride (SHV) d. Logan Acevedo 4-0.

165: Jasiah Queen (SJV) p. Jack Devaney 1:35.

175: Thomas Cleary (SJV) p. Kenny Ganz 1:21.

190: Luca Minardo (SJV) d. Nicholas O'Beirne 3-2.

215: Michael Foley (SJV) p. Kieran Falzon 5:04.

HWT: Riyan Bhutto (R) d. Ryan Buchanan 16-12;

106: Matthew Gould (SJV) md. Nicholas Sheldrick 18-6.

113: Aidan Davis (R) p. Ryan Kearney 1:26.

120: Patrick O'Keefe (SJV) md. Matt Erven 19-5.

126: Anthony Knox (SJV) p. Avery Rafalko 3:21.

132: Jake Zaltsman (SJV) d. Ryan Mansueto 3-1.

138: Alex Delaurier (R) p. Abraham Adu-Amoako 2:40.

144: Zach Reilley (R) p. John Saraiva :58.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ wrestling: St. John Vianney, Michael Foley win over Raritan