Cranford Wrestling Team takes District 11 Wrestling Title

                After finishing agonizingly short of their goal of winning the section title in a one point loss at South Plainfield on February 13, the Cranford Wrestling Team bounced back in the final team competition of the season by rolling to their second consecutive District 11 wrestling title contested at Westfield on Feb 20-21. With nine of their 14 wrestlers qualifying for the finals, there was not a great deal of suspense in the team battle as Cranford scored 203 points to easily outdistance Scotch Plains Fanwood which finished with 169. The districts begin the individual portion of the wrestling schedule leading to the state finals in Atlantic City the first week of March. For Cranford’s six champions, which broke the school record of five set numerous times, it meant immediate entry into the region quarterfinals Friday night February 27 at Union, while the three runner ups plus third place finisher heavyweight Kevin Doran will face a first round match on Wednesday night February 25.

                Two Cranford wrestlers junior Niko Cappello (182) and senior Gavin Murray (152) won their third career titles while sophomores Tom DiGiovanni, Chris Scorese and Vince Concina all won their second titles at 120, 126 and 132 pounds, respectively. Sophomore Anthony Capece also won at 106, while junior Dave Bush (138), sophomore Brian McGovern (145) and Andrew Tompkins (160) finished second. Starting with DiGiovanni at 120, Cranford wrestlers competed in seven straight finals, winning four. Capece, Cappello and Murray all earned top seeds in their weight classes, while Scorese is a second seed, DiGiovanni is fourth at 120 and Concina is seventh in a loaded 132 class.

Murray won at 138 last year and 132 in 2013. Cappello prevailed at 160 last season and at 145 in 2013.   DiGiovanni,   Scorese and Concina won at 113, 120 and 132, respectively, last season. Concina’s other title came at District 19 while competing for Bishop Ahr.

                Murray, second in the state last year at 138, spent less than six minutes on the mat in his two wins, pinning Majid Abdur Rahman Rahway in 2:53.  Murray, a virtual unknown in state circles at this time last year, does not approach the state tournament differently from his rung as the second ranked wrestler at 152.

“Last year I did not look past the next match and it worked out. In the regions, the top rated wrestler (Travis Vasquez of Delbarton) was upset in the previous round and I faced Alex Murray instead,” said Murray, who did ten wind sprints after his match “to keep in shape”.

“There are very good wrestlers out there who may not be ranked but are looking for their chance to make a big splash in the state tournament. Everybody at this level is dangerous and looking ahead too far will end your season quick,” added Murray, who insists that nobody will outwork him in practice.

 “Coach Bones (Cranford Assistant Coach Justin Bonitatis, a College All American at TCNJ), pushes me hard every day in the wrestling room and gives me the challenges I will be facing in the states.”

                Scorese, who was Outstanding Wrestler in the district last year at 120, was dominant in defending his title without relinquishing a point. He blanked Jashmar Phillippe of SPF 10-0 in the finals after pinning in 56 seconds in the semi-finals.

“I am much stronger than I was last year. I came so close to Atlantic City last year,” said Scorese, who had a big confidence booster when he recently defeated Atlantic City qualifier Ryan Walsh of South Plainfield in the state section final.

Concina scored four takedowns in a dominant 8-2 win over Devin Jefferson of Rahway. After the match, Concina pumped his fast and high fived his coaches and teammates in a showing of happiness and relief.

“It feels good to win again. I had lost a bunch of close matches in a row. I have not had the season I thought I had but the states are a new chance to finish up strong,” said Concina, who enjoys the daily competition Cranford’s talented middleweight wrestlers afford him.

“We have so many good wrestlers. Every day practice is like a war but it prepares you for the matches,” added Concina.

                Cappello, who has worn off the rigors of an intense football season, won his 19^th straight match and is now 29-3 for the season. His 9-3 victory over Jaylen Bryant of SPF exhibited his brute strength and impressive mobility. Several times, Cappello allowed his opponent a one point escape only to take him down again. Cappello, who qualified for Atlantic City last year as a third place finisher is hoping to get there as a region winner.

“I let him up so I could take him down again. I was able to get my shots in and control the match. Having gone there once, I am aware of what I have to do at the regions. I have a good focus and am ready to win,” said Cappello.

                DiGiovanni blanked Jack Cannon of SPF 9-0 in the 120 finals, but now faces an incredibly challenging region that includes defending 106 pound state champion Ty Agaisse of Delbarton and two other highly ranked wrestlers; Lou Ramio of Hanover Park and Phillip Angelo of Summit.

“It is not going to be easy but I am confident I can get back to AC again this year. Except for Agaisse, it’s the same group as last year” said DiGiovanni, who lost to eventual region champion Ramio in the semifinals but bounced back to win his wrestle back semifinal and defeated Angelo 1-0 in the third place match at 113.

               

                Capece started the final round by winning by major decision over Sabri Murray of Rahway 12-3. Capece also scored a flurry of takedowns in his 14-2 semifinal match.

“I am much strong this year. Last year I was very light for 106. Moving up to 113 was good practice for me. I am ready for anything,” said Capece.

                Just missing the group of ten was senior Nick Ballas, a region qualifier last year, who completed an excellent career with a heartbreaking 8-7 loss in the third place match.

“I wish I could have gone another week, but I will be there cheering everybody on. Coach Gorman has built a great program and Cranford is here to stay.”

               

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Cranford swimming and wrestling teams excel

It was nearly a doubly lucky Friday the 13^th for Cranford’s two powerful Winter sports teams but

The wrestlers fell one point short of matching the girls swimming team as first time sectional champions when they dropped a heartbreaking 25-24 match at perennial power South Plainfield. Thirty miles to the south at Neptune Aquatic Center on Friday night, the girls, swimming with heavy hearts and the memory of deceased team member Justin Juzefyk, swam one of their best meets and clobbered top seed Summit 105-65.

“Friday night was an exciting time for Cranford Athletics having both swimming and wrestling competing for sectional titles at the same time.  We are very proud of both programs for their success so far this season.  Last Friday was the result of many hours and years of preparation by these athletes and coaches,” said Athletic Director Darren Torsone.

            As she has for four brilliant years, senior Julie Byrne led the swimming team by winning two individual events and swam on two winning relays. Byrne took first in her specialties, the 200-yard individual medley in 2:06.66 and the 100 butterfly in 57.29. She was joined in the quadruple winners’ circle by spectacular freshman Emily Wilson who swept the freestyle sprints, winning the 50 free in 24.75 and the 100 free in 54.23 and also swam on the winning 200 yard medley and 200 yard freestyle relays. Byrne is happy to pass the torch to such a talented freshman.

“Emily Wilson is a terrific swimmer. She is having a fantastic season as a freshman and I know she will continue to grow and improve over the next three years. She has a lot of talent and potential and I know the team will continue to succeed with her contributions, “said Byrne.

            In addition to Wilson, sophomores Isabella DeSimone, and Amelia Templeton, have helped the team dominate the 50 and 100 yard freestyle events. Junior Sarah Turkavage joined Wilson and Byrne as double winners by taking first in the 200 yard freestyle (2:02.90) and the 500 yard freestyle (5:17.21). Cranford won the first seven events of the day as it built an early lead in a rematch of its 96-74 win over Summit on Dec. 4. After three years of swimming coed meets, Byrne was thrilled to cap her senior year with a championship.

“Winning a sectional title my senior year was so exciting. Our team has worked hard for this and I'm so proud of our accomplishment. Our success has to be credited to our two coaches, Coach Kolesa and Coach Donnelly. They have put a lot of hard work into our season and have supported us through everything,” said Byrne.

            Veteran Coach Barb Kolesa saw the focus of her season change tragically Juzefy, a member of the Cranford boys swimming team, was killed in a car accident on Feb. 3.

“We were just getting ready for the State Team Competition when we received the

news that Justin had died.  Many of our swimmers took it hard,” said Kolesa, who tried to help the team through its ordeal.

“We met at the pool the day he passed and talked, cried and did our best to cope with the news.  The team attended his memorial service together and being together through the whole ordeal helped the team cope with the tragedy. The team decided that all swims, and swim meets would be dedicated to the memory of Justin Juzefyk.”

In the first year that Cranford, separated from a co-ed into two separate programs, the sectional title fulfilled and even surpassed Kolesa’s hopes.

“I always believed that the team was capable of winning a sectional title.  We have a very talented group of swimmers and a lot of depth.  In regards to our sectional win, my prediction was that we were going to win by a close margin of around ten points.  The girls surpassed my expectations when they defeated Summit by over30 points.  I thought the meet was going to be determined by the last relay, however,

the girls already had the meet won after the backstroke event, two events before the end,” said Kolesa.

  "The other three years have been really exciting and we’ve gotten really close with the boys team. But, being able to be a girls team and win a sectional title has been really special for us,” said Byrne.

            Coach Patrick Gorman has gradually built the Cranford Wrestling program into the best in Union County and has held its own with some of the state’s renown powers. That fact was again made apparent in the final week of dual matches when the Cougars turned back perennial power Long Branch, the 18^th ranked team in the state, 34-28 on Wednesday February 11 before a raucous crowd at sold out Martin Gym in Cranford.

“It was a big stepping stone victory for us and the fans were great,” said Gorman.

Sophomore Tom DiGiovanni, opened things with an exciting 8-6 victory at 120 followed by another pin from Sophomore Chris Scorese at 126. Junior Dave Busch scored a late take down to win at 138 and sophomore Brian McGovern won 6-3 at 145. Senior Captain Gavin Murray wasted no time in securing a pin at 152 to extend the early lead 21-3. Junior Niko Cappello added a pin at 182 to push the lead to 27-10 and senior captain Nick Ballas added four big points with a 9-1 major decision. With a 31-24 lead sophomore Anthony Capece clinched the match with an 8-3 victory at 106. As the clock ticked down the final seconds in the third period the Cranford fans were all on their feet cheering on, knowing the team effort had advanced Cranford to the state sectional finals.

Against a seasoned South Plainfield team playing in one of the toughest home venues, the Cougars fought SPF even, splitting the 14 matches. DiGiovanni won by pin, Scorese took a close decision, McGovern took another impressive win, Murray won by major decision, Cappello and Ballas won tough matches and heavyweight Kevin Doran took an impressive 1-0 victory.

For the wrestlers, it is now on to the individual state tournament phase of their schedule which begins this weekend with the District 11 tournament at Westfield. Cranford is heavily favored to defend its title. 

Julie Byrne

             If Julie Byrne had decided not to swim her senior year she still would have been remembered as one of Union County’s greatest swimmers and the Cranford record holder in nearly every event she ever tried. But Byrne, who will swim for Bucknell next year, has continued her upward ascent, breaking her own records and leading the Cranford Girls team to a historic season.

At the Union County Championships in January, the Cranford senior added to her legacy as she broke her own meet record and had a pair of individual victories at Rutgers University in Piscataway. Byrne won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:05.74, snapping her previous record of 2:06.00, set last season. She also won the 100 Butterfly for the fourth straight season in 56.76 to help Cranford finish third in the team standings with 259 points. In their first year as a girl’s team, Cranford has a 9-2 record and is hoping to win the 2015 NJSIAA Central, Group C title, which would be the first state championship in school history.

“Looking back at my county career I feel as if I can walk away from this experience with more than just individual wins. I learned how to race my competition and embrace the pressure that every swimmer feels before a race,” said Byrne.

“The individual wins were very exciting for me. Being able to win one event, 100 butterfly, all four years is something I was proud of and worked very hard for. Also being able to win the 200 IM two years in a row was very exciting. I wouldn't have changed anything over the past four years because I feel like I have grown through this experience. “

            Although choosing a college was a long process Byrne considered it enjoyable. Byrne had her choice of many fine schools but decided on Bucknell, in rustic Lewisburg, PA.

“I chose Bucknell over the other schools was because I felt that it was a perfect fit for me. I fell in love with the campus as soon as I saw it and meeting the coach and team confirmed my decision to attend,” said Byrne, who is not certain whether she will specialize in fewer events.

“I like to keep my options open and experiment in different events. Some of the events I like the most have been unexpected. “

For her first three years, Byrne competed primarily against boys in Cranford’s dual coed meets but this season, she has only faced girls, a development Byrne believes has helped the team..

“I think the girls on our team were able to focus and felt more confident racing other girls, and this is evident in our results. I think both the boys and girls team are doing a great job for our first year as a split team and I look forward to seeing how we finish out the season. “

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            Although a great individual talent, Byrne seems to be even more excited when her teammates are involved. Byrne joined junior Ashley Cave, sophomore Bella DeSimone and freshmen Emily Wilson to break school records in the 400 yard medley and 400 yard freestyle relays and finished second in the county in each.

“It was so exciting being on such a strong relay team. We were able to go into counties and compete. We were extremely pleased with our second place finishes and were happy to be able to start and end the day with such great races,” said Byrne, who was also a contributing member on cross country and track her first two years.

“I think the most memorable part of my high school swimming career would be my teammates. I met and became friends with amazing people. Our team became one huge family. Everyone has been supportive and always there for each other in every way possible,” said Byrne.

As a junior followed her impressive county performance with another quality showing at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. She finished in fourth place in the 200 IM, recording a time of 2:06.35 in the final. She entered the final as the top seed after registering a time of 2:05.64 in the preliminaries. Byrne also finished in eighth place at M of C in the 100 fly with a time of 58.11.

"Going into the Meet of Champions was really exciting," Byrne said. "The competition there is very excellent. I got fourth in the IM, which was disappointing, but the girls who came that day and raced really deserved it for their outstanding race. I didn't have a great race that day, but those races help me train harder."

Although swimming take up much of her time Burke also enjoys a variety of activities like listening to music, going to the beach in the summer, baking, and going out with her friends.  

Unfortunately the season has been marred with the tragic death of junior Justin Juzefyk in an automobile accident on February 3.

“Justin was an amazing person and will be greatly missed. We have decided to dedicate the rest of our season to him. I am extremely thankful for my team and couldn't imagine my high school swimming career with any other teammates. “