By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @Gdsullysays
FRANKLINVILLE — With a program as decorated as Delsea Regional, the first couple rounds of the state playoffs are just a tune-up for bigger things.
The host and top-seeded Crusaders made quick work of No. 8 Barnegat and fourth-seeded Ocean City on Monday night, pinning their way into a South Jersey Group 3 championship bout against No. 2 Lacey Township on Wednesday night in Franklinville. Lacey took care of No. 7 Absegami in the opening round then outlasted No. 3 Seneca, 41-33, to advance to the title match.
Delsea scored 10 pins and two technical falls in a 76-6 rout of Barnegat in the opening round, then took care of Ocean City, 56-17, in the semifinals. The only points the Crusaders gave up against Barnegat came via forfeit in the 113-pound weight class where junior Grayson Pettit is trying to make weight again after bumping up to 120. He’s ranked No. 7 individually in the state by nj.com.
“Just going out there and competing, doing what we do in the (practice) room. I was happy with how they performed tonight. Lacey is really tough and we have to focus on them right now. They have a really good lineup. Our focus is on getting Grayson (Pettit) back at 113, he should be back for Wednesday. If we can get him back that will level out our lineup. He was bumping up (in weight) but he’s on his way back down and he should be there by Wednesday,” said Delsea coach Tom Maxwell. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is that if you get a lineup out there that doesn’t give up bonus points and can save points here and there, that’s the type of lineup that can win. Get bonus points when you can and save every point you can — that’s what I’m looking for.”
Bonus points were no problem in the win over Ocean City, as Zavier Stokes, Jamar Dixon and Cameron Pote all scored first-period pins at 138 pounds, 144 and 150, respectively. Riley Boos topped Jace Watson, 10-4, to give Delsea (18-2, 6-0 Tri-County Royal) a 21-0 lead before Ocean City (16-6, 5-2 Cape-Atlantic American) got on the board with a technical fall by senior 165-pounder Tommy Grimley, who notched career win No. 100.
“It’s awesome for our program,” said Red Raiders coach Dan Calhoun. “This is our third 100-win wrestler in the last seven years, so that’s awesome.”
“My 100th win is one of the biggest goals I’ve had. Ever since I was a freshman I’ve wanted to get 100 wins,” said Grimley, who’s ranked No. 7 in the state at his weight class. “After my freshman year I only had 11 wins so it felt like it was an out-of-reach goal, but I just really had to work hard at it. All the hard work eventually paid off.”
Grimley said taking on a team like Delsea — ranked No. 13 in the state in the latest nj.com Top 20 poll — will pay dividends for Red Raiders wrestlers as they enter the individual postseason later this month.
“Facing a team like Delsea, if anything, we should be grateful for this because even though we lost we’re going to be able to learn from it and move forward, see what we have to work on, what our weaknesses are. That’s going to be good going into the (individual) postseason,” he said.
Coach Calhoun concurred.
“We were wrestling a program that’s been the best since I started coaching. I started here in 1999 as an assistant coach, so I know what this program is all about,” Calhoun said. “It’s great for our kids to wrestle one of the best teams in New Jersey, get that experience and bring it into districts and regions. This is what you need. You need tough competition.”
Delsea extended the lead to 27-5 with a Joel Anderson pin at 175 pounds, and then sophomore 190-pounder Greg Sawyer (son of former coach Greg Sawyer) scored a technical fall over David Schultz to push the lead to 32-5. Sawyer has just one loss this season, to St. Augustine Prep’s Ron Kraus.
“We just wanted to win. We got a lot of pins and the coaches have really been stressing getting those extra points now that we’re in the playoffs. I felt pretty confident. For me, I just want to keep working under pressure because there’s going to be a lot of that going forward. I can definitely get better at that,” he said. “It gets tougher from here, but as long as we wrestle right and practice right and get bonus points and pins, we’ll be alright. We’re coming to win (the state championship).”
Salvatore Marchese, Reid Lightfoot, Amari Vann, Greg Summers and Jamison Devlin all scored wins for Delsea, while the Red Raiders got a pin from Clifford Dirkes at heavyweight and a forfeit victory by Sean Hoag at 113.
Delsea now zeroes its focus in on winning a team state championship, while Ocean City’s wrestlers turn to the upcoming district tournament.
“We want to get through this week and get as far as we can, and hopefully be back at Rutgers (for the state championship). After that, we really want to get locked in on the individual postseason,” Maxwell said. “I think we have a lot of guys who can make a run in Atlantic City and make a run at the podium. We want to try to get as many guys as we can on the box. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Said Ocean City’s Calhoun, “let’s get on the podium. Move on. It doesn’t matter how you win, just get your hand raised and move on. Place in the top three at districts, place in top four at regions and you get to states.”
WHAT’S NEXT: No. 2 Lacey Township at No. 1 Delsea Regional in the South Jersey Group 3 championship, Wednesday, time TBD.
NOTES: Ocean City beat fifth-seeded Moorestown, 50-25, in the quarterfinal round. The Red Raiders got wins from Wyatt Tolson, Connor Nicoletti, Watson, Grimley, Schultz, Dirkes, Sawyer Gayeski, Hoag and Graham Tolson. Moorestown (14-9, 3-2 Olympic National) picked up victories by Michael Angelini, Nasir Briggs, Tommy O’Connor, Josh Leath and Liam Seiden.
