Milestone achievements highlight Region 8 wrestling championships

By NICK KOSKO Correspondent EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — As the lights came on inside the Egg Harbor Township gymnasium, each of the Region 8 finalists knew they already had punched their ticket to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall for the New Jersey state wrestling championships next weekend. The only thing on their minds was to be at the top of the podium and solidify themselves as the top wrestlers in South Jersey. These bouts were full of achievements, especially for St. Augustine Prep senior 152-pounder Jarred Hodges. Hodges, an Egg Harbor Township resident, notched his 100th career victory by defeating Jake Maxwell, of Buena Regional, 5-1 in the region final. “I was so excited because I knew all of my hard work paid off and I couldn’t be more proud of myself,” Hodges said. Hodges will be making his third trip to the state tournament, and despite that great feat, he’s treating it just like any other tournament. “I really just clear my head and try not to feed into all of the media talk. I just like to wrestle my own game and keep my head on my shoulders,” Hodges said. For the second straight year host school Egg Harbor Township crowned a region champion who had failed to win the District 32 tournament. Sophomore Connor Agostino outlasted Mainland Regional upstart Kolin Roberts — who made it all the way to the region title bout despite being a No. 5 seed at districts — in the 195-pound weight class. Last year, Jamie Ingersoll accomplished the feat at 160 pounds. Holy Spirit senior Pat D’Arcy topped Paulsboro’s Mike Morina to win the Region 8 title at 126 pounds on Saturday at Egg Harbor Township High School. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) After finishing second in the state last season at 113 pounds, Holy Spirit senior Pat D’Arcy won his second consecutive Region 8 title  — this time at 126 pounds — and will look end his high school career as a state champion. “It feels awesome to win another one. I wrestled some tough opponents, but I’m happy with my performance. I know there are 24 guys training to win a state title, so that motivates me more to work hard this upcoming week and just being ready to wrestle,” D’Arcy said. “Every time you step on the mat, the other guy is looking to beat you and he won’t care how good you are or what seed you are. I just have to go out there and take care of business.” For, C.J LaFragola, a 182-pound senior at St. Joseph of Hammonton, winning his first region title was quite an accomplishment. LaFragola finished second last season to Ocean City’s Cooper Gallagher and went on to finish seventh at the state tournament. C.J. LaFragola, a senior at St. Joseph of Hammonton, took home a region title at 182 pounds after finishing second a year ago. “I feel great, and once that buzzer rang, I was able to look over at my family and friends and it really sunk in that I reached the top of the podium. I knew I could get here again after finishing second, so I just had to get over the hump. I can’t let the lights at states get to me like they did a bit last year. I’m ready to wrestle my match and get after it,” LaFragola said. St. Augustine Prep featured other winners on the night as Nick Clark (170) and James Brady (220) each took home their first Region 8 titles. Reid White (120) finished second after dropping a 6-4 decision to Clearview’s Zach Firestone. Heavyweight Tom Lynd, last year’s champion, finished third to earn another trip to the state tournament. Buena Regional also ended the night with two winners as Mason Brestle (145) and Antonio Rodriguez (HWT) each won in sudden-victory overtime. Chaz Bramble (138) finished third to earn his second trip to states. Jose Soto (182) of Millville fought off early season injuries to earn third place with a second-period pin over Woodstown’s Chad Watt. Vineland 138-pounder Zach Nealis finished second after falling 10-5 to Williamstown’s Anthony Racobaldo. The state championships begin Friday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The top three finishers from each of the eight regions qualified for the tournament, which usually attracts more than 10,000 fans during the three days of wrestling. [adsense]