Bunting Family Pharmacy Athlete of the Week: Jose Tabora, St. Augustine Prep wrestling

It’s been a long year for St. Augustine Prep senior and Egg Harbor Township resident Jose Tabora, but with the success he’s having, he’ll take the bumps and bruises. Taboro injured his shoulder late in the football season — a season that saw the Hermits go 9-1 and win the Cape-Atlantic League, thanks in large part to Taboro’s talents as the team’s quarterback. That injury forced him to miss some time during the wrestling season, and he’s had to wear a large wrap-around brace throughout most of February. But that hasn’t stopped him, as the 182-pounder earned his first Region 8 title by knocking off top-seeded Jose Soto of Millville 8-1 on Saturday at Egg Harbor Township High School. For his efforts, Tabora is our Bunting Family Pharmacy Athlete of the Week, and he also gets to go to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall this coming weekend to compete in the state championships, where he is a No. 5 seed. St. Augustine Prep 182-pounder Jose Tabora reacts after beating Millville’s Jose Soto 8-1 on Saturday to win the Region 8 championship, the first of his career. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) Tabora, the District 32 champion, drew a bye in the opening round of the regionals, then took care of Mainland Regional’s Sean Lentsch 10-4 in the quarterfinals before blanking Jason Carter, of West Deptford, 6-0 in the semis. Carter came into the bout with just one loss on the season and was the District 29 champion. Tabora then controlled Soto throughout the finals on his way to an 8-1 win and the championship. “I knew all of the kids here were tough and I had to take it one match at a time,” Tabora said. “It felt really good to know I finally made the state tournament, and this region title was just the cherry on top.” Despite the title, Tabora said he was not sure, at one point in the season, if he would be able to continue wrestling because of the shoulder injury. The injury, along with the passing of his great grandmother, made the victory that much sweeter, he said. “I had to pick and choose my matches and just had to be careful with it. The injury was in the back of my mind, but when I felt I was good enough to go, I put it out of my head,” Tabora said. “It was definitely and up and down year on and off the mat, but I am glad I was able to fight through it and get to this point.”