Toms River North Looking For First Winning Season Since 2015 By Pat Ralph

 

After three straight winning seasons from 2013-2015, the Toms River North wrestling team suffered consecutive sub .500 campaigns in 2016 and 2017. However, off to a 5-1 start this year, the Mariners seemed destined to buck their losing trend of seasons past.

 

Toms River North opened the season with a fourth-place finish at the CBA Colt Classic and a strong victory over Holmdel (11-3) on the road before losing in its home opener against A South division rival Brick Memorial (7-2). Over the holiday break, the Mariners placed third at the Hawk Classic at Manchester High School and easily defeated CBA (4-4) at home. 

On Jan. 6, Toms River North stepped out of conference and nabbed two key wins against Voorhees and Bridgewater-Raritan. The Mariners followed that up with their first division win of the season by taking down crosstown rival Toms River East (4-4) at home.

One of the reasons for Toms River North’s impressive start has been the performance of its eight starters who returned from last year’s squad that went 12-13. Leading the way for the Mariners has been their two District champions last season: sophomore Nick Boggiano and junior Nick Reilly. At the 145 weight level, Boggiano went 32-7 last year as he captured the District 28 title and finished third in Region 7. Needless to say, Boggiano has had anything but a sophomore slump this year. At 10-1 on the season, Boggiano took first place at the Colt Classic and second place at the Hawk Classic. 

For Reilly, the goal this year is simple: going back-to-back-to-back as a District 28 champion at the 120 weight class. As a sophomore, Reilly captured his second straight District title and finished sixth in Region 7 last year on his way to finishing the season 29-9. Reilly is off to a 9-3 start as a junior this year with a pair of third-place finishes at the Colt Classic and Hawk Classic. 

Fellow upperclassmen Juan and Mike Nakano have also played a huge part in Toms River North’s 5-1 start this season. As a junior last year, Juan Nakano won 21 matches and placed second in the 170 weight class at Districts. This season, Juan is off to a 9-3 start with a pair of second place finishes at the Colt Classic and Hawk Classic. His brother, Mike, went 6-3 as a freshman and also placed second in his weight class at Districts last season. Nakano is off to a 9-4 start at 182 pounds this season with a second-place finish at the Hawk Classic. 

But the Mariners have also had several younger wrestlers and newcomers to their lineup contribute in a big way so far this year. After going 13-19 as a freshman last season, sophomore Ryan Rosenthal is 10-2 at the 106 weight class with a first-place finish at the Colt Classic and a second place finish at the Hawk Classic. Freshmen Alex Danelson, who finished third in his weight class at the Hawk Classic, is 7-6 at the 113 weight level. After going 1-3 as freshmen last season, sophomores Mark Fedeli (7-5) and Matt Spalletta (7-6) both earned third-place finishes in their respective weight divisions at the Hawk Classic. 

Before the Shore Conference Tournament gets underway at the end of the month, the Mariners will face A South rivals Southern (9-1), Jackson Memorial (5-5), and Central (2-12) all at home. In addition, Toms River North will take on High Point, Paulsboro, and Collingswood in non-conference action. After the Shore Conference Tournament gets under way, the Mariners will face Camden Catholic and participate in two quad matches before Districts and Regions get going.

Through the first month of the season, Toms River North has proven itself to be a strong team. However, the Mariners will need to continue wrestling at a high level the rest of the way if they want to finish the year with a winning record. 

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