Huskies turn heads with breakout season BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer The Matawan High School wrestling team entered the campaign hoping to dramatically improve on last year's victory total of 10 wins. The Huskies have done that and then some, as eight members of the team have posted more than 20 wins. Overall, Matawan owns a 22-9 mark and the Huskies performed well in the Shore Conference's Class B North division. Long Branch, Wall and Raritan all tied for the top spot in the division with Matawan right behind. Coach Andy Lasko's team qualified for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II tourney, but lost a hard-fought opening-round match to Raritan. The Huskies began the season with a second-place finish in their Icebreaker Invitational, where 10 Matawan wrestlers reached the semifinals. During the season Matawan posted solid victories over teams like Marlboro, Colts Neck, Manchester and Freehold Borough. The 22 wins is the best in the team's history. "Our program is growing and moving in the right direction," Lasko explained. "We have a full lineup and our guys have worked very hard, many of them put in a lot of time in the summer going to camps and tournaments. We have a lot of seniors in the lineup and most of them have been together for four seasons. They're great kids, they get along and really work to help each other, and they've gelled this season. They deserve the success they've had." Rob Sousa, Stephen Turner and Cesare Antista have all posted identical 30-5 records. Sousa, who competes at 160 pounds, won 19 times a year ago; Turner, a junior 215-pounder, now has 60 career victories; and Antista, a sophomore, has 54 career triumphs. The team record is 96 wins set by Justin Haskins in the mid-'90s. Antista is among the first graduates of the local Mat-Rat program to arrive at Matawan. A pair of freshmen, Johnny Short (130 pounds) and Jordan Long (135), are also recent additions who went through the program. Short is 25-9, while Long is 24-9. "We're starting to see the benefits of the Mat-Rat program," Lasko said. "A lot of other towns have programs like this and the kids have an opportunity to learn a lot before they get into high school. The same thing is happening here. It's a huge help when you can work with kids who know the fundamentals." Matawan's other top winners include Ed Terry (125), 27-8; Ryan Bullard (HW), 25-7; Andy DeNardo (152), 25-9; Conor MacDermott (145), 24-12; and Nikko Montecillo (112), 19-14. DeNardo now has 73 career wins. Bullard leads the team in pins with 17, followed by Antista with 14 and Turner with 12. In addition, Craig DeLisi (189) is 17-17 and junior Jason Mandragona (103) is 17-18. Joseph Cima (171) is 12-9 and hard-working Ed McCarthy (140) is 10-16, but is showing promise and steadily improving Lasko said. Next up for the Huskies is the District 21 Tournament, which begins Friday evening in Manalapan. Matawan's district also includes perennial powerhouses Jackson and Howell, so Lasko's team will be tested. "The guys are looking forward to it," the coach explained. "I think we'll make our mark as a team and we have some wrestlers who can contend in their weight classes. It will be an exciting weekend."