(no subject)
Tomorrow at 2pm Southern Regional Rams Wrestling will take on Jackson Wrestling @ Jackson.
This is such a huge match because Southern is ranked #2 in NJ and #21 in the USA, and Jackson is ranked #1 in NJ and #11 in the USA. This match is basically for the Division championship, which 2 more matches practically gauranteed for the Conference and State championships. Tickets went on sale Wednesday, and were sold out by 5pm. Jackson has, unfortunately, an 800 person gym, so many people - like me - are bummed. I called many former coaches to try and get tickets, but to no avail. It doesn't help that Jackson only allowed Southern a mere 200 of those 800 tickets. I was told that people without a ticket will not even be allowed in the parking lot, and that people with a Shore Conference Gold Card (free entry to any Shore Conference sporting event) will not be allowed in, either.
Our wrestling program has been a dynasty over the last 10 years, with a solid program in the late 60's:
State Champions: Group 4 - 2005
State Sectional Champions: South Jersey Group 4 - 1997, 2005, 2006
Shore Conf. Tournament Champions: 1997, 1998
Division Champions: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1998, 1999, 2005
District 24 Team Titles: 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
District 25 Team Titles: 1969, 1970
Unfortunately for me, none of the Championships came during the 1999 and 2000 seasons, my two years of Varsity wrestling. We won the Division in 1998, my sophomore year, but I chose not to wrestle. Oops. In 1999 and 2000 we didn't win anything because we were always runners-up...mostly to Jackson. The years before I got to wrestling Varsity at Southern the big rival was Brick Memorial - a team with an amazing wrestling tradition, far greater and longer than what we have. But, my junior year (1999), we went 16-3, and all three losses came to Jackson. By 1 point for the division title, by 9 points in the Shore Conference semi-finals, and finally by a whooping in the State playoffs. We lost to them by a single point again my Senior year, and it's been an intense rivalry since, as the two teams have emerged to be the 2 best in the state. However, most people don't realize it's been pretty one-sided. From that one point loss in 1999 to the last match between the two last season, Jackson has won 15/16 matches against us. Thing is, it's always in the final or semi-final of a championship, and both teams are ranked in the top 20 (if not top 5) in NJ. The one win for us came in 2005 when we beat them for the Division championship, but they turned right around and beat us for the Conference championship! They were upset in the semi-finals of the playoffs by Phillipsburg, who we went on to beat for our first overall State championship. Anyway, losing to them 4 out of 4 times in my two years of Varsity wrestling makes this personal.
I'm really upset I can't go, but at least I got to see us - as the #2 team in NJ - beat the #3 team in New Jersey (Camden Catholic) the week between Xmas and New Year. If tomorrow's match were at Southern, it wouldn't be a problem - ticket or no ticket - because as a former wrester I could just walk in. However, the next match, no doubt for the Shore Conference title, will definitely be at Southern. Let's hope I can make it.
And not that anyone reads this anymore, but if you're interested in following along in easily the biggest wrestling match of the year for NJ (and one of the biggest in the country), you can do so here or here at 2pm EST. I know I will.
This is such a huge match because Southern is ranked #2 in NJ and #21 in the USA, and Jackson is ranked #1 in NJ and #11 in the USA. This match is basically for the Division championship, which 2 more matches practically gauranteed for the Conference and State championships. Tickets went on sale Wednesday, and were sold out by 5pm. Jackson has, unfortunately, an 800 person gym, so many people - like me - are bummed. I called many former coaches to try and get tickets, but to no avail. It doesn't help that Jackson only allowed Southern a mere 200 of those 800 tickets. I was told that people without a ticket will not even be allowed in the parking lot, and that people with a Shore Conference Gold Card (free entry to any Shore Conference sporting event) will not be allowed in, either.
Our wrestling program has been a dynasty over the last 10 years, with a solid program in the late 60's:
State Champions: Group 4 - 2005
State Sectional Champions: South Jersey Group 4 - 1997, 2005, 2006
Shore Conf. Tournament Champions: 1997, 1998
Division Champions: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1998, 1999, 2005
District 24 Team Titles: 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
District 25 Team Titles: 1969, 1970
Unfortunately for me, none of the Championships came during the 1999 and 2000 seasons, my two years of Varsity wrestling. We won the Division in 1998, my sophomore year, but I chose not to wrestle. Oops. In 1999 and 2000 we didn't win anything because we were always runners-up...mostly to Jackson. The years before I got to wrestling Varsity at Southern the big rival was Brick Memorial - a team with an amazing wrestling tradition, far greater and longer than what we have. But, my junior year (1999), we went 16-3, and all three losses came to Jackson. By 1 point for the division title, by 9 points in the Shore Conference semi-finals, and finally by a whooping in the State playoffs. We lost to them by a single point again my Senior year, and it's been an intense rivalry since, as the two teams have emerged to be the 2 best in the state. However, most people don't realize it's been pretty one-sided. From that one point loss in 1999 to the last match between the two last season, Jackson has won 15/16 matches against us. Thing is, it's always in the final or semi-final of a championship, and both teams are ranked in the top 20 (if not top 5) in NJ. The one win for us came in 2005 when we beat them for the Division championship, but they turned right around and beat us for the Conference championship! They were upset in the semi-finals of the playoffs by Phillipsburg, who we went on to beat for our first overall State championship. Anyway, losing to them 4 out of 4 times in my two years of Varsity wrestling makes this personal.
I'm really upset I can't go, but at least I got to see us - as the #2 team in NJ - beat the #3 team in New Jersey (Camden Catholic) the week between Xmas and New Year. If tomorrow's match were at Southern, it wouldn't be a problem - ticket or no ticket - because as a former wrester I could just walk in. However, the next match, no doubt for the Shore Conference title, will definitely be at Southern. Let's hope I can make it.
And not that anyone reads this anymore, but if you're interested in following along in easily the biggest wrestling match of the year for NJ (and one of the biggest in the country), you can do so here or here at 2pm EST. I know I will.