Opening day of the 2018-19 RCGC wrestling season proved to be amazingly positive, if not somewhat surprising given the number of first-year athletes that make up the Roadrunner roster.

In the debut of first-year head coach Dan Antonelli, the Roadrunners looked more like an entrenched, veteran and savvy team as they thoroughly dismantled Temple University's club squad by a 43-10 score before a large home crowd Saturday.

And with just one returning wrestler on his roster of 20, that final score may have indicated the Runners may have some solid talent throughout their lineup. 

125-pounder Tate Merlino (Pitman) set a dramatic tone in the day's first match. He found himself quickly behind the Owl's Anthony Zayas by a 6-0 count thanks to a takedown and four back points awarded his opponent. But Merlino turned in a few moves of his own and rallied for the heart-thumping 10-9 win.

That gave the Runners a 3-0 lead, and the home team never looked back in building a 31-0 lead and coasting to the team win.

"It was great having my teammates, may family and the whole crowd behind me as I was making that comeback," said Merlino. "It's crazy – coach Ant (Antonelli) has done a great job recruiting this team, pushing us, and making this a lot of fun."  

Other winners on the day included Johsua Polite (133 pounds), Riley Onorato (157) and Bubba Norris (197), all by pins, along with Anthony Pencook (141), Jared Carr (149), Tyler Baer (165) and Anthony Prosperi (184).

"I wasn't sure what to expect," said coach Antonelli, who collected more than 300 wins in his scholastic coaching career guiding the Clayton-Glassboro High program. "I felt coming in we had some strength in the middle of our lineup, and that proved to be true. But we also saw some nice depth elsewhere too."

One of those nice surprises may have come at 197 pounds, where first-year wrestler Bubba Norris, a former Gateway Regional standout, who recorded a first-period pin 2:29 over Temple's Daniel Esenov to extend the Roadrunners' lead at that point to 43-4.

"I felt good out there today, but there's always room to get better," said Norris. "Coach Antonelli runs a pretty intense practice, so I'm sure all of us will keep improving."

The Roadrunners will next week to participate in the East Stroudsburg Open on Nov. 10 in a time to be announced.

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