The Garden State Athletic Conference Championship banner has returned to Rowan College at Gloucester County!
The 2018-19 Roadrunners, under the guidance of first-year coach Dan Antonelli, closed the deal Saturday afternoon in the RCGC Athletic Complex by rolling to consecutive wins over Bergen County (63-3), Middlesex (34-22), and Camden County (54-0).
Perhaps the key moment of the afternoon occurred in a tight battle over Middlesex, when Antonelli decided to shuffle his lineup to grab better matchups for his top wrestlers.
The Colts did not have a 165-pound wrestler available, so Antonellli moved Matt Gray into the 157 slot and then bumped up Dylan Skidmore to 165, Dylan Fischer to 174, and Tyler Baer to 184. Gray and Skidmore accepted forfeits. Fischer then stepped in and recorded a fall over Edwin Aguelera in 2 minutes and 22 seconds while Baer was equal to the challenge with a 2:43 fall over Demetrius Ruiz at 184.
Game over as the Runners held a commanding 34-6 lead at that point with two bouts remaining.
"They did not have a 165-pounder and that's one of our strengths, so that could have really hurt us," Antonelli said. "We inserted Matt Gray – he's been here for us all year – and he took the forfeit. That allowed us to move up Skidmore to 165, Fischer to 174 and Tyler Baer to 184, and that gave us some great kids at the top of the lineup."
Following a well-deserved championship photo session, Antonelli stressed that the current 2018-19 campaign is far from over. And a core group of his wrestlers concurred, with the District Tournament and NJCAA National Championships looming on the horizon.
"It's big for the kids – they worked hard for it," said Antonelli. "They set this as a goal in early season practices and they battled through a lot, including injuries, to make it here. It was nice for them to get this.
"We congratulated the kids and thanked them for their achievements – then we stressed that now you have to reset goals. We still have a lot of wrestling left this season and they could achieve even more success."
Sophomore Anthony Pencook was one of several wrestlers to step forward following the GSAC title run to state the 2018-19 season is far from finished.
"We have some more matches ahead of us," said Anthony Pencook, who enjoyed a solid afternoon at 141 pounds. "We will take care of business and be ready for the Districts. We know there's more success ahead for us."
Also basking in the glow of victory was Executive Director of Athletics Brian Rowan, who hired Anotnelli last summer to revive the proud RCGC wrestling program.
"Coach Antonelli has re-established our winning tradition and pride within the wrestling program," said Rowan. "These coaches and athletes have worked hard to bring back the GSAC championship banner to RCGC – and we are proud of all their efforts."