Most wrestling coaches would be depressed and disconsolate after receiving a 49-14 drubbing, but there wasn’t a result in the world that was going to change St. Peter’s Prep head coach Keith Kelly’s disposition last Saturday.
Most wrestling coaches would be depressed and disconsolate after receiving a 49-14 drubbing, but there wasn’t a result in the world that was going to change St. Peter’s Prep head coach Keith Kelly’s disposition last Saturday.
Even after getting hammered by state-power Camden Catholic in the NJSIAA Parochial A state finals, Kelly still had a wide smile on his face – fresh from the state sectional championship that the team had captured two nights earlier, defeating rival Bergen Catholic, 36-32, in thrilling fashion.
The Marauders stunned Bergen Catholic on BC’s home mat in Oradell to earn the first-ever state sectional title in the nearly 30 years of the Prep wrestling program. And it was clinched on the final match of the night, when heavyweight Brian Grzelka shocked Bergen County champion Adam Ackerman by taking a 4-3 decision.
“That was a great scene,” said Rich Gronda, a long-time Prep follower whose three sons all wrestled for the Prep (one of them, Rick, is an assistant coach now). “After he (Grzelka) won, everyone stormed the mat, like it was our home match. It was something I’ll never forget.”
That’s why Kelly couldn’t be upset with suffering the one-sided setback on Saturday. History was made on Thursday. That’s good enough for now.
“When I took over the program, I wanted to accomplish things in steps,” Kelly said. “Take one step up, then another, then another. We never won the District championship before, and now, we’ve won it the last two years. Last year, we went to the Parochial A North finals and lost. This year, we won. It’s all about steps.”
Kelly added, “I can’t be upset by this [loss]. We came out and gave it all we had. But this was a powerhouse team. We gave it all we had and still didn’t have enough to beat this powerhouse team.”
In the finals, even the more reliable Prep wrestlers fell victim. Jason Monaco, the Marauders’ best wrestler, with a 20-2 record at 140 pounds, was defeated soundly by Mike Booth, 15-4. Booth (26-2) is a contender for state honors at his weight class, as are Bob Stinson at 112 pounds and Bill Heverly at 125 pounds, both of whom also won.
Only Dave Sawh at 135 pounds, Tom Burns at 145 and Allen Sista at 189 pounds were able to emerge with individual wins against Camden Catholic, currently ranked No. 9 in the state.
“They really had no weak spots in their lineup,” Kelly said. “They’re a very solid team. We had young freshmen who don’t have a lot of experience in the first two weight classes. They work hard and want to learn, but they can’t match up against a team like this. What they give us can’t be measured in wins. They’ve done a great job for us all year.”
Kelly would rather focus on the fact that his team won the sectional title, the first in the school’s history.
“We were one of 10 teams still wrestling in the state,” Kelly said. “And we brought the wrestling world to Jersey City. This wasn’t a loss. Everything about this was very positive.”
As long as Kelly and the Marauders keep climbing the steps, like the district championships being held this weekend.