District 29 Comes Up Sevens for West Deptford Wrestlers

Gerald Owens came prepared for war.

The soft-spoken sophomore with the gap-toothed grin wasn't the wrestler who stepped out on to the mat to close out 's night at the District 29 championships at Gloucester County College Saturday.

No, Owens came in grim-faced and set hard for a rematch with Clayton/Glassboro's Neil Kuntz, who preened and flexed just a few weeks ago after beating Owens, 5-4, in what would become West Deptford's first team loss of the season.

Kuntz wouldn't get the chance to flex again.

Owens took a page out of football season, smashing into Kuntz like a battle of linemen from the outset, battering his way to a 7-3 lead after the first period.

Kuntz seemed floored, and Owens wasn't letting up.

While the second and third periods weren't nearly as high-scoring, Owens connected on several big shots as Kuntz wore down, on his way to a 12-5 win and the last of West Deptford's district titles.

And as soon as the final horn sounded, Owens was right back to his usual self, hugging his opponent before bounding off the mat to high-five his coaches.

“I expected it to be a tough match—he's a great wrestler,” Owens said afterward. “I knew I had to wrestle my match.”

Coach John Craig said it was a solid performance for Owens, who's wrestling his first season in high school.

“You have to remember, G had a full year off,” Craig said. “Just now, you're starting to see his technique get a little bit better.”

Now with his first shot at regions, Owens said he's looking forward to the challenge ahead at Egg Harbor Township in the coming days.

“I love the competition,” he said. “It's always great when you have a tough opponent.”

Owens won't be alone on that bus down to regions. In all, eight West Deptford wrestlers entered the second-day crucible at District 29, their seasons on the line as they battled to be among the few moving on.

Seven came through the fire to the other side.

Evan Zuzulock, Rory Bonner and Owens all won individual titles, and Tyler Kaminski, Dan Gibson, Steve Alt and Christian Terinoni all finished in the top three, as the Eagles sent almost as many wrestlers to the Region 8 tournament as they did in 2011.

So much for a down year.

The Eagles scored the trio of champions despite having just one No. 1 seed in Rory Bonner, though Owens and Zuzulock, who won as No. 2 seeds, weren't huge surprises atop the podium at the end of the night.

Zuzulock became the Eagles' first champion on the night, beating Clearview's Alex Moncher at 120 pounds. Moncher, a No. 4 seed, never really threatened at any point in the match, as Zuzulock built a 2-0 lead after the first period, stretched it to 5-0 after two and rode things out to a 7-1 win.

The senior, who also won a District 29 title last year, said there was a bit of pressure on him, both as the defending champion and one of the top seeds, but said he just kept things in perspective as he headed out into the finals.

“I felt pretty good,” Zuzulock said. “I came out there hard, and did everything I was supposed to do.”

Bonner seized the next title, beating out Clayton/Glassboro's Michael Robinson in a 9-3 match that wasn't as close as the score indicated.

Though Robinson staked himself to a 3-2 lead after the first period, it didn't last much beyond the whistle for the second period. Blood blossomed on Bonner's bandaged forehead, but the Eagles' junior seemed to gain energy as the match went on, repeatedly driving Robinson to the mat en route to the championship.

But Bonner said the district title only has meaning in that it puts him into the regional tournament, with his eyes set on states in Atlantic City.

“I hope to make it in the top six—that's my goal,” he said.

Kaminski's final was the closest—and one fraught with some controversy at the end.

Late in the third period, the junior pulled within a point at 5-4, then flipped opponent Sam Morina out of a restart, a move Craig bellowed should have earned back points. The referees awarded Kaminski nothing, and Morina scored two more points at the end to earn the 7-4 win.

Craig still praised Kaminski's effort and drive, after the junior was shut out at Paulsboro a few weeks ago.

“It was good to see Tyler close the gap after losing 6-0 in the dual meet,” he said. “I think maybe three time's the charm, if they hit each other in regions.”

Gibson, a 9-2 winner over Jack Sprague of Deptford, Terinoni, a 13-4 winner over Ray Feigenbutz of Deptford, and Alt, a winner by pin over Gloucester's Devon Causey, provided the Eagles with three more region qualifiers.

All three gained the upper hand quickly, but it was Alt who dictated his match the most, escaping time and again from Causey before grinding out the pin in 4:58.

Alt said he was just trying to avoid a low-scoring contest.

“I felt in control most of the match,” he said. “I knew if I just kept working, I'd eventually be able to turn things in my favor.”

Freshman Griffin Bonner was the only West Deptford wrestler who did not advance, losing a tough match to Gateway/Woodbury's Alex Eastlack, 6-3. Eastlack took a 2-0 lead early and rode out much of the first and second period, before Griffin Bonner scored a late escape in the third to tie it up.

Eastlack was able to score the reverse, though, and pull together the win as time expired.

“That was a tough weight class,” Craig said. “He was right there.”

Despite the loss, Craig said the freshman is clearly destined for great things in the coming years, with some experience and size.

“He's going to be a kid who's going to mature over the summer,” Craig said. “He's going to be a terror next year. Griffin's going to be really good.”