Three Wrestlers Win Titles at Holiday Tournament

For two West Deptford wrestlers, Friday's Arthur Marinelli Tournament ended with a good taste of redemption compared to 2011's outing.

One year after falling short in the same tournament that features a number of top wrestlers in South Jersey, sophomore Griffin Bonner and senior Tyler Kaminski won the 106-pound and 120-pound categories, respectively, on Friday at Egg Harbor Township High School. In addition, Rory Bonner finished in first place for the second straight year, taking the 195-pound weight class after winning in 182 pounds in 2011.

Overall, the Eagles finished in eighth place in the tournament, with the Bonners and Kaminski carrying the load for the team. head coach Christian Scannell emphasized the importance of both getting the younger guys experience as well as putting his top wrestlers in tougher matches.

All three wrestlers who won their weight classes did so by defeating a wrestler from Lower Cape May. Griffin Bonner shutout Eric Pruzinski and the 106-pound final 4-0. Bonner handed Pruzinski his first loss since Dec. 15, snapping a five-match win streak.

Kaminski likewise defeated Zach Valcarce 5-2 in the 120-pound title match. Like Pruzinski, Valcarce entered the tournament with five straight wins. Kaminski rolled through Friday's tournament to stay undefeated in 2012-13.

Rory Bonner also remained unbeaten with his 9-0 win over Corey Damiana. Bonner had not actually wrestled in a regular season match prior to Friday due to forfeits in dual matches against Collingswood and Delsea. Scannell stated prior to the tournament that he was excited to see Bonner get in some work with the meat of the Eagles' schedule coming up.

West Deptford's will open up the new calendar year on Friday, as they visit conference-rival Overbrook.