District review

Bound Brook assistant coach Marty Gleason is the historian and keeper of the Crusader archives. But he is now a color coordinator.

Those folks in the brown, red and white singlets at the District 18 Tournament were the Bound Brook Crusaders. The Crusaders' throwbacks were a nod to the program's 75th anniversary. Gleason needed approval from school administrators to do it. Bound Brook's original colors were brown and white before Mike Schibanoff -- a future National Wrestling Hall of Famer -- changed the colors to red and white in the mid 1940s. Schibanoff, a legendary wrestling figure in these parts, was an athletic director and coach for the Crusaders for many years.

There was some grumblings Saturday about the NJSIAA policy of having two separate entrances into the district tournament. Fans had to pay $6 for the first round of wrestling, then leave the gym before semifinals, re-enter, then pay another $6 in a separate admission. That was caused by Friday's cancellations. Most folks would have paid $12 at the first entrance rather than havng to wander around their various sites before re-entering.

Somerville had four district champions -- one more than champion Hillsborough and third-place Bound Brook. Junior 285-pounder Christian Mackey, who was beaten in the county tournament semifinals and didn't place, was one of the Pioneer winners. Mackey hasn't lost since a setback in the county tournament consolation semifinals to Bridgewater-Raritan's Padraic Czekaj. Mackey, who pinned Czekaj in the district semifinals, is 30-4. Mackey lost to Czekaj twice and to Hunterdon Central's Brad Bormann (Caldwell Tournament, fall 1:16) and Watchung Hills' Mark Wroblewski (county semifinals 9-4). Wroblewski, the county champ at 275, won the District 12 title at 215.
Mackey beat Bormann in a dual meet last week.
""Christian has avenged every loss he's had (at his weight),'' said Somerville coach Brent McGuinness, who will have seven wrestlers in the regions. ""He's quietly had a great season.''
Mackey was joined by three-time district champ Jimmy Kirchner (125), sophomore Micah Blair (140) and junior Dan Soffer (152). Soffer, third in the county, beat Hillsborough senior Luke Dawson. Dawson beat Soffer 7-2 in the county semifinals, but Soffer got the top seed at the districts by beating Soffer in a dual meet two weeks ago. Blair was second to Bound Brook junior Gabe Gleason at 140 in the county. Gleason won the 130-pound district title. Bound Brook junior Henry Shapiro, fourth at 119 in the county, won the district title at the same weight.
Bound Brook freshman 189-pounder Andrew Campolattano didn't seem to be bothered by a kidney stone. He raised his record to 36-0 with falls of 18 seconds, 1:44 and 37 seconds.
""I have to drink more water,'' he said.
Nine of Hillsborough's 11 region qualifiers are underclassmen. Dawson (second at 152) and Kevin Campanale (third at 189) are the seniors. Freshman T.J. Guidice (112), junior Will Goddiess (145) and junior Max Borisenko (215) were district champions.