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BELVIDERE 38, SOMERVILLE 27

112 -- Fr. Brendan Gattone (5-2), S, d. Fr. James Rader (8-9), 12-6.
119 -- Sr. Matt Bocchino (11-5), B, p. So. Kyle Sutphen (18-2), :50.
125 -- Jr. Kyle Ferris (19-0), S, p. Jr. Adam Herb (0-4), :34.
130 -- Jr. R.J. Pursell (11-2), B, md. So. Ed Nally (0-2), 9-1.
135 -- Jr. Bobby Whelan (13-3), B, p. Fr. Dave Pellicier (0-1), :40.
140 -- Sr. Mark Moyer (9-0), S, p. Jr. Kyle Quick (2-14), 2:45.
145 -- So. Dave Kolodziejczyk (1-6), B, d. So. Blake Petrill (1-7), 9-7 (OT).
152 -- Sr. Allen Van Ness (20-0), S, p. So. Kevin Matlock (0-2), :26.
160 -- Sr. Joe Fielding (11-4), B, md. So. Craig McGuinness (11-8), 14-4.
171 -- Sr. Seth Wisner (15-1), B, p. Sr. Angelo Quintana (14-5), 5:29.
189 -- So. Marion Easley (9-10), S, d. Jr. Brent Rader (6-8), 5-2.
215 -- So. Jim O'Neil (3-10), B, d. Jr. Trimaine McEwen (6-11), 9-7 (OT).
275 -- Jr. Jesse Miller (3-1), S, d. Sr. Mike Fruncillo (8-7), 1-0 (OT).
103 -- Fr. Andrew Beaman (4-4), B, p. Fr. Nick Magos (1-4), :59.
Records: Somerville, 9-5, 2-2; Belvidere 6-7, 3-1.

Belvidere surprises Somerville in Raritan
Thursday, January 30, 2003

By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times

BELVIDERE -- A young Belvidere High School wrestling team found itself a decided underdog Wednesday night.
The County Seaters, however, may have come of age in one of their best performances to date.
Belvidere won eight of 14 bouts, including key matchups at 119, 145, 171 and 215 pounds, to defeat Somerville 38-27 in a key Skyland Conference Raritan Division match at Belvidere High School.
"I don't think too many people sitting in the stands thought we could pull this off," said Ken Kane, the County Seaters' second-year head coach. "Things had to go our way and we had to get the tossups and matches we wanted."
Belvidere (6-7 overall, 3-1 division) remains in the division title chase while knocking out Somerville (9-5, 2-2) in the process. The Seaters remain on the bubble in trying to earn the required .500 or better record to qualify for the North 2, Group 1 sectional playoffs that begin Feb. 18. "We're coming to the point of the season where we're peaking at the right time," said Kane, whose team has matches with Vernon (tonight), Voorhees (Saturday) and Bernards (Monday) before the Feb. 8 cutoff date. "If we can qualify, I think we can make some noise."
The Pioneers, who defeated Belvidere 39-28 at home last year, may have been caught looking ahead a bit to Saturday's showdown with division leader Delaware Valley. To make matters worse, Somerville was without starters Steven Kraska (130) and Dom DiStano (135).
"Belvidere was very aggressive and wrestled very well," said Somerville coach Mike Corbett, who wouldn't comment further on the status of his missing wrestlers. "I was worried before (the match) started."
Trailing 21-19 after Allen Van Ness' pin at 152, Belvidere mounted its comeback behind seniors Joe Fielding and Seth Wisner, who both were up one weight class because Kane opted to run up everyone from 152 to 189.
Fielding (11-4) used a five-point play in the third period to earn a 14-4 major of Craig McGuinness at 160, while Wisner (15-1) stuck Angelo Quintana with a spladle in a good matchup at 171.
The Seaters led 29-21 with four bouts remaining, including tossups at 189, 215 and 275.
Marion Easley cut the deficit to 29-24 with a 5-2 win over Belvidere junior Brent Rader at 189. Trimaine McEwen appeared on his way to making it a two-point match before County Seaters sophomore Jim O'Neil recorded one of the biggest wins of the night at 215.
Spotting McEwen nearly 30 pounds, O'Neil rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the final period to take a two-point lead on a five-point play with 50 seconds to go. However, McEwen reversed O'Neil with 23 seconds left to tie things at 7 and force overtime.
Just 16 seconds into overtime, O'Neil spun behind his man for the winning takedown and a 32-24 Belvidere lead with two bouts left.
"He just needs a little confidence," Kane said of O'Neil, now 3-10. "He's not a bad wrestler. He went out there and did what he had to do to win."
Somerville made things interesting at 275 where junior Jesse Miller beat Mike Fruncillo 1-0 in overtime. The two battled through nearly seven scoreless minutes before referee Gary Hosbach banged Fruncillo for stalling -- his second warning of the bout -- with 14 seconds left in the extra period.
Up 32-27, freshman Andrew Beaman sealed the victory with a pin at 103.
The upset might not have been possible if it weren't for senior Matt Bocchino's early heroics at 119.
Bocchino took talented Somerville sophomore Kyle Sutphen down right away and slapped on a cradle for a stunning pin 50 seconds into the bout. Sutphen (18-2), ranked No. 6 by The Express-Times, was a Region 5 qualifier last season.
Bocchino (11-5), a District 1 runner-up last season, had pinned Sutphen with the same move over the summer.
"I didn't even realize it was him until after the match was over," Bocchino said. "I was hoping this year would be a real good year for me. I've been working hard. This helps a lot."
Kane sent junior reserve Adam Herb out at 125, where unbeaten Kyle Ferris (19-0) needed just 34 seconds for a pin to give the lead back to Somerville at 9-6.
R.J. Pursell (130) and Bobby Whelan (135) followed with bonus-point wins for Belvidere -- and a 16-9 advantage. Later, sophomore Dave Kolodziejczyk (1-6) recorded a huge 9-7 win in overtime at 145.

Copyright 2003 The Express-Times