Central Regional Grapplers Hoping to Make it to Atlantic City

District 24 champions Jalen Ramos and Kalyph Hardy, both juniors, lead five Central Regional wrestlers into the Region VI Tournament at Toms River North this week in hopes of making the NJSIAA championships at Atlantic City next week.

"I thought we did really well," coach Mike Bischoff said. "Early on, I thought we had some wrestlers I thought would perform a little better."

Both first-time champions are 30-match winners and have a bye into the quarterfinals on Feb. 25. Ramos, a junior, is 30-4 with 15 pins and competed in the regions as a consolation winner in the districts two years ago. Ramos, ranked 16th academically in his class of 350 with a grade point average a shade under 100, won a thrilling 1-0 decision over Toms River East's Rich Lewis in the finals.

"Jalen's championship is the culmination of a lot of time and energy in the sport," said Bischoff. "He has been in tournaments and wrestling clubs and this is the payoff of a lot of years he has put into it. He comes from a great family who are fans of the sport and he is a well-rounded person. He is a student of wrestling and you can see that."

Hardy's focus in his athletic career is on football, but he is unbeaten in 31 matches, 16 of them pins. He decisioned Toms River South's Anthony Ravallo, 8-6, in the finals. Bischoff said that Hardy has been working out in practices with alumni who have come back to help.

"He's the total package as far as athleticism is concerned," said Bischoff. "He has natural ability and thrives on the competition and the individual nature of the sport."

Their triumphs match the most district champions crowned since the 2007 season. The Golden Hawks have 51 district champs since 1967.

As for the other three who advance as runner-up and consolation winners in the district, they competed in the opening round on Feb. 22. Chris DeDeyn, a senior whose brother competes at Rutgers, lost a 3-2 decision in the finals of the 145-pound class to Anthony Mesler of Southern. Both wrestlers went into the third period tied at 1-1 when Mesler scored a takedown midway through the third period and DeDeyn got an escape point before waging a furious but futile bid in the closing seconds. DeDeyn is 27-8 with ninepins.

Consolation winners Joon Kroon, a junior, and Tim O'Connor, a senior, also advance. Kroon is 16-7 with five pins. O'Connor is 25-9 with nine pins.

"I was disappointed," Bischoff said. "I thought both should be in the finals but they were upset in the semifinals, Kroon losing to a kid he beat during the season and O'Connor was the top seed. "O'Connor kept it too close. He played it too conservatively."

But he felt both could bounce back and do a great job in the regionals along with DeDeyn. Kroon has a tough challenge taking on Jackson Memorial's Randy Royle, who lost a 5-3 decision to Howell's Mike Shaughnessy in the District 21 finals. O'Connor tangles with Ocean Township's Tyler Lyster, who dropped a 6-2 overtime decision to Christian Brothers Academy's Hayden Hrymack in the District 22 finals. All five are looking to win regional titles, an accomplishment held at Central Regional over the last 11 years only by Nick Weaver in 2005 and 2006. As for state place winners, it goes back to the late 1990s with champions Mark and Maurice Worthy.