Wednesday night’s highly anticipated matchup between two of the best wrestling teams in the Shore Conference turned out to be a dud.
With Rumson-Fair Haven missing Iowa commit Sonny Amato and forfeiting five bouts, any chance at a competitive match quickly evaporated as Christian Brothers, No. 4 in the NJ.com Top 20, rolled to a 61-15 Shore Conference “A” Division victory over No. 13 Rumson inside CBA’s Cox Gymnasium in Middletown.
The host Colts won six of the eight contested bouts with bonus points in five of those victories, led by senior Bobby Duffy’s pin of Wyatt Fry at 157 pounds. Seniors Brendan Boyer and Jared O’Neill also won by fall, while Santino Edgar and Teag Saito delivered wins by technical fall. Rumson, the two-time defending NJSIAA Group 2 champion, forfeited the 285, 113, 126, 150 and 165-pound weight classes. CBA forfeited at 138. The match was completed in 65 minutes.
“You have to look at it this way, CBA is a parochial team, they’re getting four or five high-level kids every year,” Rumson head coach Eleazar DeLuca said. “We’re a public school. We’re developing our guys. We had a lot of guys who moved on last year. I think we’re really going to surprise people when it really matters. Every coach is going to do what’s best for their team. You saw them forfeiting versus Delbarton, so what’s with the forfeits there you could say, right? It’s the coach’s job to do what’s best for the team and make sure everybody is healthy and on point and ready to rock and roll. We have two state titles and we’re trying to go for another one this year.”
“That was expected,” CBA head coach Billy Ashnault said. “They did it two years ago so we had a feeling, but we were ready to wrestle. We want to put a good product on the mat. Our guys are ready to battle, that’s what we prepare for. It’s unfortunate there were a lot of forfeits. That’s their choice, but I’m not disappointed at all. We’re back to work tomorrow.”
DeLuca would not disclose why Amato did not weigh in, but said he is expected back soon. Amato was the 144-pound New Jersey state champion in 2024 and a third-place finisher at 144 last season. He is ranked No. 10 in the nation at 150 pounds by MatScouts. There’s a chance Amato returns Friday when Rumson hosts No. 7 Southern.
“That’s what we’re hoping for,” DeLuca said.
If Amato was in the lineup, fans would have likely been treated to a marquee bout between future college teammates. Duffy, who, along with CBA junior Paul Kenny and sophomore Sean Kenny, is also committed to Iowa. He weighed in at 150 pounds, up a weight from his usual spot, with plans on squaring off with Amato. Instead, he bumped up to 157 to take on Fry, a Wyoming Seminary transfer who placed seventh at Prep Nationals last year.
Duffy had been looking forward to a match with Delbarton’s Ryan DeGeorge during the Catholic School Duals on Jan. 3, but DeGeorge did not weigh in on the second day of the tournament when CBA wrestled top-ranked Delbarton in the championship match.
“There were talks of [bumping up to wrestle Amato] this week and yesterday at practice we were talking about it,” Duffy said. “My coach knew I wanted those matches on Saturday and didn’t get them, so I figured I’d go up and test myself. He’s the No. 1 guy at 150 and ranked really high in the country. I just wanted a good match.”
“We were hoping for a good match [vs. Amato],” Ashnault said. “I think a lot of people in the stands were, too.”
Against Fry, Duffy scored first with a takedown in the first period. In the third period, with Duffy leading 4-1, Fry got to Duffy’s right leg when he shot an outside single. Duffy quickly countered to lock in his signature cradle for the fall in 4:57.
“I felt him on my leg in the first period and I got the takedown,” Duffy said. “I knew in the third he was getting a little tired. He shot and didn’t really chase the corner and finish, so I capitalized and did what I do.”
Despite the lopsided defeat, Rumson had two major victories from two of its best wrestlers. At 190 pounds, senior Luke Dougherty pinned CBA junior Brock Oizerowitz with nine seconds remaining in the bout. Dougherty is a two-time state qualifier at 175 pounds who reached the third round of wrestlebacks at last year’s state tournament. Oizerowitz is a two-time state medalist who was third in the state last year at 175.
Oizerowitz led 8-3 heading to the third period before Dougherty rallied for the win by fall.
“That’s an in-town, program kid taking on one of these kids that transferred [to CBA],” DeLuca said. “That’s the proof in our pudding. Luke Dougherty is a stud who does everything he’s supposed to do.”
At 120 pounds, senior Eamon Fry outlasted CBA’s Sonny DiMatteo 3-1 in sudden victory. Fry led 1-0 heading into the third period after riding out DiMatteo in the second period, but was called for stalling twice in the third to send the bout to overtime. DiMatteo was the state fourth-place medalist at 106 pounds last season when he wrestled at Brick Memorial. Fry is a two-time state qualifier and a returning region champion who reached the blood round at 113 pounds last season.