Santos comes up just short in state wrestling final
Junior loses to archrival 7-1
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI Staff Writer
Steve Santos had his sights set on a state championship after getting eliminated early in the tournament last year and he came very close this time.

JEFF GRANIT staff A disappointed Steve Santos of Brick Memorial is consoled after losing to Jackson Memorial's Sean Byrnes in the 145-pound final at the NJSIAA wrestling tournament in Atlantic City.

Wrestling in the 145-pound bracket, the Brick Memorial junior star got all the way to the final bout - the first Brick Memorial wrestler to do that since Nick Argen in 1996 - where he lost for the third time this season to Sean Byrnes of Jackson 7-1.

Santos, who said he needed to "attack more" and get a takedown before the bout never fulfilled that part of his strategy in a match far more decisive than their earlier meetings. Byrnes, who was fourth in the state a year ago, beat Santos, 1-0, in the Region VI finals and 4-3 in triple overtime in the NJSIAAGroup IV Central Jersey tournament won by Brick Memorial. Those were the only losses Santos suffered this season.

"He countered Steve and took him down," said coach Dan O'Cone. "He just outscored him and Steve couldn't finish." Santos advanced with another tough victory over Andrew VanDyk of Ocean, 4-3, in the semifinals. VanDyk went on to finish third.

He was one of three state place-winners for theMustangs, withMikeMorales placing third at 119 pounds and Karon Reid finishing seventh at 140, Reid was No. 3 in the state a year ago.

That finish drew mixed feelings from O'Cone, who tasted so much success in only his second year as coach with a state championship, another District 23 title and a trip to the semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament.

"I'm happy we got four guys into the state championships (along with Kevin Docherty at 215 pounds) and happy we placed three," said O'Cone in what was actually a great show of strength from Region VI with 22 wrestlers including three in head-to-head matchups in the state finals. "But my goal is to win state championships and we didn't do that. Jackson won three titles."

Morales wrapped up his third place finish by pinning Camden Catholic's Tyler Walsh at 5:01. "That's the best he wrestled all year," said O'Cone. "If he wrestled in the states last year, he would've been a place-winner then, too."

And O'Cone could not fault Reid, who he said "did a great job. He came away smiling at the end. He has given the same effort every day since I've come to the program."

Also, Brick Township's John Battista wrestled for the second straight year in the state championships, falling short at 189 pounds.