Henry Boresch built a dynasty at Newton High School, and the legendary coach, known as “The Father of Wrestling,” routinely made average athletes look extraordinary.
Throughout Boresch’s 38-year tenure, 76 Newton wrestlers won individual state titles as the sport went mainstream in every corner of New Jersey.
Not all of them were built to be the best. They got to the top anyway.
Competing in a dual-meet tournament named in Boresch’s honor Saturday, Howell senior Michael Edmundson embodied that type selflessness and determination that turns good teams into championship teams.
A career back-up, Edmundson delivered the match-clinching pin to give Howell a 39-28 win over North Hunterdon in the tournament’s championship match.
In the penultimate bout, Edmundson won by fall in 45 seconds. With a 17-point lead, Howell then forfeited the final bout to bring the final score back to 11 points.
“Just the final win,” Edmundson said when asked what he’ll remember most from his team’s run to the title. “We really came together as a team, and we’re going to need that going to states and everything.”
Without a doubt, Boresch relied on program wrestlers like Edmundson, who got his first career start against Christian Brothers on Jan. 5 while filling in for an injured teammate, Sebastian Ortega.
Whether he’s starting or working as a backup, Edmundson has been influential in helping Howell start the season with 10 straight wins.
“Guys like Mikey are how you build a program,” Howell assistant coach Rich Gildner said. “That’s how teams get to 800 wins. It’s guys like him that show up every day and do their part.”
Howell reached its 800th win as a program Thursday. The totality of Howell’s lineup helped the Shore Conference school navigate one of the toughest dual meet tournaments in the state Saturday.
Before beating North Hunterdon, Howell knocked off Lacey in the semifinals and opened the tournament with a win over Bound Brook.
In the other semifinal, North Hunterdon edged No. 14 South Plainfield, 35-33. Hanover Park, Toms River North and the host, Newton, rounded out the eight-team field.
“What a quality dual meet tournament with so many great teams,” Howell coach Jon Gagliano said. “I knew coming in that we were going to get some really good wrestling. The guys worked really well as a team.”
In the final, Howell won eight bouts and built a 27-4 lead after rattling off six straight wins in a row from 138-175.
With the match starting at 138, North Hunterdon’s Nick DeLorenzo won by major decision over Kieran Bruen. Giovani Scafidi then started the streak by edging Daniel DeLusant for a 2-0 decision at 138.
Howell’s Gavin Merkel added another close victory, pulling out an 8-7 decision over Brian Wilson at 150. Then, Howell opened up its biggest lead following three straight six-point victories by Nick Acque (157), Hunter Mays (165) and junior D.J. Henry (172).
“It was a 14-man effort,” said Mays, last year’s state champion at 160 pounds. “Everybody did their part that had to. The guys that needed to get six, got six, and guys didn’t give up bonus points. Everybody did their part.”
Acque and Mays both won by fall in the first period while Henry won by injury default.
Howell’s Dane Colfer (215) and Thomas Richardson (285) did their jobs holding two of North Hunterdon’s best wrestlers, Brendan Raley and Liam Akers, to decisions. Raley was a champion at the Sam Cali Invitational last month while Akers entered Saturday’s match ranked No. 4 in the state at heavyweight.
Akers defeated Richardson, 4-0. Raley nearly had a pin against Colfer but was called for a violation for an illegal move. He went on to beat Colfer, 6-4.
“They did a great job just wrestling and keeping it tight,” Gagliano said of his two upperweights. “They were outmatched, but they just kept wrestling tough.”
Howell will return to action Monday for another ranked matchup when it hosts No. 20 Middletown South at 6 p.m.
As for where he thinks his team stands at the moment, Hays said “we’re in a good spot”.
We need to keep getting better for Shore Conference and states, but we’re on track to do really well,” he said.
Gagliano agreed.
“I’m just really proud of the guys,” Howell’s veteran head coach said. “They worked really well together.”
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Patrick Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS and like his Facebook page.
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