- Shore Conference Wrestling
-
TEAMS
- Asbury Park
- Barnegat
- Brick Memorial
- Brick Twp
- CBA
- Central
- Colts Neck
- Donovan Catholic
- Freehold Boro
- Freehold Twp
- Holmdel
- Howell
- Jackson Liberty
- Jackson Memorial
- Keansburg
- Keyport
- Lacey
- Lakewood
- Long Branch
- Manalapan
- Manasquan
- Manchester
- Marlboro
- Matawan
- Middletown North
- Middletown South
- Monmouth Regional
- Neptune
- Ocean Township
- Pinelands
- Point Beach
- Point Boro
- Raritan
- Red Bank Catholic
- Red Bank Regional
- Rumson
- St John Vianney
- St Rose
- Shore Regional
- Southern
- Toms River East
- Toms River North
- Toms River South
- Wall
- SC HISTORY
- NJ HISTORY
- 2024
- LINKS
Overall: 12-17 / Shore Conference: 5-11 / A-North: 3-4
2024Record: 12-17
CJG4 Sectional Qualifiers
3rd Place District 24
5th Place A-North
24th Place Shore Conference Tournament
Walter Woods Tournament Champion
5th Place TCNJ Pride Tournament
ShoreConferenceWrestling.com Wrestler of the Year
(Sr) Vinny Kain - 138
Record: 37-5
2nd Place Region 6 / District 24 Champions
Walter Woods Tournament Champion / TCNJ Pride Champion
Braves' 1st Region Finalist Since 2020
2024 Season
NJSIAA STATE TOURNAMENT
WB3: Vinny Kain (138)
Senior Vinny Kain's season, and Manalapan career, came to an end at Boardwalk Hall on Friday. Kain picked up a pair of wins in the Wrestleback rounds, but ultimately fell a pair of wins short of a spot on the podium.
REGION 6 TOURNAMENT
Manalapan (1 Medal Winner)
2nd: Vinny Kain (138)
5th: Andrew Mucciolo (120)
6th: Sergey Zavalnik (215)
WB1: Constantine Kilaras (190)
PQ: Anthony Mucciolo (144) / Ardit Gola (165) / Donny Tibbet (175)
Vinny Kain became the Braves' first wrestler to reach the Region finals since 2020, clinching a trip to Atlantic City and giving the Braves at least one State qualifier in each of the last eight seasons.
DISTRICT 24 TOURNAMENT
Manalapan (3rd Place / 2 Champs / 7 Medal Winners)
1st: Vinny Kain (138) / Constantine Kilaras (190)
2nd: Andrew Mucciolo (120) / Donny Tibbet (175) / Sergey Zavalnik (215)
3rd: Anthony Mucciolo (144) / Ardit Gola (165)
Vinny Kain became the 9th wrestler in program history to win three District Titles, and senior Constantine Kilaras won his first, giving the Braves 7 seasons in a row with multiple champions, and 12 in a row with at least one. The Braves upped their all-time total to 116 District Champions, which is 11th most in the Shore Conference.
Senior Andrew Mucciolo, a runner-up at 120, recorded his 100th career victory during the tournament, making him the 9th wrestler in program history to reach the century mark.
2/10: MANALAPAN QUAD
Holmdel 49 - Manalapan 29 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 34 - Princeton 33 (BOX SCORE)
Long Branch 54 - Manalapan 25 (BOX SCORE)
2/8: A-NORTH
Manalapan 47 - Marlboro 21 (BOX SCORE)
2/7: NON-CONFERENCE
Manalapan 43 - Old Bridge 35 (BOX SCORE)
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4 SECTIONALS
QF: Jackson Memorial 40 - Manalapan 27 (BOX SCORE)
2/3: MANALAPAN QUAD
#11 Raritan 43 - Manalapan 26 (BOX SCORE)
Hightstown 39 - Manalapan 36 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 53 - South River 12 (BOX SCORE)
1/31: NON-CONFERENCE
Manalapan 55 - Piscataway 15 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Andrew Mucciolo (26-2); Grant (18-8); Kain (24-2); Anthony Mucciolo (16-9); Kilaras (23-3)
1/29: A-NORTH
#5 Howell 66 - Manalapan 6 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: 138 - Scafidi (#6 at 144) d. #5 Kain, 14-9; Hodgins (22-2); Colfer (21-1); Machnik (19-4); X Ortega (19-3); Johnston (17-7)
Manalapan: Kilaras (22-3); A Mucciolo (15-9)
1/27: MONTGOMERY QUAD
Manalapan 44 - Montgomery 36 (BOX SCORE)
Bernards 43 - Manalapan 22 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 54 - Fair Lawn 24 (BOX SCORE)
1/24: NON-DIVISION
Wall 55 - Manalapan 18 (BOX SCORE)
Wall: DiStefano (22-3); Marsella (17-6); Waitzel (14-7); Carrillo-Solano (13-9); Wonsala (13-12)
Manalapan: Kain (21-0); Grant (14-7); Kilaras (21-3)
1/23: A-NORTH
#8 Middletown North 52 - Manalapan 19 (BOX SCORE)
Midd North: Klinsky (22-2); Benbrook (17-6); Portman (17-8); Dwyer (14-11); Fearon (15-5)
Manalapan: Kain (20-0); Andrew Mucciolo (22-2); Kilaras (20-3)
1/20: WATCHUNG HILLS QUAD
Somerville 37 - Manalapan 35 (BOX SCORE)
Watchung Hills 41 - Manalapan 21 (BOX SCORE)
Monroe 32 - Manalapan 26 (BOX SCORE)
1/18: A-NORTH
Manalapan 54 - Freehold Twp 19 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Braves have won last 10 meetings; Bennett, Spezio, Andrew Mucciolo, Kain, Anthony Mucciolo, Pasquince, Gola, & Cosentino win by pin
Free Twp: Dubnik & Martinez win by pin; Grant majors
1/17: A-NORTH
Manalapan 57 - Freehold Boro 18 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: (Hwt) Bennett p. #8 Nieto; Kain (15-0); Andrew Mucciolo (17-2); Kilaras (15-3)
Freehold Boro: Stokes (13-5); Sheridan (12-6); Sweeney (11-6)
1/13: COLTS NECK QUAD
Colts Neck 47 - Manalapan 23 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 37 - Lacey 33 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 42 - TR East 33 (BOX SCORE)
1/10: NON-DIVISION
Ocean Twp 47 - Manalapan 21 (BOX SCORE)
Ocean Twp: Poniors majors in season debut; J Farina (15-1); B Volek (13-4); Penta (9-1); D Volek (12-6)
Manalapan: Kain (11-0); Andrew Mucciolo (13-2); Kilaras (11-3)
1/6: SHORE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Manalapan - 24th Place
1 Medal Winner
3rd: Andrew Mucciolo (120)
The Braves have had at least one medal winner in each SCT. Andrew Mucciolo was the Braves' medal winner this season, placing 3rd for the second consecutive year.
12/30: WALTER WOODS TOURNAMENT
Manalapan - 1st Place
1st: Gage Grant (132) / Vinny Kain (138)
2nd: Constantine Kilaras (190)
3rd: Andrew Mucciolo (126)
4th: Anthony Mucciolo (144) / Matt Giudice (150)
5th: Ardit Gola (165) / Donny Tibbet (175)
12/28: ROBBINSVILLE TRI
Rancocas Valley 39 - Manalapan 36 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 49 - Robbinsville 28 (BOX SCORE)
12/23: TCNJ PRIDE TOURNAMENT at Robbinsville
Manalapan - 5th Place
1st: Andrew Mucciolo (126) / Kain (144) / Kilaras (190)
2nd: Grant (132) / Bennett (Hwt)
3rd: Anthony Mucciolo (144)
12/19: A-NORTH
CBA 55 - Manalapan 19 (BOX SCORE)
CBA: Hughes, Coluccio, D Venet, T Venet, & Boyer pin; Sakoutis & Jakub tech
Manalapan: Kilaras pins; Kain majors
12/14: A-NORTH
Middletown South 53 - Manalapan 21 (BOX SCORE)
Midd South: Pins: Willi, Smith, Goode, Sanzio, O'Reilly, Romano, Holland
Manalapan: Bonus: Kain (pin); Andrew Mucciolo (tech); Kilaras (major)
2024 Manalapan Wrestling
Head Coach: James Somma (1st Season)
A-North / CJG4 / District 24 / Region 6
Where They Open: 12/14 vs Middletown South
James Somma, a former standout wrestler at Colts Neck, takes over the head coaching duties from Scott Pressman, who was at the helm for the Braves for the last 16 seasons. Somma, who served as an assistant under Pressman since the 2015-2016 season, inherits a team coming off a 26 win season, which is tied for the 2nd most dual wins in a season for the Braves.
Six starters, who combined for 153 wins last season, were lost to graduation, including a trio of State qualifiers in Anthony Vitola, Vincent DePierro, and Artem Reinikov-Jouk. There's some work to be done to replace that output, but the Braves have a strong core returning to help the process.
The strength of the lineup looks to be that stretch from 120-144. Andrew Mucciolo kicks that run off at 120. The senior, who has 64 career victories, led the team in wins last year with 37. He won his 2nd District title last season, and finished 5th in the Region. Another senior, Christian Spezio follows things up. Spezio went from a 1-9 season in 2022, to a 14-12 2023 season and a 2nd place finish at the Districts. Sophomore Gage Grant's 23 wins last season were the most for a Braves' freshman since Matt Benedetti won 27 back in 2017. Closing the run out are a pair of seniors in Vinny Kain and AJ Mucciolo. Kain is a 2-time District champ, while Mucciolo has a pair of District medals on his resume.
There will be a trio of new starters in the lineup in the 150-175 stretch, with senior Rene Manso, an 18-match winner in 2023, the lone holdover.
A pair of seniors anchor the upperweights in Sergei Zavalnik and Constantine Kilaras. Zavalnik and Kilaras had breakout seasons last year, with Zavalnik going from an 0-5 record in 2022, to a 22-match winner and a 2nd place finish at the Districts in 2023, while Kilaras was 1-1 in his sophomore campaign to a 23-victory year and also finishing 2nd at Districts.
The Braves have a lot of proven talent returning, and may be able to win some duals just based on the contributions from that group. Their overall success though will likely depend on how much and how quickly the newcomers can impact the lineup. They'll host Middletown South on opening night, who they defeated last season 35-32 in a dual that came down to the final bout, before making the trip to Lincroft to face defending A-North champion CBA on December 19th.
Possible Lineup
Wgt | Wrestler | 2023 | Notes |
106 | (Fr) Aidan Spezio | ||
113/120 | (So) Nick Friscia | ||
120/126 | (Sr) Andrew Mucciolo | 37-6 (D-1st / R-5th) | 64 career wins / 2x-District Champ |
126 | (Sr) Christian Spezio | 14-12 (D-2nd / R-PQ) | |
132 | (So) Gage Grant | 23-13 | |
138 | (Sr) Vinny Kain | 23-6 (D-1st / R-WB1) | 2x-District Champ |
144/150 | (Sr) AJ Mucciolo | 20-13 (D-3rd / R-PQ) | 2x-District Medalist |
150/157 | (Jr) Matt Giudice | 0-2 | |
157 | (Sr) Rene Manso | 18-11 | |
165 | (Sr) Ardit Gola | 6-5 | |
175 | (Sr) Jack Niro | 1-5 | |
175/190 | (Sr) Sergei Zavalnik | 22-14 (D-2nd / R-PQ) | |
190/215 | (Sr) Constantine Kilaras | 23-13 (D-2nd / R-PQ) | |
215 | (Sr) Andrew Carver | 0-2 | |
Hwt | (Jr) Reggie Bennet | 2-1 |
Manalapan High School
20 Church Lane
Englishtown, NJ 07726
(732) 792-7200
~ SCHOOL WEBSITE ~
Program Esablished
1973
Mascot
Braves
Colors
Scarlet, Navy, & White
Head Coach
James Somma
(1st Season in 2024)
Assistants
Andrew Burstyn
Paul Santomarco
AJ Sortino
Volunteers
Reggie Grant
Dan Rodriguez
Bob Seidel
Section
CJ Group 4
Division
A-North
District
18
Region
5
4 - Sectional Titles
Last: CJG5 in 2020
10 - District Team Titles
Last: D18 in 2023
3 - SCT Titles
Last: 2003
9 - Divisional Titles
Last: A-North in 2003
4 - State Champions
Last: Indra Sulijoadikisumo in 1992
25 - State Medalists
Last: Gavin Claro in 2021
26 - Region Champions
Last: John Appice in 2013
116 - District Champions
Last: Vinny Kain & Constantine Kilaras - 2024
2 - SCT Champions
Last: Matt Benedetti in 2020
8 - SCT Medalists
Last: Andrew Mucciolo - 2024
Career Wins Record - 146
Matt Benedetti
(2017-2020)
Season Wins Record - 43
Alex Baran
(2019)
Matt Benedetti
(2020)
100 Win Club
Matt Benedetti - 146
Alex Baran - 123
John Appice - 120
Paul Santomarco - 118
Mike Aronson - 105
Andrew Mucciolo - 103
Mike Gaeta - 102
Nick Manochio - 101
Joe Santamarco - 100