Overall Record: 19-5 / B-Division: 2-2
#10 in Shore Conference Top 11
SJG5 Sectional Semifinalists
District 24 Champions (4 Champs / 7 Medal Winners)
7th Place Shore Conference Tournament (1 Champ / 3 Medal Winners)
Tied 2nd Place B-Division

ShoreConferencWrestling.com Wrestler of the Year
(So) Tanner Hodgins - 190
Record: 37-8 (2nd on Team in Wins)
Ranked #2 at 190 by ShoreConferenceWrestling.com
3rd Place NJSIAA Tournament (2x-Medal Winner)
2nd Place Region 6 (2x-Medal Winner)
District 24 Champion (2x-Champion)
2nd Place Shore Conference Tournament (2x-Medal Winner)
4th Place Escape The Rock
6th Place Beast of the East

 

2025 RECAP

3/8: NJSIAA TOURNAMENT
2 Medal Winners
3rd: Tanner Hodgins (190)
6th: Luke Johnston (106)
WB2: Tyler Going (175) / Timmy O'Rourke (215)
WB1: Shane Maghan (113)
With their two medal winners, the Rebels extended their streak to ten consecutive seasons with at least one State medal winner. It is their longest run in program history. All five of their participants in this year's tournament were underclassmen.


3/1: REGION 6
5 Medal Winners
2nd: Tanner Hodgins (190)
3rd: Luke Johnston (106)
3rd: Shane Maghan (113)
4th: Tyler Going (175)
4th: Timmy O'Rourke (215)
5th: Ray Purrelli (165)
6th: Luke Khabuliani (Hwt)
10th consecutive season with at least five State qualifiers for the Rebels.



2/22: DISTRICT 24
1st Place - 4 Champs - 7 Region Qualifiers
1st: Luke Johnston (106) / Tyler Going (175) / Tanner Hodgins (190) / Timmy O'Rourke (215)
2nd: Shane Maghan (113) / Luke Khabuliani (Hwt)
3rd: Ray Purrelli (165)
4th: Will Stapleton (120) / Johnny Hurst (150) / Devin Perez (157)
Howell: For the second consecutive season, the Rebels went down to the wire in the team point competition. A year after edging Middletown North by just 2.5 points in the District 18 race last season, the Rebels won their fourth consecutive team title by the slimmest of margins, a half point(!) over second place Wall. It is the 17th District team title overall for the Rebels, which is the fifth most for a Shore Conference team, and puts them just one behind Ocean Township for the most in Monmouth County. Tanner Hodgins and Luke Johnston won their second individual titles, while Tyler Going and Timmy O'Rourke won their firsts, as the Rebels made it 20 years in a row with a District champ, the fifth longest active streak in the Shore, and second longest in Monmouth County behind Raritan's 23.



2/14: NON CONFERENCE
Howell 71 - New Providence 11 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Maghan & Stapleton pin; Casella techs


SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 5 SECTIONALS
SF: #3 Washington Twp 35 - #2 Howell 34 (BOX SCORE)
QF: #2 Howell 52 - #7 Lenape 18 (BOX SCORE)


2/8: HOWELL TRI
#11 Howell 67 - Bordentown 10 (BOX SCORE)
#11 Howell 74 - Mendham 5 (BOX SCORE)


2/1: BOUND BROOK QUAD
Middletown South 38 - #8 Howell 30 (BOX SCORE)
#8 Howell 64 - Bound Brook 15 (BOX SCORE)
#8 Howell 38 - Jackson Liberty 35 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Rebels put up 27 points in final five bouts to rally for win
Howell: Johnston, Maghan, Ortega, Going, & O'Rourke go 3-0


1/31: B-DIVISION
#11 RBC 43 - #8 Howell 33 (BOX SCORE)
RBC: Burke, Connelley, Romeo, & Gutridge win by pin; DiBiase, Kelesidis, & Rodriguez tech; DeAngelo majors
Howell: Ortega, Hodgins, O'Rourke, & Khabuliani pin; Johnston techs; Maghan majors


1/29: B-DIVISION
#8 Howell 40 - #10 Pt Boro 26 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: 113 - Maghan d. #8 Corino, 2-0; Going, Hodgins, Johnston, Casella, & Ortega with bonus wins
Pt Boro: Weiland (10-0); Clayton (24-0); Burgio (24-3)


1/25: SHORE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Howell - 7th Place
1st: Xavier Ortega (138)
2nd: Tanner Hodgins (190)
4th: Tim O'Rourke (215)
Xavier Ortega won the 138-pound title, continuing the Rebels' streak of having at least one champion at each Shore Conference Tournament. Ortega's title brings the Rebels' total number of SCT Champions to 11, 2nd most all-time. Tanner Hodgins won his 2nd SCT medal, placing 2nd at 190, and freshman Tim O'Rourke placed 4th at 215, helping lead the Rebels to a 7th-place finish as a team, the 6th time in as many tournaments that the Rebels have finished in the Top 10.


1/22: B-DIVISION
#8 Howell 45 - #9 Ocean Twp 22 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Johnston, Maghan, Lisan, Purrelli, Going, Hodgins, & O'Rourke with bonus wins; Ortega d. D Volek, 15-12
Ocean Twp: Allen pins; B Volek & Perez tech


1/21: NON-DIVISION
#8 Howell 62 - Manalapan 11 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Johnston, Maghan, Casella, Ortega, Going, & O'Rourke pin; Stapleton techs; Normandia, Purrelli, & Del Prete major
Manalapan: Pasquince wins by fall; Grant techs


1/19: ESCAPE THE ROCK
4th: Tanner Hodgins (189)


1/16: NON-CONFERENCE
#8 Howell 52 - Jefferson 26 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Stapleton, Casella, Lisan, Pesina, & Going win by pin; O'Rourke majors


1/13: NON-CONFERENCE
High Point 49 - Howell 14 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Hodgins (11-3); O'Rourke (12-0); Johnston (12-2)


1/11: HIGHTSTOWN QUAD
Howell 55 - Hightstown 14 (BOX SCORE)
Howell 45 - Rahway 34 (BOX SCORE)
Howell 43 - Monroe 29 (BOX SCORE)


1/8: B-DIVISION
Middletown North 36 - Howell 35 (BOX SCORE)
Midd North: Blewett, Portman, Myiow, Ju. Fearon, Wall, & Benbrook with bonus wins
Howell: Maghan & Ortega pin; O'Rourke, Johnston, & Purrelli major


1/4: DUMONT TRI
Howell 52 - Northern Burlington 23 (BOX SCORE)
Howell 42 - Dumont 30 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Howell: Maghan, Ortega (season debut), O'Rourke, & Khabuliani go 2-0 for Rebels


12/21: BEAST OF THE EAST
6th Place: Tanner Hodgins (190)


12/18: NON-CONFERENCE
Howell 38 - Pascack Valley 29 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Johnston tech in final bout clinches it for Rebels; Casella, Going, & O'Rourke pin; Maghan techs; Del Prete majors


12/17: NON-CONFERENCE
Howell 62 - Westfield 13 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: O'Rourke, Johnston, Lisan, Pesina, Hurst, Purrelli, & Going win by pin; Maghan techs

12/14: JOHN & BETTY VOGEDING TOURNAMENT
1st: Tim O'Rourke (215)
2nd: Shane Maghan (113) / Will Stapleton (120) / 132: Brayden Casella (132) / Ray Purrelli (165) / Tyler Going (175)
3rd: Ryan Rivera (132)


12/13: NON-CONFERENCE
Howell 65 - Egg Harbor 12 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Pesina, Hurst, Khabuliani, & Maghan with pins; Johnston techs


12/11: NON-CONFERENCE
Howell 44 - Williamstown 21 (BOX SCORE)
Howell: Hurst, Perez, Purrelli, Johnston win by pin; Going techs; Stapleton, O'Rourke, & Khabuliani major

---

2025 Howell Rebels

Head Coach: John Gagliano (28th Season / 565-94)
Assistants: Pat Trabucco / Nick Farrar / Walter Bayne
Volunteers: Kyle Slendorn / Willie Scott / Kyle Cocozza / Anthony Gagliano / Sean Silverstein / Joey Falco / Zach Bohm / Rich Famularo / Mike Verrochi / Jason Brandl
2024 Record: 21-3 (District 18 Champions)

Howell's 18 wins last season marked the 18th consecutive season (excluding the Covid-shortened season) with at least 20 duals wins, a Shore Conference record. They took a pretty decent hit to graduation, with five District medal winners, including a trio of State qualifiers, among the departed, but still return a good chunk of proven talent, have a strong group of newcomers, and have their depth pieces from last season ready to step up and keep the machine rolling.

The postseason starters from 138-157 are among the departed, so senior Xavier Ortega, a 3-time State-qualifier, 2-time Region Champ, and 3-time District Champ will be a significant presence in the middle of the lineup. The senior, who enters his final year with 101 career victories, gives the Rebels a legit hammer in the middle as they break in some new starters in the slots around him.

Another hammer returns up top in sophomore Tanner Hodgins. Hodgins had a monster debut year, winning the Shore Conference Tournament at 175, before going 165 for the postseason where he won a District title, placed 3rd at Regions, and made it to the podium in Atlantic City after finishing in 6th-place. Ray Purrelli also returns up top. The junior made it to the Regions last season after finishing 3rd at Districts. There's a good mix here of upperclassmen that have varsity experience battling for larger roles this season, as well as some newcomers. Among those upperclassmen are seniors Travis Edmonds, and the heavyweight trio of Mike Saweris, Preston Piasecki, and Luke Khabuliani. One of the newcomers to watch is freshman Tim O'Rourke, who was the Intermediate State Champion at 175 last year.

Down low, Luke Johnston got his high school career off to a solid start, winning a District championship and then advancing to Atlantic City after finishing 2nd at the Regions. Fellow sophomore Shane Maghan made it to Regions after taking 3rd at Districts, and Brayden Casella, also a sophomore, recorded 12 wins. Also back is junior Tony Lourido, who won 14 bouts last year and was 4th at Districts. There will be several talented youngsters competing for spots down here, especially at 106, and the room also gets a boost with the arrival of junior Will Stapleton who transferred in from Colts Neck, giving the bottom of the lineup some more maneuverability.

Nobody won more A-North Championships than the Rebels, with 22 of their 25 total division titles coming from their time in that division. With the new alignments closing the book on the old divisions (for now at least), Howell will aim for title #26 in the new B-Division along with on and off again A-North rivals Middletown North and Ocean Township, 30-time divisional champ Pt Boro, and Red Bank Catholic, who is still looking for its first divisional crown. As for the Sectionals, where Howell is a 6-time champion, the latest realignment has moved the Rebels into SJG5 with Southern Regional and Kingsway, in a move that many feel puts the three best Group 5 teams this year in the same Section, although I'm sure Hunterdon Central would like to have a word.

Howell High School
405 Squankum-
Yellowbrook Rd.
Farmingdale, NJ 07727
(732) 919-2131

@howellrebel

Program Established
1965

Mascot
Rebels

Colors
Navy & Gray

Head Coach
John Gagliano
(28th Season in 2025)

Assistants
Pat Trabucco
Nick Farrar
Walter Bayne

Volunteers
Kyle Slendorn
Willie Scott
Kyle Cocozza
Anthony Gagliano
Sean Silverstein
Joey Falco
Zach Bohm
Rich Famularo
Mike Verrochi
Jason Brandl

Section
SJG5

Division
B-Division

District
24

Region
6


2 - Group Titles
Last: Group 5 - 2018

6 - Sectional Titles
Last: CJG5 - 2023

17 - District Team Titles
Last: D24 - 2025

4 - SCT Titles
Last: 2020

25 - Division Titles
Last: A-North in 2022 (tri)

5 - State Champions
Last: Hunter Mays - 2022

39 - State Medalists
Last: Luke Johnston & Tanner Hodgins - 2025

43 - Region Champions
Last: Xavier Ortega & DJ Henry - 2023

166 - District Champions
Last: Luke Johnston / Tyler Going / Tanner Hodgins / Timmy O'Rourke - 2025

11 - SCT Champions
Last: Xavier Ortega - 2025

32 - SCT Medalists
Last: Xavier Ortega, Tanner Hodgins, & Tim O'Rourke - 2025



Career Wins Record - 165
Shane Reitsma
(2017-2020)

Season Wins Record - 42
Joey Langel
Harry Turner
(2008)

Kyle Slendorn
Eric Keosseian
(2017)

Kyle Slendorn
(2018)

Shane Reitsma
(2019)

Shane Reitsma
(2020)
 

 

Squan = Manasquan
RV = Rancocas Valley