2025 Record: 11-12 / F-Division: 3-1
CJG4 Sectional Semifinalists
5th Place District 21 (5 Medal Winners)
24th Place Shore Conference Tournament
2nd Place F-Division
2nd Place Walter Woods Tournament (1 Champ / 5 Medal Winners)

ShoreConferenceWrestling.com Wrestler of the Year
(Jr) Gage Grant - 132
Record: 34-10 (Team Leader in Wins)
Ranked #6 at 132 by ShoreConferenceWrestling.com
4th Place Region 6
2nd Place District 21
Walter Woods Tournament Champion

2025 RECAP

3/8: NJSIAA TOURNAMENT
0 Medal Winners
WB1: Gage Grant (132)


3/1: REGION 6
1 Medal Winner
4th: Gage Grant (132)
WB1: Justin Repetti​ (126) / Donny Tibbitt (175)
PQ: Kevin Pasquince (150) / William Vargas (165)
Grant makes it nine seasons in a row for the Braves with at least one Region medal winner.


2/22: DISTRICT 21
5th Place - 0 Champs - 5 Region Qualifiers
2nd: Gage Grant (132)
3rd: Justin Repetti (126) / Kevin Pasquince (150) / William Vargas (165) / Donny Tibbitt (175)
4th: Jack Hardy (106) / Michael Farrell (113) / Kyle DiGregorio (144)
Manalapan: The Braves had a streak of 12 consecutive years with a District champ snapped on Saturday, but still crowned at least five medalists for the eighth straight year.



2/15: MANALAPAN QUAD
Old Bridge 60 - Manalapan 9 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel 39 - Manalapan 34 (BOX SCORE)
West Deptford 52 - Manalapan 21 (BOX SCORE)


2/11: F-DIVISION
Manalapan 40 - Keansburg 34 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Guidice major in final bout wins it for Braves; Repetti pins; Nicholas techs
Keansburg: Johnson, Retta, Bing, Pisano, & Gilliland win by pin


CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4 SECTIONALS
SF: #1 Long Branch 39 - #5 Manalapan 27 (BOX SCORE)
QF: #5 Manalapan 38 - #4 Steinert 32 (BOX SCORE)


2/7: F-DIVISION
TR South 60 - Manalapan 13 (BOX SCORE)
TR South: F-Division Champions; 1st divisional title since 2013
Manalapan: 132 - Grant md. #8 Beneciuk


2/6: NON-DIVISION
Jackson Memorial 40 - Manalapan 27 (BOX SCORE)
Jackson Mem: Wolf, Adams, Chitacapa, Kovacs, & Gaudious pin; Piazza majors
Manalapan: Nicholas pins, Hill techs; Pasquince majors


2/1: HIGHTSTOWN QUAD
Manalapan 33 - Gloucester City 31 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 58 - Bordentown 18 (BOX SCORE)
Hightstown 36 - Manalapan 28 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Pasquince & Bennett go 3-0


1/30: NON-DIVISION
Manalapan 46 - Marlboro 20 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Hardy & DiGregorio pin; Spezio, Repetti, & Grant tech; Hughes majors
Marlboro: Lacertosa, Hall, & Silvia with bonus wins


1/27: NON-CONFERENCE
Rancocas Valley 47 - Manalapan 26 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Hilt, Farrell, & Grant pin; Hardy & Repetti win by major


1/25: SHORE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Manalapan - 24th Place


1/22: F-DIVISION
Manalapan 44 - Brick Twp 23 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Bennett, Hardy, & Repetti win by pin; Farrell & Grant tech; Vargas majors
Brick Twp: L D'Elia & Gordillo pin; Olimov & Leonard major


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


1/18: BARNEGAT QUAD
Manalapan 47 - Barnegat 26 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 61 - Monmouth 12 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 47 - Pinelands 24 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Grant, Pasquince, Tibbitt, & Bennett go 3-0


1/16: NON-DIVISION
Wall 46 - Manalapan 30 (BOX SCORE)
Wall: Quinn (16-3); Marsella (15-3); DiStefano (15-6); Mahoney (12-7)
Manalapan: Grant (13-2); Tibbitt (11-4); DiGregorio (10-6)


1/15: NON-DIVISION
Manalapan 58 - Freehold Twp (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: 11th consecutive win over Patriots; Pasquince & Hill pin; DiGregorio, Giudice, & Vargas tech
Free Twp: Tendencia & White win by pin


1/11: COLTS NECK QUAD
Colts Neck 55 - Manalapan 14 (BOX SCORE)
Middle Twp 51 - Manalapan 27 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan 53 - Manchester 24 (BOX SCORE)


1/8: F-DIVISION
Manalapan 39 - Freehold Boro 38 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Braves win on criteria B; Farrell, Grant, DiGregorio, Pasquince, & Vargas win by pin
Free Boro: Sweeney, S Murphy, Bartuck, J Murphy, Ramirez, & Nieto win by fall


1/4: JACKSON LIBERTY TRI
Brick Memorial 54 - Manalapan 19 (BOX SCORE)
Jackson Liberty 45 - Manalapan 22 (BOX SCORE)
Manalapan: Pasquince wins twice by major


12/28: WALTER WOODS TOURNAMENT
Manalapan - 2nd Place
1st: Gage Grant (138)
2nd: Donny Tibbitt (175)
3rd: Jack Hardy (103) / Michael Farrell (113) / Kevin Pasquince (150)


12/21: RON MAZZOLA MEMORIAL
Manalapan - 17th Place

2025 Manalapan Braves

Head Coach: James Somma (2nd Season / 12-17)
Assistants: Paul Santomarco / AJ Sortino / Maureen Kirchoff / Reggie Hodge-Grant / Jordan Adelson
2024 Record: 12-17

For the 2nd consecutive season, the Braves enter the year after saying goodbye to a very talented senior class. This season, six District medal winners were lost to graduation, one year following the departure of five senior District medalists. A mix of returning upperclassmen that have gotten some experience in behind those senior classes, and some promising newcomers, comprise this year's team looking to get the program back to its winning ways after a rare sub .500 season.

Junior Gage Grant is the returning wins leader from a season ago, with 25 victories, including a 1st-place finish at the Walter Woods Tournament, and 2nd-place finish at the TC NJ Pride Tournament. He's part of a group in the lower half of the lineup that should be a pretty even mix of upperclassmen and the frosh/sophs. Among those freshmen and sophomores are returning starter Aiden Spezio and Chase Zardavets, who got 11 varsity matches to his credit last season. Potential freshmen in the lineup could include a pair down at 106/113 consisting of Jack Hardy and Michael Farrell. Hardy placed 8th at last year's Intermediate School State Tournament, while Farrell finished just one win short of a medal at the tourney.

The Braves should be a bit more experienced up top. Junior Donnie Tibbitt is the lone returning District medal winner from last season, as he placed 2nd in District 24 at 175. Seniors Matt Giudice and Reggie Bennett are returning starters and fellow senior Joe Hughes and juniors Kevin Pasquince and Will Vargas will look to capitalize off the varsity action they saw last season. Keep an eye on Bennett who had a few nice wins at heavyweight last season.

An A-North mainstay, with the new divisional formats the Braves move into the F-Division where they will compete with Freehold Boro, Keansburg, Brick Twp, and TR South. They have about a month's worth of season before they face any of their divisional foes which will be beneficial as the new starters get adjusted into the varsity lineup, as the Braves take a run at divisional championship #13.

Manalapan High School
20 Church Lane
Englishtown, NJ 07726
(732) 792-7200

@brave_wrestling

Program Esablished
1973

Mascot
Braves

Colors
Scarlet, Navy, & White

Head Coach
James Somma
(2nd Season in 2025)

Assistants
Paul Santomarco 
AJ Sortino 
Maureen Kirchoff
Reggie Hodge-Grant 
Jordan Adelson

Section
-

Division
F-Division

District
21

Region
6



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)