Slisky’s pin gives Jags second straight SCT title

BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

STAFFORD — A win wasn’t going to be good enough. With one bout remaining and the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT) championship at stake, Jackson High School heavyweight wrestler Joe Slisky needed a pin to give the Jaguars enough bonus points to rally for the crown.

“He knew going in that a victory over his opponent would not be enough to get us over the edge,” Jackson High School coach Scott Goodale said. “It was very clear we needed a pin. It was an exciting moment for him and this squad. Joe put forth a huge effort and got it done for us. It was great to see him get such a big victory.”

Indeed, Slisky managed to pin Ocean High School’s Eric Adams in the third period to give Jackson a dramatic 29-27 come-from-behind triumph and its second consecutive Shore Conference Tournament title.

With the score knotted at 2-all after two periods, Slisky got to Adams early in the third to allow Jackson to clinch the championship.

However, it was in the second period where Slisky did the damage. Slisky rode Adams out for the final minute of the period to wear him down.

“I think that second period played a big part in the win,” Goodale said. “Joe rode him hard in the second and took the wind out of his sails. You could sense the kid was getting tired. We were just hoping for an opportunity to get him on his back, and that’s what happened.”

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Jackson heavyweight Joe Slisky (top) celebrates his title-clinching pin during the SCT final at Southern Regional on Saturday. Above, Jackson’s Dan Hopkins is tied up by Southern’s Josh Cipolla during their 171-pound semifinal bout. At left, Jackson’s Scott Winston tries to work a single-leg takedown of Ocean’s Gaetjens Lezin during their 145-pound final round bout. A fatigued Adams put up a valiant effort, but Slisky turned him with a minute to go and sealed the win by shouldering the heavyweight.

“It was a pretty dramatic way to win,” Goodale said. “The atmosphere was great. The matches were even. It was two good teams putting everything they had left out on the line. We were fortunate enough to come away with the win.”

In fact, the Jags trailed 27-17 with just three bouts remaining. But a poised Jackson team responded to the pressure by winning all three bouts to rally for the win.

Bobby Van Volkenberg started it with a 9-2 win at 189 pounds. That was followed by Rob Woods’ narrow 3-2 win at 215, and finally Slisky picking up the bonus points with the pin of Adams to give Jackson its third title in the last six years.

“There was definitely pressure on us at that point,” Goodale said. “We have a lot of confidence in our kids. I knew that we could win all three of those bouts.”

For as young as the Jackson lineup is, it was the seniors that figured in securing the title. Nick Keshecki (119), Russell Wall (152), Van Volkenberg (189) and Slisky (heavyweight) were all victorious for the Jags. Goodale cited his upperclassmen as one of the keys to this championship.

“We have a lot of talented underclassmen on this team, but without these seniors we don’t get this done,” Goodale said. “They all delivered in a key spot and showed tremendous poise and leadership. In a match like this, you need guys who have been there before.”

In the semifinals, Jackson avenged an early-season loss to Southern by posting a 33-21 win.

Goodale cited Matt Bradley’s win at 119 pounds against Sean Quinn as a pivotal point in the match.

“We brought him back to 119 pounds for this match,” Goodale said. “We also had a couple of other wrestlers back in the lineup that weren’t there the first time we met them. So, we were able to go with our regular lineup.”