After “botching the lineup” early in the season, St. John Vianney wrestling coach Chris Notte feels his team is finally settled in time for the Shore Conference Tournament.
The SCT will be held Jan. 27-28 at Middletown South, and the Lancers from Holmdel are expected to battle favored Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft for the title.
Notte, whose team is 9-1 and ranked No. 10 in the state by nj.com, feels his team has enough firepower to make a run at the No. 7 ranked Colts – especially now that his lineup is intact.
“Just like every wrestling team, we were missing guys for various reasons in December and that’s why we were kind of blotching the lineup leading up to now,” Notte said. “But right now, we’re in a really good spot, we’re all healthy, we’re doing really well and I’m proud of our guys.”
Aside from their wrestling ability, Notte also has pride in them as first-class student-athletes who put their trust in God.
“Our guys are great kids,” Notte said. “They’re growing into men each day; that’s what I ask for most is to build character and to lean on your faith. At the end of the day, you need to let go and let God. There are some things we can’t handle. Instead of having a lot of anxiety and stress and unwanted negative feelings, you need to give that to God, and let God take care of that.”
In the meantime, the Lancers look to take care of business at the SCTs. St. John Vianney is peaking as it enters the fray, having won seven straight dual meets while defending its title at the high-powered Patriot Duals at North Warren High School, Blairstown.
Defending champion CBA defeated the Lancers in last year’s semifinals when the tournament was a dual-meet bracket event. This year the SCT is returning to an individual tournament with overall team scores for the first time since 2020.
The Colts lineup includes 2022 state runner-up Julian George, state third-place finishers Tyler Barrett and Zander Silva and fifth-place finisher Alex Nini. SJV counters with state champion Anthony Knox, state runnerup Patrick O’Keefe, state fifth-place finisher Jasiah Queen, and state qualifiers Jake Zaltsman, Cole Stangle and Kevin McBride.”
“I believe the team standings will come down to us and CBA,” Notte said. “They’re a very powerful team, they’re extremely well coached.”
The Lancers have prepared for the SCT by wrestling in three uber-competitive tournaments this season – the Beast of the East in Newark, Del., the Sam Cali in Madison, N.J., and the Escape the Rock in Newtown, Pa.
“These guys are definitely going to be seasoned for a two-day top tournament,” Notte said. “I expect them to compete well. We’re gonna be right there. We plan to bring our A game. If we win, it will be close. If we don’t win it, we’ll be a close second. I plan on us going out there to take the crown.”
Notte figures that each team’s star wrestlers will cancel each other out. He feels the keys to victory are scoring a lot of bonus points, getting some upset victories, and winning consolation matches that won’t bring a lot of glory but add to the team point total.
“It’s gonna come down to how they produce,” Notte said. “Are they winning matches by major decisions and pins? And it will come down to toss-up matches – matches where a guy is not expected to win on paper, but who believes in himself and if it’s a close match he pulls through. Those are the pivotal matches that actually win you the tournament.
“It also comes down to the guys who aren’t expected to finish top-three in the tournament … who are winning on the back side in the consolation matches. Those matches go a long way.”
Knox is following up his memorable freshman season with another big year as he is 18-0 and won the prestigious Beast of the East tournament. Queen, who missed last year’s in-season tournaments due to sitting out as a transfer, won the Escape the Rock and was second at Sam Callie and Beast of the East.
“Jasiah Queen is wrestling absolutely phenomenally,” Notte said. “He’s got a skill set that can earn him a state title if he believes it.”
Aside from his stars, Notte is also encouraged by the performances of Michael Foley, freshman Matt Gould and Holmdel transfer Anthony Paulino.
“Matt Gould has really turned the lights on this year, he’s just a quiet assassin,” the coach said. “Anthony Paulino has produced for us, he had a couple big wins at the Patriots, and Michael Foley is kind of floating under the radar right now. He plays football in the summer but he’s always in the weight room. You have to kick him out when the lights go off. Those guys are really picking up the slack.”
And Notte hopes they help the Lancers pick up a coveted conference championship.