Knox, Ludington take titles
Pair of Shore Conference wrestlers win Beast of the East championships
The Shore Conference had 2 champions Sunday at the prestigious Beast of the East Wrestling Tournament at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delware, an event that drew 900 wrestlers from 20 states.
St. John Vianney junior and twotime NJSIAA champion Anthony Knox repeated as Beast of the East champion with a 16-9 win over Camden Catholic sophomore and 2023 region champion Sammy Spaulding in the 126-pound final.
He defeated Delbartons' Daniel Jones in last year's in Beast of the East of the 120-pound final. He then majored Jones, the 2021 106-pound champion, in the 120-pound state final.
Brick Memorial junior Harvey Ludington, the 2022 NJSIAA 175-pound champion and the 175-pound state runner-up to Simon Ruiz of Delbarton last season, pinned Paramus Catholic senior Daniel Rella in the 190-pound final.
Brick Memorial's Harvey Ludington was overpowering
Ludington, who was defeated 3-1 by Gage Wright in last year's Beast of the East 175-pound final on a late takedown, left no doubt this time.
He recorded two takedowns and two backpoints in the first period and a takedown in the second to build a 9-2 lead before he put Rella to his back and pinned him 17 seconds into the third.
Rella was sixth in the state at 150 in 2022 and fourth in the state at 165 last season. He is a three-time state qualifier.
An Arizona State University recruit, Ludington was dominant in the tournament. He recorded two pins and three major decisions. He is 81-3 for his career, with the three defeats by a combined four points.
Anthony Knox of St. John Vianney wins comfortably
Knox, a Cornell University recruit, took command of the Sunday's bout with three takedowns in the first period. He added a takedown in the second period and two more in the third period as he improved to 78-1 during his scholastic career. His only scholastic defeat came to Zachary Jacaruso of Delaware Valley (Pa.) in the 2022 Escape the Rock 113-pound final.
In the tournament, Knox, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation by Flowrestling.org at 120 and No. 17 in the country pound-for-pound by flowrestling, won his first three bouts by pin and then by decision in his final three bouts.
His toughest bout came in the semifinal against Howell senior Sebastian Ortega.
A takedown in the final 10 seconds of the second period gave Knox the lead for good and he went on to win 3-1 after Ortega, a Princeton University-recruit, rode him for the first 50 seconds of the third period.
Ortega, who was the NJSIAA fifthplace finisher at 113 in 2021 and was one win shy of state medals at 120 and 126 the last two seasons, eventually finished third. 8th
Other Shore Conference Beast of the East medalists:
Second: Hudson Skove (RumsonFair Haven, 215). Skove, last year's NJSIAA 215-pound champion, medically forfeited the final. He had advanced to the final with a pin and three decisions, including a 3-1 win over St. Joseph (Metuchen's) returning region champion and two-time state qualifier Brian Christie in the semifinal. It is the second straight season Skove has finished second at 215 in the Beast of the East. He was defeated 3-2 Max Agresti of Salesianum (Del.) in the ultimate tiebreaker in last season's final.
Third: Sebastian Ortega (Howell, 126). It is the second straight season Ortega has medaled at the Beast of the East. He was seventh at 126 in 2022.
Fourth: Sonny Amato (Rumson-Fair Haven, 144). Amato, a freshman, defeated the No. 14, 3 and 6 seeds on his way to the semifinal and then defeated the No. 11 seed in a wrestleback semifinal.
Eighth: Xavier Ortega (Howell, 132); Jake Zaltsman (St. John Vianney, 138).