Dom Volek of Ocean Township records the biggest upset in the Region 6 Wrestling Tournament

JACKSON – It is the time of the wrestling season where everyone gets reminders that seeds are just a number and nothing more.

Ocean Township High School freshman Dominic Volek showed the No. 6 seed he received via the seeding criteria that is used to seed the NJSIAA’s region tournament and the state individual championships was just a number when pinned No. 3 seed Anthony Cook of Burlington Township Friday night at Jackson Liberty High School in a Region 6 132-pound quarterfinal.

“I knew I was better than the seed I got,” Volek, who was the only seed lower than No. 5 to advance to the semifinal, said.

Volek (30-7) ran a series of power half nelsons against Cook, who was a region fifth-place finisher at 113 pounds last season before he got the fall with 58 seconds left in the bout.

“I listened to my coaches,” Volek said.

Volek comes from a wrestling family. His older brother – Boomer – is in the region semifinal at 144 pounds and was a region fifth-place last season. His twin brother – Jake – is also a freshman who wrestled at 132 pounds before his season ended when he was not entered in the District 22 Tournament.

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“Wrestling is really important to our family,” Volek said. “I’ve been doing it for like nine years now.”

Volek, who was one of five Ocean wrestlers to advance to the semifinals, which will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. He will meet No. 2 seed and two-time state qualifier Anthony Visicdo in the semifinal.

Do not expect Volek to be fazed by Visicdo’s seed.

“I just will try hardest,” Volek said. “Even if he’s better than me, I just try to wrestle my best and stay calm.”

Getting another crack at a nemesis.

Jackson Liberty senior 113-pounder and returning state qualifier Anthony Urso will get a fourth crack at Point Pleasant Borough junior 113-pounder and two-time state qualifier Joey DeAngelo in the semifinal.

DeAngelo is 3-0 against Urso this season, includings wins in the Shore Conference Tournament and District 24 finals.

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“I’m never afraid to wrestle anybody,” Urso said after he pinned Northern Burlington’s Rocco Giangeruso in 53 seconds in the quarterfinal. “Even though I’ve lost to him three times, I always have the same level of confidence every single time. I’ve just got to execute. I think I did that well in the district finals (a 3-1 defeat in sudden victory), but there’s still a little bit of room to improve. I worked on some small things during the week.”

Urso, who was one of four Jackson Liberty wrestlers to advance to the semifinals, said one of the things he has to do to beat DeAngelo is to be able to score while riding.

“It’s always going to be neck-and-neck when we wrestle,” Urso said. “I just have to get to my stuff on top. I really think that’s a difference maker. Once I get on top and I get to my stuff, I really separate the gap.”

During a defeat to DeAngelo during the Jackson Liberty-Point Pleasant Borough dual meet, Urso was ridden out in the third period by DeAngelo.

“I was warming up way too long for the match,” Urso said. “I was warming up three hours before. I was a little tired going into it.”

The 113-pound weight class is one of the better ones in Region 6.

St. Peter’s Prep sophomore Sal Borrometi – the state third-place finisher at 106 last year – is the top seed. He will wrestle Jackson Memorial’s returning state qualifier and No. 4 seed Joseph Weikel in the other semifinal.

Jackson Memorial’s Joseph Weikel (left) defeated Brick Memorial’s Mike Napolitano 4-2 in tiebreaker period No. 1 Friday night in a Region 6 113-pound quarterfinal.

Weikel defeated Brick Memorial’s returning state qualifier Mike Napoitano 4-2 on two back points in the second part of tiebreaker period No. 1. for his third win of the season over Napolitano. Weikel tied the bout on a stalling point in the final seconds. Both wrestlers rode the other out during regulation, but were assessed stalling points and both rode each out in the tiebreaker period.

St. Peter’s Prep leads the way

St. Peter’s Prep, which finished ranked No. 3 in the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20, had all 13 of its wrestlers advance to the semifinals. Twelve of those wrestlers were district champions.

Brick Memorial joined Ocean with five semifinalists and Donovan Catholic, Jackson Memorial and Point Borough joined Jackson Liberty with four semifinalists. Colts Neck has three semifinalists.

Jackson Liberty’s Armani McCann (right) defeated Brick Memorial’s Gavin Martin 11-4 in a Region 6 quarterfinal-round bout Friday night.

The top four seeds in eight of the 14 weight classes advanced. Five No. 5 seeds advanced and Volek was the lone No. 6 seed.

The tournament will conclude Saturday. The first wrestleback round will take place at the same time the semifinals are being held. The second wrestleback round will take place after the first wrestleback round concludes and the finals, third and fifth-place bouts will take place around 2 p.m.

The top four in each of the 14 weight classes advance to the NJSIAA Individual Championships Feb. 29-March 2 at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Dom Volek of Ocean Township records the biggest upset in the Region 6 Wrestling Tournament