Four Timber Creek Wrestlers Capture Region 8 Titles

Robert Shade felt the pressure at the Region 8 wrestling Tournament, but not the way one would imagine.

Shade had no butterflies when he went out and captured a Region 8 title at 170 pounds in front of a packed gymnasium at Egg Harbor Township High School Saturday evening. However, once his brother Bryce hit the mat, the stomach started to swirl a little bit.

Thankfully Bryce—a No. 2 seed at 152—didn’t make his brother uncomfortable for long, winning his match against No. 1 seed Mark Patterson, of St. Augustine, by pin in three minutes, 55 seconds.

Bryce Shade’s win capped off another great day for the wrestling team, which captured four regional titles.

“It’s extra special,” Robert Shade said of winning with his brother. “We planned that we were both going to win it last year and that we were going to be two-time region champs as brothers, but this year was definitely better.”

As for feeling the pressure when his brother was on the mat?

“That’s how it always is,” Robert Shade said.

Robert Shade's championship match was the first of the night. He took down Absegami’s Alex Gong late in the first period and got back points to exit the period with a 4-0 lead. Gong couldn't find any momentum as Shade easily recorded a 7-1 decision.

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the 170-pounder’s focus to turn right to Atlantic City.

“It was a good moment,” Robert Shade said. “My coaches told me I deserved it because I work hard in the room and am a good kid. It was a pretty good victory, but once I won I got real focused real quick because I got a state tournament and I want to go really far and possibly win it. It is a deep weight class but I think I got the stuff for it to be a champion.”

A few weight classes later, sophomore John Amato scored a stunning pin over No. 1 seed John Gentile, of Paulsboro, at 106 pounds. The match was not surprising so much because of the seeds, but how it unfolded. Amato—a No. 2 seed—trailed 7-1 in the third, before getting an escape, takedown and pin.

A few matches later Brandon Keller earned his third region title, defeating Delsea’s John Hennelly, 3-1.

Keller said he wasn’t nervous at all, because his ultimate goal was not to win regions, but to win states. However, a relentless nosebleed caused his match with Hennelly to be closer than he would have liked.

Keller scored an early takedown and led 2-0 after the first period, but the match was stopped four times due to blood. By the time Keller was patched up for a fourth time, half of his face was covered with tape and his visibility was limited.

“As I started bleeding more and more I started getting dizzy,” Keller said. “They taped my face up, so I couldn’t really see. Late in the match I was just trying to grab on to something and grab on.”

Bryce Shade capped the tournament with a pin just five seconds before time was to expire in the second period, earning his place on the top of the podium.

Ricky Carter also reached the podium, finishing second, with a defeat coming to Buena’s Billy Ward in a highly-anticipated championship match. Carter, a 2011 Region 8 champion, was never able to establish any offense in a 4-1 loss.

Dom Ruggerio will also be going to Atlantic City as he won a third-place match against Woodstown’s Patrick MucCurdy by pin.

Highland’s Martel Harrison and Brian Ceaser each were eliminated in the consolation rounds.

For a complete list of results, click here.