Greatest Moments In Jackson Team Wrestling History
by historian Jim Colbert
1. 2006: Jags beat Southern, win state Group IV title for first time. Turning point was Scott Winston's decision over Dillard. It gave Jackson Memorial No. 1 ranking in NJ and No. 9 in USA. It was the third time in the season the Jags edged the talented Rams, (regular season A South match at Joe Perry Gymnasium, SCT championship at Southern, Group IV state final at Ritacco Center, Toms River). Jags finish 29-1, set record for most wins in season and winning streak within a season (24).
2. 2000: Jags beat Brick Mem., to win first outright Shore Conference championship (first since tying Brick in final in 1980), beat Brick Mem. first time ever, Al Aires last season as head coach. As it was so many times in the season, it was the upper-weight cavalry of Nick Vinciguerra, Mike McCabe and Mike Filosa that erased a seemingly insurmountable Mustang lead that led to the championship and sent Jaguar fans into a victorious frenzy in the last SCT final held at Lacey High School.
3. 1973: In a battle of unbeaten's, in front of an overflow crowd at the Jackson gym (not called Joe Perry yet--he was still alive and teaching), Jags use two major decisions in an otherwise even 12-bout match to beat Howell, 20-18, to win Shore Conference B Division. This was before the SCT and state team playoffs. This was in th early in Bernie Reider's 58-match win streak and vaulted the Jags to the top of the Shore's wrestling rankings.
4. 2002: In the first meeting since 1978, Jags get a pin from Kyle Shelly in the match's final bout to turn the tables on Paulsboro in Paulsboro (a rare win for any visiting team), gaining revenge on 44-6 blowout defeat at Joe Perry Gymnasium 24 years earlier in which eventual state champ Lou Durant's pin produces the only Jaguar points of the match. It was the first of four straight wins by the Jags over the Red Raiders, establishing the team as a state power.
5. 2005: In a stunning pin move by heavyweight Joe Slisky, Jags beat Ocean Twp. to win SCT for the second straight year.
6. 2004: Nick Keshecki's major decision at 103 gets Jags' "monkey off their backs" as they pull out dramatic win over Southern to win their third (second outright) SCT title, first for head coach Scott Goodale. Because of the new random weight class start rule to begin wrestling matches, it was the first time the lightest weight class decided an SCT championship.
7. Dec. 2005: Jags go 5-1 in "The Clash" tournament in Minnesota, establishing the program as a national power.
8. 2004: Jaguars win first of three straight CJ IV sectional titles.
9. 1972: Jaguars establish themselves for the first time as a Shore wrestling power by winning District 25 at Southern Regional. District champions Mike Fiamingo and Lou Rivera go on to become the Jaguars' first two regional champions by winning at Region 7 at Cherry Hill East, thus being the first two Jaguar wrestlers to participate in the individual state championships at Princeton University. Lou Rivera is the first Jaguar wrestler to advance to the finals.
10. 1974: Jags finish undefeated (14-0), extend match win streak to 35, and produce their first two individual state champions, Hector and Ed Rivera. In the much anticipated rematch from the 1973 classic, the Jaguars visit Howell and make short work of the outmanned Rebels. The 1973 and 1974 Jags remain the only two Jackson teams to go undefeated in a season.
11. 2006: Jags win ninth straight District 21 championship at Manalapan. For the first time in Jaguar wrestling history, the team had all weight classes represented in the finals. Not only that, the Jaguars beat the rest of entire District 21 field by winning eight of the 14 district individual titles.
12. 1975: Jags' dual-match winning streak ends at 58 with the loss to Toms River South in the championship of the inaugural Shore Conference Tournament. 1975 Jags established records for wins and consecutive wins in a season (both 23), that were not broken until 2006.
