Paulsboro wrestlers do their part, win or lose

Paulsboro won the South Jersey Group 1 title match yesterday by 39 points and the first wrestler that coach Paul Morina mentioned was a senior who surrendered five points instead of six.

When the Red Raiders have it going - and they have it going right now - that's the way things work for this remarkable program.

Every match matters. Every man matters. Every bonus point saved - like when Tyler Burlingame lost by technical fall instead of pin in the first bout - matters as much as every bonus point secured.

"Tyler had a job to do," Morina said after Paulsboro's imposing 51-12 victory over Haddonfield on Saturday. "He set the tone."

Team wrestling turns on little stuff like Burlingame's 21-6 loss, which somehow served as a springboard for Paulsboro. It's all depends on a toss-up bout here and a bonus point there, a surprise pin or a valiant 15-point loss.

Through the years, no team has been better at this game than Paulsboro. That's why they've won 30 South Jersey titles in the last 31 seasons and why they'll pursue their 27th state title since 1980 today in the Ritaco Center in Toms River.

I'll never forget covering a Red Raiders' victory over Phillipsburg - in the Stateliners' black-windowed pit of a gymnasium - thanks to some overmatched kid who lost by major decision instead of pin to one of the state's top wrestlers.

That's all anybody could talk about that day – the kid who lost.

This match was like that because the three Paulsboro wrestlers who lost their bouts – Burlingame at 189, Mike Zold at 112 and Bruce Martell at 152 – all stayed off their backs against Haddonfield opponents who have a combined record of 76-8.

But when the Red Raiders have it going – and to repeat, they have it going right now – those quality losses are combined with quality wins. That toughness and teamwork goes a long way. But that talent helps, too.

This wasn't supposed to be a 39-point win. Haddonfield entered the match with momentum. The Bulldogs had won 13 matches in a row, with victories over Collingswood (twice), Delran, West Deptford and previously top-ranked Camden Catholic.

"I'll be honest with you, I thought we could win the match," Haddonfield coach Pete DiPol said. "I told our guys, 'When we beat Camden Catholic, everything went our way. We need everything to go our way again.'

"But nothing went our way."

Paulsboro (22-1), the No. 1 team in The Inquirer Top 10, won every toss-up bout. The Red Raiders won big, too, registering five pins and four major decisions and putting half-a-hundred on the scoreboard in the sectional finals.

That's like a basketball team scoring 100.

"It's this program," said Paulsboro senior 119-pounder Sean DiEmma, who registered his 100th career victory. "Everyone has their own goals, but we're like a big family. We work so hard to make each other better."

When the Red Raiders have it going – and I think I might have mentioned, they have it going right now – you can't tell from watching the bench at the end of a bout whether a red-clad wrestler just won by surprise pin or fought for six minutes to give up five points instead of six.

But you can figure it out when you look at the scoreboard at the end of the day.