West Deptford pins Haddonfield

West Deptford's Rory Bonner (top) attempts to turn Haddonfield's Vince DelDuca in the 182-pound bout. Bonner won by a pin in 3:37, to seal the Eagles' victory at 36-28. (RON CORTES / Staff Photographer)

The 36-28 win gave the Eagles a 14-0 record and locked up the division crown.

By Chris Melchiorre, For The Inquirer

Posted: January 29, 2012

West Deptford wrestling coach John Craig pointed to the little things: the character his team showed, the poise, the intelligence, knowing what the team needs and delivering it.

It's those little things, Craig said, that allowed for the Eagles' biggest accomplishment in more than 30 years.

Friday night's 36-28 win over Haddonfield improved West Deptford's dual-meet record to 14-0. More than that, the win, one of many close ones for the Eagles this season, sealed the team's first Colonial Conference Patriot Division title since 1978.

"It was a very special night," Craig said. "Haddonfield is a tough team. We knew it was going to be tough coming in.

"But, like it has all year, it came down to character. We just have a lot of character wrestlers, and it really showed tonight."

In the second-to-last bout, Haddonfield's Rob Schlitt earned a pin, in the 170-pound weight class, in just 37 seconds.

The win swung momentum in the visiting team's favor, pulling the score to 30-28.

But the thought of losing his 182-pound bout, West Deptford junior Rory Bonner said, never entered his mind. Instead, he was thinking one thing from the moment he stepped on the mat.

"I wanted a pin," he said. "I felt I could definitely win, but I wanted to pin him for my team."

Bonner's victory, a pin in 3 minutes, 37 seconds, was one of several key wins for West Deptford. With the clock winding down in the third period, 132-pound Christian Terinoni pinned David Hessert, putting his team ahead by 23-15.

Haddonfield led by 12-0 after two bouts.

West Deptford, though, won the next three matches, building a lead it never lost.

The stretch was highlighted by 106-pound Griffin Bonner, Rory Bonner's freshman brother, earning a hard-fought technical fall 3:11 into his bout with Eric Feldhake.

"I knew I needed to try to swing momentum back in our favor," Rory Bonner said. "Big points, they help the team, they get the crowd excited, and they get the rest of the wrestlers behind me excited.

"I used to sit in the stands and watch Haddonfield beat us year after year, and it drove me crazy. They're our rivals. So it's great to get this win."

The Results

WEST DEPTFORD 36, HADDONFIELD 28

195: Henry Klaus, Haddonfield, pin Mark Fisher, 2:42; 220: Carson Stack, West Deptford, win by forfeit; 285: Gerald Owens, West Deptford, dec. Charlie O'Neil, 8-2; 106: Griffin Bonner, West Deptford, tech fall Eric Feldhake, 3:11; 113: Tyler Kaminski, West Deptford, dec. Jake Klaus, 4-2; 120: Eric Zuzulock, West Deptford, pin Nate Finnegan, 0:44; 126: Phil Tenenbaum, Haddonfield, dec. Steve Alt, 8-5; 132: Christian Terinoni, pin, David Hessert, 5:39; 138: Scott Dennis, West Deptford, dec. Crawford Oswald, 6-4; 145: Nate Thompson, Haddonfield, maj. dec., Eugene Marshall, 14-2; 152: Dan Gibson, West Deptford, maj. dec. Brad Thompson, 14-5; 160: Steve Holmes, Haddonfield, dec. Phil Fisher, 8-3; 170: Rob Schlitt, Haddonfield, pin, Hunter Holmstrom, 0:37; 182: Rory Bonner, West Deptford, pin Vince DelDuca, 3:37.