Iowa Style: Brick Memorial’s Harvey Ludington unstoppable at Mustang Classic

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Off the mat, Brick Memorial superstar Harvey Ludington is a friendly, gregarious and supportive teammate who just happens to be one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the United States of America.

But when it’s time to wrestle, Ludington transforms into a machine of destruction with a relentless and aggressive approach that has made him feared and mostly unstoppable throughout his high school career. It’s why his recent signing to compete at the University of Iowa is the perfect marriage of program and athlete.

“I love the meanness,” Ludington said. “They are so mean when they wrestle, and I love it. And they back it right up.”

That skillset was on display on Saturday inside his home gym when Ludington dominated the field to win the 190-pound bracket and secure his third Mustang Classic championship. None of his four bouts extended beyond the first period and included two falls in 40 seconds or less and two wins by technical fall. The nation’s top-ranked 190-pounder looked as good as ever as he began his quest for a third NJSIAA state championship.

“It means a lot for me because I can do it for the last time at my school, especially after losing here my freshman year,” Ludington said. “It’s nice to end it off on a good note.”

Ludington was originally committed to Arizona State but reopened his recruitment this fall. Iowa was always his dream school, and when the Hawkeyes produced a scholarship offer he was quick to take an official visit. After seeing the campus and the facilities – and meeting Iowa head coach Tom Brands – his decision was an easy one.

“You get there and it’s like a whole different planet,” Ludington said. “The training, the coaches, everybody., It’s just a whole different animal.”

Anyone who follows college wrestling knows Tom Brands, the Hawkeyes’ hard-charging leader who embodies his team’s signature toughness and in-your-face style. Ludington was eager to meet him and came away impressed, even if he couldn’t quite pinpoint Brands’ aura.

“It was an experience,” Ludington said. “He’s like the coolest guy you’ll ever meet but you also don’t mess around with him. I don’t really know how to explain Brands. He’s Brands, that’s the only way to explain it.”

With his college commitment now secured, Ludington can turn his full attention to closing out his career with a third state title. There have been 32 three-time state champions in New Jersey history dating back to 1939. Eight have been from the Shore Conference – Long Branch’s Luke Skove, Middletown South’s Glenn Pritzlaff, Central’s Mark Worthy, Lakewood’s Damion Hahn, Southern’s Frank Molinaro, Jackson Memorial’s Scott Winston, Manchester’s Jimmy Lawson and St. John Vianney’s Anthony Knox. Ludington is poised to join that legendary group this season and become the first Brick Memorial wrestler with three state titles.

“(Committing) actually pumps me up more because I want to prove why I’m going to Iowa. And Brick has been like another family so this is pretty big for me,” said Ludington, who is originally from Nevada. “But with that comes a lot of training. I can’t slack. I have to keep getting more prepared.”

 

Jackson Liberty’s McCann impresses at 138

Jackson Liberty junior Armani McCann scored an impressive victory to claim the 138-pound title when he won by 13-3 major decision over Mount Olive’s Brandon Beres. Both McCann and Beres reached the second round of wrestlebacks at last season’s NJSIAA Tournament. Seeded No. 2, McCann outlasted Ocean sophomore and returning state qualifier Dominic Volek, 8-7, in the semifinals before rolling to a bonus-point victory in the final. After going 31-10 and winning a district title as a sophomore, McCann is off to an 8-1 start this year.

 

Blewett, Volek, Clayton, Szuba claim titles

Joining Ludington and McCann atop the medal stand were Middletown North sophomore Thomas Blewett, Ocean senior Boomer Volek, Point Boro sophomore Jake Clayton and Brick Memorial senior Ben Szuba.

Blewett was the No. 1 seed at 106 pounds and rolled to the title without allowing an offensive point in four bouts. He won by technical fall in the first round and quarterfinals, scored a 7-0 decision in the semifinals and won by 17-2 technical fall over Paulsboro’s Will Cruz in the final. Blewett was a district runner-up last season as a freshman and is 11-0 to begin his sophomore year.

Volek made quick work of the 144-pound bracket with three falls and a shutout to win his first Mustang Classic title after finishing second last season. In the final he won by fall in 1:15 over Middletown North junior Nicholas Wall, the No. 7 seed. He is 8-1 on the season.

Clayton bonused his way to the 165-pound championship, capping his tournament with an emphatic 25-5 technical fall over Caldwell’s Ben Lattimer. Clayton won by fall in the first round and in the quarterfinals before racking up 41 points in the semifinal and championship bouts. Clayton was a state medalist as a freshman, finishing 8th at 157 pounds with a 41-5 record, and is 9-0 to begin this season.

Szuba won his second Mustang Classic championship with two first-period pins and two technical falls in the 285-pound bracket. He won 18-1 over High Point’s Gavin Mericle in the championship bout. Szuba was a district and region champion last season who reached the fourth wrestlebacks at the state tournament. He’s 9-2 so far this season with both losses coming at the Beast of the East.

 

Mustang Classic, at Brick Memorial

Brick Memorial, Jackson Liberty Middletown North, Ocean, Point Boro, Red Bank Catholic, Absegami, A.L. Johnson, Caldwell, Camden Catholic, High Point, Kingsway, Mount Olive, Paulsboro, Washington Township, West Deptford

FINALS

106: 1-Thomas Blewett (Middletown North) tf. 3-Will Cruz (Paulsboro), 3:15 (17-2)

113: 5-Zachary Belverio (A.J. Johnson) md. 10-Ryan McConaghy (West Deptford), 17-9

120: 2-Dom Holler (Caldwell) md. 8-Carter Drouin (High Point), 15-6

126: 1-Colton Hagerty (Washington Township) p. 2-Anthony Piemonte (Mount Olive), 0:26

132: 1-Sammy Spaulding (Camden Catholic) tf. 3-Frankie Burgio (Point Boro), 3:52 (22-6)

138: 2-Armani McCann (Jackson Liberty) md. 1-Brandon Beres (Mount Olive), 13-3

144: 1-Boomer Volek (Ocean) p. 7-Nicholas Wall (Middletown North), 1:15

150: 1-Michael Craft (Camden Catholic) md. 3-Justin Bullock (Mount Olive), 11-0

157: 1-Kage Jones (Camden Catholic) p. 2-Robert Connelley (Red Bank Catholic), 3:40

165: 1-Jake Clayton (Point Boro) tf. 2-Ben Lattimer (Caldwell), 4:00 (25-5)

175: 1-Jaden Simpson (Camden Catholic) tf. 2-Daniel Benbrook (Middletown North), 3:05 (16-0)

190: 1-Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial) tf. 2-Tyler Cumming (Mount Olive), 2:00 (18-3)

215: 2-Nico Gonzalez (Mount Olive) p. 1-Trey Tallmadge (Brick Memorial), 1:57

285: 1-Ben Szuba (Brick Memorial) p. 3-Gavin Mericle (High Point), 3:46 (18-1)