Millstone wrestlers have a solid stance
Middle school team undefeated this season
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer
Millstone Township Middle School wrestling has hit its heyday. The team of 15 sixth-, seventhand eighth-graders led by coach Anthony Stillitano is undefeated this season. The wrestlers' latest win came Jan. 21 at the expense of the Upper Freehold Regional Middle School team, where they racked up 56 points to their opponent's 21.

JEFF GRANIT staff Millstone Township Middle School wrestling coach Anthony Stillitano gives instructions to a wrestler during a match against the Upper Freehold Regional Middle School team Jan. 21.

Mike Rosenberg, the middle school's interim principal while Michelle Vella is out on maternity leave, said, "It feels great when you see the teachers and kids feeling great and parents proud of their kids and the way they respond to the coaches."

Rosenberg, who served as a middle school principal in Philadelphia for 36 years, said he has never before seen such commitment to middle school wrestling. He said Stillitano and assistant coaches Rich Giglia and Brian McNamara aren't just teaching the fundamentals of the sport but are instilling self-esteem and pride in their wrestlers.

JEFF GRANIT staff Millstone Township Middle School wrestling coach Anthony Stillitano (l) congratulates Upper Freehold Regional Middle School wrestlers for a job well done after a Jan. 21 match in Millstone. Millstone wrestlers beat their opponents 56-21.

"I can't tell you how many fathers have come up to me and expressed support for this program because of what it has done for the self-esteem of their sons," Rosenberg said. "They are so proud, and they are seeing that carrying over to the classroom."

Howie Bliss, father of wrestler Anthony Bliss, a seventh-grader who contends in the 138-pound weight class, said Stillitano has made his son a man.

"He's a friend and he's a mentor to all of these kids," Bliss said. "He is changing all of these kids into respectful young men."

McNamara said the wrestlers on the team this year are very hardworking and dedicated.

"The coach is doing everything to keep these kids on track and staying healthy," he said.

Eighth-grader Matt Hydrusko, 13, who has been wrestling on the team for two years and is currently in the 122-pound weight class, said the team is very strong this year because all of the wrestlers are working hard.

Hydrusko said Millstone wrestlers are in their prime at the middle school because most have been wrestling in the township's recreational program under the direction of coaches Giglia and Rich Williams since kindergarten, first or second grade.

"Between rec and school wrestling, we get to incorporate what different coaches and wrestlers say and do into our matches," he said.

Hydrusko said Stillitano has had a major impact on the team.

"He is the reason why we are doing so good this year," Hydrusko said. "He's always working with us, showing us new moves and techniques. He's always there to guide us."

Not only does Stillitano coach the boys on the mat, but parents also give him credit for coaching them in other life lessons.

Patricia Adamo, mother of Tyler Adamo, a seventh-grader who wrestles in the 100-pound weight class, said Stillitano, who is also a physical education teacher in the school, watches out for kids both during and after school. When her son's grades took a dip earlier in the semester, Stillitano warned Adamo that her son may be hanging out with the wrong crowd.

"If he didn't bring it up, I wouldn't have known," Adamo said, adding that she spoke about Stillitano's concerns with her son, who immediately took action and brought his grades back up to par.

Stillitano, of Trenton, said his philosophy is that academics and athletics go hand in hand.

"They are working hard, and I am trying to instill in them that it's what you get out of it and not how many hours you put in," he said.

Stillitano said this is his second year coaching the team and that his team is doing very well because "every guy is coming in and getting the job done."

"It's amazing for me to watch," he said. "We have several guys that are pretty good, not just one."

Stillitano said he was impressed with the team's win against Bordentown, which had previously been undefeated.

"We're looking forward to our next meet with Bordentown, because we beat them once this year and they've always been our rivals," he said.

Stillitano also attributed his team's success to parental support.

"They have my back 100 percent, and when you coach middle school sports you need big parental support," he said.

Frank Juba, whose eighth-grade son Frank is undefeated in the 185-pound weight class, said he appreciates that Stillitano teaches his wrestlers to respect their opponents.

"He tells the kids that if someone is not as good an athlete as they are, don't just go out there and destroy them," Juba said. "That's usually a parental concern and up to me, but that says he's teaching our sons professionalism."

Rene Woloszyn, whose son Cole is a seventh-grader who wrestles in the 105- pound weight class, said Stillitano has had a major impact on her son's life.

"He treats all the kids as though they are family," she said. "Cole came home from school one day and said, 'Mom, I want to be a gym teacher and a coach like my coach.' He really loves him."

She said that while it also takes teachers and parents to make well-rounded students and athletes, Stillitano is providing a muchneeded male role model to boys at a particularly sensitive age.

"He's given them something to turn to, someone to confide in, and he's just been a very, very professional role model for these children," she said.