By Bob Badders - Senior Staff Writer ATLANTIC CITY -- If there is one wrestler in the Shore Conference that is always going to tell you what is on his mind it is Jackson senior Sean Byrnes. But on Sunday at Boardwalk Hall, there was finally something that Byrnes could describe with words: winning a state championship.
'Man, it's hard to say what this feels like," Byrnes said. "It's really hard to believe I won this tournament with so many good kids here. It's just been a great experience for me."
Byrnes was able to defeat Brick Memorial junior Steve Santos, 7-1, to win the 145-pound championship and become one of seven Region VI state champs in 2008. A lethal wrestler from the top position, Byrnes put himself in a fantastic spot by securing a takedown late in the first period.
"As soon as that happened I knew I was going to open up the scoring," Byrnes said.
Byrnes went on to score an escape and another takedown in the second period and then took Santos down again in the third period for a 7-1 win, his third over the Mustangs junior this season. Byrnes was the only wrestler to defeat Santos during the season.
"It feels great to be able to win at a real tough weight," Byrnes said. I'm upset I had to beat Steve, whose one of my good friends, to win a title but it's still a great feeling."
As member of the Jaguars for the past four years, Byrnes has wrestled in his fair share of big bouts. But as he was waiting in the staging area of Boardwalk Hall, he was feeling pressure like he never felt before.
"I got really nervous before hand," Byrnes said. "I didn't know if I wanted to warm up or throw up. Scotty (Winston) came up to me and said, 'You're going to win this. You've worked hard and you deserve this', and I got a call from (former Jags head coach and current Rutgers University head coach Scott) Goodale and he gave me a pep talked. They both helped me calm down."
Byrnes may not be great on his feet but his unorthodox wrestling style, commonly referred to as "using the funk" made him impossible to score on. During the tournament, Byrnes allowed just two points in four bouts, both of which came on escapes. Santos had a couple of chances to score on Byrnes, but the Jags senior managed to wriggle away and even score on one occasion as only he can.
What Byrnes is really ecstatic about is going down in Jaguars wrestling history. Along with Winston and Tyler Biscaha, Byrnes is the latest of Jackson's 14 state champions that includes legends Lou Durant, Ed and Hector Rivera, Winston and head coach Doug Withstandley.
"You walk in there and see the boards all across the gym and you just say 'Wow'," Byrnes said. "It's going to be great to be up there."
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