EWING -- All hail St. Augustine Prep. The Hermits are the new kings of New Jersey swimming.

Sunday afternoon at The College of New Jersey, top-seeded St. Augustine knocked off three-time defending champion St. Joseph-Metuchen, 86-84, in thrilling fashion to capture the Non-Public A state title.

St. Augustine (13-0) won the Non-Public B state title a year ago.

Trailing by four points entering the final event, the Hermits needed to finish first and third in the 400 freestyle relay. Thanks to heroic swims by freshman Blake Trabuchi-Downey and junior Owen Black, St. Augustine did just that.

Moments before the start of the final relay, Black and Trabuchi-Downey switched anchor positions. Black, the Hermits' top sprinter, took the final spot in the Hermits' B relay; Trabuchi-Downey became the anchor of the A team.

The move proved to be a stroke of genius.

Trabuchi-Downey held off a furious charge from St. Joseph's A anchor Mike Jensen, and Black caught the Falcons' B anchor Jimmy Clarkin, winning the meet for the Prep.

"It was just crazy," Black said. "I just knew I had to go as hard as I could and not let anybody beat me."

With his team's title hopes riding on his shoulders, the freshman displayed outstanding poise.

"I can never imagine anything greater than this," said Trabuchi-Downey, a Vineland native. "I knew I had to keep calm for the team. I didn't feel any pressure at all; I wanted to see the wall so I could finish."

The final was a classic.

The lead changed hands three times and was tied twice.

"When we were down or up, no matter how much it was by, we just stayed confident," said senior Christian Sprang, who won the 500 free and finished second to Falcons' standout Bobby Savulich in the 200 free. "We trained all year for this. We were confident that we were gonna be victorious in the end."

Sprang, Black (50 free), Trabuchi-Downey (100 fly) and Mike Joyce (100 back) were the Prep's individual winners. The Hermits used their outstanding depth to overcome two wins apiece by Savulich and freshman phenom Scott Marino, and St. Joe wins in the 200 free and 200 medley relays.

"It was a complete team effort, from the middle-lane swimmers to the outside swimmers," Sprang said. "I couldn't imagine going out any other way my senior year."

BUENA -- The Buena Regional School District will unveil its budget for the coming year in March, but district officials don't expect a lot of good news.

State aid is expected to be the same as last year, if not less, and costs are expected to rise, said district Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo.

The district's surplus is 1.8 percent of total expenditures, meaning it cannot be tapped for revenue to add to the budget, DeGiacomo said.

That could mean double-digit tax hikes in the district, although state aid figures needed to finalize the budget will not be available until days before it is introduced, DeGiacomo said.

Voters have turned down three school budgets in the past three years, and now DeGiacomo is looking for ways to find new revenue or areas to cut costs.

With a public hearing scheduled for March 22 and vote scheduled for April, she is not finding any.

"We don't have a cost problem because we've cut costs to the bone," DeGiacomo said. "We have a revenue problem because we don't have enough state aid."

Special needs districts in Vineland, Millville and Bridgeton receive about 75 percent of their school budgets from state aid. By comparison, Buena receives about 50 percent of its $30 million school budget. The district has applied for special needs district status, but the state has yet to respond.

And while some voters understand the bind the district finds itself in, they also said that schools are driving property owners and businesses out of Buena, Buena Vista and Newfield, three municipalities covered by the district.

"It's going to come to a point where there's nothing left to tax," said Anthony Vicidomini, who was making pizza at the Pavilion Pizzeria in Buena. "The jobs go, and then there's no one to buy pizzas."

It irked Vicidomini that the school budgets turned down by voters were passed anyway after municipal government made cuts in spending in the district.

"Why put them up for a vote?" he asked.

Outside the shop, Linda Gonzales understands the situation, as state aid remains flat and costs go up.

"Something's got to give," said Gonzales, an employee of a local firm who lives outside of the district. "If the state doesn't come down and pitch in to help the district, they're just depriving the kids of an education."

Inside Vinnie's Italian Deli on Central Avenue, Darren Aulffo traded barbs with Bridgeton resident Wayne Johnson about the additional money his city receives because its schools are in a special needs district.

"That's the process the state has, and you have to work with it," Johnson said. "School taxes are high everywhere in this state."

New Jersey ranks among the bottom five in the amount they contribute to the school district, DeGiacomo said, leaving the burden of educational costs on local property taxes.

The Abbott v. Burke lawsuits designated special needs districts, but are based on the inequities of funding education through local property taxes. However, the legal action only applied to 30 urban school districts.

Buena Regional School District is decidedly rural, said Aulffo.

"But, you know, I hardly have time to keep an eye on all that's going on with the schools," he said. "You just go to work and earn money to pay the taxes, and hope you have enough money at the end of the day."

DeGiacomo is looking toward the end of the day and sees little money to pay the district's bills.

"Costs keep going up, and there's nothing I can do about it," she said. "It's hard when you only have the same amount of money, or even less money, to pay those bills."

TOMS RIVER -- Buena Regional High School's dominant upper weights never had a chance to make an impact on Sunday morning's NJSIAA Group II state semifinal match against Delaware Valley.

By the time the Chiefs' Mike Wilcox, Paul Zemanik and DeJuan Corbitt -- a trio with a combined five losses against New Jersey competition -- took to the mat, Delaware Valley already was celebrating its first trip to the state final since 2002.

The Terriers won nine of the 14 bouts, including five by pinfall, bringing Buena's season to a crashing halt, 45-27, at the Ritacco Center.

Buena, runner-up to Kittatinny in the past two Group II state finals, saw its season end at 12-7. Del-Val (14-6) lost to Kittatinny in Sunday's final, 38-21.

"It's a shame because I think we match up better with Kittatinny than we do with (Delaware Valley)," said Buena's Bobby Shea, one of seven seniors in the Chiefs' lineup. "It hurts, because it was (the seniors') last chance. We've been up here three years and haven't come home with (a championship)."

With the match starting at 112, Buena knew it needed to merely hang close until the uppers, where Wilcox, Zemanik and Corbitt were overwhelming favorites to pin at weights where Del-Val is weakest. The Chiefs' middleweights, however, weren't up to the task.

Seniors Phil Asencio (140) and Anthony Badaracco (145) lost decisions in toss-up bouts. Juniors Dennis Ehret (152) and Mark Eighmey (160) were pinned in bouts they were leading for significant periods. And after Del-Val's Matt Carr flattened John Pierotti at 171, the Terriers held an insurmountable 39-9 lead.

"Those matches where we have leads and look like we're in good shape and then get pinned ... I thought we could make some moves in the middle, but we came up short," Buena coach Doug Castellari said. "We didn't wrestle very well today, and (Del-Val) really wrestled well."

Ehret scored first and led in the second period before the Terriers' Mike Guenther used a powerful takedown to put Ehret on his back. Stunned, Ehret sat mid-mat for several seconds, as Buena's chances at another shot at Kittatinny faded.

Desperate for bonus points, Castellari moved Eighmey, who usually wrestles at 171, at 160, thinking the Chiefs could score a fall against Matt Slaughter. The move looked to be the right one when Eighmey had Slaughter in a headlock and on his back early in the first period. Slaughter, however, wriggled out and nearly got the fall himself before the first-period buzzer. It took only 1:15 for the Del-Val junior to finish the job in the second.

"Those guys, they were doing a lot of things right and wrestling well, but then they got caught," Wilcox said. "You can't be too upset. They were winning matches. They might have let down for one second, but up here, that can kill you."

While Wilcox (24-3), Zemanik (20-3) and Corbitt (19-4) scored falls, the match's starting weight didn't allow those wins to generate any momentum.

"Yeah, that probably would have made a difference. It would have fired us up," Zemanik said when asked if starting at the upper weights could have changed the specter of the match. "We just didn't wrestle to our ability as a team. ... Three years now, we just couldn't pull one out. It's pretty frustrating."

NOTES: Bobby Shea (14-3 over Bob Fulton at 130) and Fred Shea (15-0 tech fall over P.J. Steinbeiser at 112) were Buena's other winners. ... The team championships were held for the first time at the Ritacco Center on the campus of Toms River North High School. The bleachers were packed for the semifinal sessions, a major change from previous years at the cavernous Sovereign Bank Arena. With a seating capacity of 3,500 -- and one set of bleachers pushed back to make room for the four mats -- many fans had to stand and others were likely to be turned away at the door for the evening's finals.

Buena Regional's George Centeno is carried by his teammates after he pinned Manchester's Mike Claus to clinch the win for the Chiefs.

Buena's Paul Zemanik (right) and Manchester's Kevin Malast battle Thursday night in the 215-pound weight class.

Dennis Ehret (top) beats Manchester's Matt Heinis Thursday in the 160-pound weight class as Buena Regional won its third consecutive sectional title.

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP -- It's uncommon to gain momentum from a loss, but that's exactly what happened to the Buena Regional High School wrestling team Thursday night in the South Jersey Group II championship.

The Chiefs lost the marquee bout of the night, when Manchester's Kevin Malast rode out Paul Zemanik in overtime at 215 pounds, but when Malast taunted the Buena bench after the victory, any edge the Hawks may have gained was gone.

A determined bunch of Chiefs emerged thereafter.

"Oh yeah, that fired us up," said Buena senior DeJuan Corbitt, the next wrestler slated to take the mat. "I just nodded my head, looked at the kid and went at it."

Corbitt's pin of Nick Ott started a run of eight wins in the final nine bouts, as Buena dismantled Manchester, 44-17, to win its third consecutive sectional title and fifth in the last 12 years.

Buena (12-6), serenaded by its fans to the chants of "three-peat, three-peat," advances to Sunday's state semifinals at 10:30 a.m. at the Ritacco Center on the campus of Toms River North High School. The four sectional winners are re-seeded by power points, so Buena's opponent is still to be determined. The Chiefs have lost to Kittatinny in the state final each of the past two seasons.

Zemanik's loss could have been a turning point in Manchester's favor. The Chiefs' senior nearly escaped three times in the second overtime, but Malast, ranked No. 5 in the state by Gannett New Jersey, forced No. 4 Zemanik out of bounds each time. Malast tried to rev up the crowd with his celebration, but when his arm was raised he pointed and said something in Buena's direction. After a brief discussion with Buena coach Doug Castellari, the officials conferred and decided the unsportsmanlike conduct was worthy of a team point deduction.

"It's my job as a coach to make sure they get (deducted) the team point," Castellari said. "It pumped us up. ... The kids went out and just wrestled a terrific match. We're starting to come on strong as a team. I'm real happy with what I saw tonight."

Corbitt needed only 3:48 to put Buena ahead for good. That's how long it took the Buena heavyweight to catch Ott in a headlock and roll him onto his back for a pin and give his team a 13-11 advantage.

P.J. Dellagatta followed by pinning Chris Boyle with just 5.5 seconds left in the final period, and Fred Shea took an 8-2 decision over Tom Schmidt at 112. After the three-bout streak, Buena enjoyed a 22-11 lead.

"Usually we get pins at 189 (Mike Wilcox) and 215 (Zemanik) and then me, but that didn't happen tonight," Corbitt said. "I had to get the ball rolling."

The Chiefs won each of the last five bouts -- gaining bonus points in three -- to turn a close match into a rout. After Chris Grusemeyer decisioned Jon Moroz, 3-1, at 125, and Bobby Shea majored James Wehman, 16-6, at 130, Buena formally wrapped up the crown with George Centeno's third-period fall (5:13) over Mike Claus at 135.

"It's a great feeling," said Centeno, one of seven seniors in Buena's starting lineup. "The guys all wanted me to go out and get it. That energized me. I was like, 'Yeah, I'll do it.'"

Phil Asencio and Anthony Badaracco completed things with a pin and decision at 140 and 145, respectively, sending the Chiefs back to the Group II Final Four.

"The seniors, we're always talking to the team, getting them together and saying how important this is for us," said Asencio, who has missed most of the year with a broken left hand. "We know it's our last chance. ... We feel good about where we're at."

South Jersey Group II Championship

Buena 44, Manchester 17

152-Prendimano (M) p. Berni, 3:35; 160-Ehret (B) d. Heinis, 5-1; Sheehan (M) d. Eighmey, 7-2; 189-Wilcox (B) m.d. Thompson, 19-8; 215-Malast (M) d. Zemanik, 2-1 (2OT, rideout); Hwt-Corbitt (B) p. Ott, 3:48; 103-Dellagatta (B) p. Boyle, 5:55; 112-F. Shea (B) d. T. Schmidt, 8-2; 119-J. Schmidt (M) p. Renner, 4:49; 125-Grusemeyer (B) d. Moroz, 3-1; 130-B. Shea (B) m.d. Wehman, 16-6; 135-Centeno (B) p. Claus, 5:13; 140-Asencio (B) p. Meaney, 1:27; 145-Badaracco (B) d. McIntyre, 4-2 (OT).

Records: Buena 12-6; Manchester 13-3

Next: Buena advances to Sunday's state Group II semifinal at Ritacco Center on the campus of Toms River North High School, 10:30 a.m.

St. Augustine sophomore Daniel Anderson is second on the team in scoring this season, but is averaging just 7.0 points per game in the last five, four of which ended in Hermits losses.

RICHLAND -- In 28 years of coaching the St. Augustine Prep basketball team, Paul Rodio doesn't think he's ever seen anything like this. Not with a team like this, at least. Not with a team that started the season 15-0 and had been atop the South Jersey rankings since the preseason.

Starting with a 60-47 loss to St. Patrick on Saturday, Feb. 5, the Hermits have dropped four of five. A ugly 49-46 loss to Middle Township came last Tuesday, then a 62-47 defeat to Hun School, a non-NJSIAA school that carries fifth-year seniors. A 66-48 loss to Woodrow Wilson pretty much put the Prep's spirits at a terrific low.

"It wasn't that we lost to Woodrow Wilson. It was how we lost," Rodio said. "They took us out of everything."

Only a 65-46 win at Cape May Tech Thursday kept the week from being a total wash. But the fact that the Hawks are playoff-bound this year for the first time in school history matters little to St. Augustine's proud program.

"We lost four out of the last five, and our plans were to win the last five," said senior point guard Anthony Farmer, the team's best talent and most experienced player. "For us to come up short, we can only blame ourselves."

Losing four of five? You just don't hear that in Hermit Country. St. Augustine has lost more than four games in a season just five times in the past 16 years. And never, during any of those spans, has it dropped four out of five.

In the past nine years, the Hermits have won six Cape-Atlantic League titles, seven sectional titles and two state titles, one in Parochial B and one in Parochial A.

But now things that once seemed like foregone conclusions are anything but. The Hermits (16-4) are currently mired in a dead heat for the Cape National title with Middle Township and Holy Spirit. Next Wednesday's matchup at Spirit should all but determine who plays Atlantic City for the Cape's overall title.

Even advancing deep in the Non-Public (formerly Parochial) A playoffs is no certainty. The top-seeded Hermits have home-court advantage and a first-round bye, but they might have to deal with one of the nation's best centers in St. Joseph-Metuchen's Andrew Bynum in the second round.

"We've still got our heads up high. This thing is not over," Farmer said. "We can still make a push. ... The only thing we can do is get back in the gym, forget about what's been a slump, and fix it."

On this year's team, Farmer and 7-foot center Shawn Barlow have signed with Division I schools. Farmer will attend Rutgers, while Barlow will head to Monmouth.

The rest of the team is young, and that youth has shown through for much of this season.

Farmer, a traditional point guard, has found himself bearing much of the scoring burden. The Hermits are still struggling to find a second consistent scorer.

Case in point: During the five-game stretch, Farmer has averaged 15 points per game. The team's next two highest scorers -- sophomores Daniel Anderson and Jon White -- averaged 7.0 and 5.0 points, respectively.

"It's been really different," Farmer said. "At times, I've had some lows trying to figure out what I can do. I question myself, whether I'm taking too many shots."

Rodio doesn't seem to feel that way, however. Even after Farmer's 5-for-25 performance from the field during last Tuesday's game at Middle, Rodio said that was the Hermits' style this year.

Farmer even met with Rodio several times this past week to figure out how to get things back in order before the playoffs start.

"The good players -- the great players -- are judged on adversity," Farmer said. "When things like this come about, you've got to make the right decisions and bounce back."

At a glance

What the Buena Regional School District wants to do:

BUENA VISTA -- The state's recent update on how much money it will contribute toward the cost of a proposed new middle school here was a mixed bag.

The specific impact remains unclear, as Buena Regional School District officials work toward trying to get the long-stalled plan off the ground. But they say bad news delivered by the state could mean taxpayers would have to shoulder more of the cost, adding another challenge as the district tries to win voters' approval for the school.

The district learned last week that the N.J. Department of Education will increase the amount of space it considers eligible for state aid at the new middle school to about 80,000 square feet. That's more than the 76,000-square-foot reimbursement originally promised by the state, although still short of the 92,000 square feet requested by the district. That remaining square footage would be ineligible.

However, the district got some additional bad news. It learned the state won't share as much of the burden for that 80,000 square feet as originally expected. That means taxpayers would have to shoulder more of the cost.

The state is cutting its rate of reimbursement from 67 percent of the cost to 65 percent, district Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo said.

Thomas Kearney, district business administrator, said the reimbursement rate was slashed because the state previously cut the amount of overall aid it provides to Buena Regional.

"Reimbursement is based on state aid," Kearney said. "And because we're getting less state aid, we'll get less reimbursement for capital projects."

And the numbers could get worse if the district receives even less when the Department of Education formulates its next budget, Kearney said.

"We've been told not to expect any increases in state aid this year," he said. "We just hope to hold on to what we got last year."

Should the district receive less aid in the next budget round, the percentage of reimbursement for the new middle school would drop further, Kearney said.

Although the district hasn't compiled firm figures yet, the decrease in reimbursement could cost Buena Regional $100,000 or more toward the $19 million estimated cost of the middle school, he said.

School officials said the cut also could hurt hopes for voter approval of the project in a referendum tentatively scheduled for September.

BUENA VISTA -- It wasn't as much space as the Buena Regional School Board had wanted for its proposed middle school, but it was more than the state had promised to help pay for in the past.

The board learned Tuesday that the state Department of Education would pay 76 percent of the cost to add a little more than 4,000 square feet to the original 76,000 square feet.

That figure falls short of the 92,000 square feet the district requested for the school, planned for a tract of land next to Buena Regional High School.

That leaves an 11,945-square-foot parcel that's ineligible for state funding, said district Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo.

"It's more than they wanted to give us, but still less than we wanted," DeGiacomo said. The board "has some decision to make on how to proceed from here," she added.

Some of the options for the board include:

CORRECTIONS 2/15/05

A Feb. 9 story on the proposed middle school in Buena Vista Township incorrectly stated the percentage of the costs to be picked up by the state. The state said then it would pay 67 percent of the costs to expand the proposed school to 80,000 square feet.

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Middle deals St. Augustine rare Cape National loss 2/9/05

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BUENA'S NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL: BOE hopes for answer on appeal 2/8/05

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Report cards: Did schools make grade? 2/3/05