By: Ken Weingartner
One recent afternoon, Monroe High wrestling coach Sal Profaci told his Falcons they could end practice early and head home. The third-year mentor was concerned he was pushing them too hard, and wanted to give them a break.
To his delight, the wrestlers didn’t leave. They lined up on their own and ran sprints.
"They realize the hard work is paying off," Profaci said. "And they’re developing character, too. I’ve put an accelerated program in place, and the kids are taking everything I can give them.
"I’m very pleased with their progression. I’m trying to prepare these guys. I’m trying to get them under a good program and get them to wrestle hard. They stick around after practice and bug me to teach them new moves. They’re on the right track."
Monroe finished 13th out of 20 teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament last weekend. But Profaci said the Falcons performed better than indicated by the standings. MHS had six place-winners in the tourney, which Profaci believes to be a school record. Last year, the school had one place-winner.
Sophomore Anthony Mancini (119) finished fifth while junior John Jensen (135) and sophomore Mike Goff (215) placed sixth. Sophomore Justin Bauman (112), senior Bryan Georges (171), and senior heavyweight Chet Urbanowicz each was seventh.
East Brunswick won the GMCT team title, ending South Plainfield’s five-year stranglehold on the crown.
"Monroe’s never had a performance like this at the county tournament," Profaci said. "And four of those kids are underclassmen. I’m not completely satisfied we didn’t place as high as I wanted but overall it was pretty good."
Monroe, which is 7-7 this season, has dual matches against Allentown, Edison, and St. John Vianney remaining on the schedule prior to the District 20 Tournament, which starts Feb. 28.
"We have a pretty hefty schedule before districts, and that’s what I wanted," Profaci said. "I think we can do well at districts. I’m hoping to have eight kids in the top four, that’s what I’d like to see."
Prior to the GMCT, the Falcons were beaten handily by J.P. Stevens. Another sign of how far Monroe has come, according to Profaci, is the way the team responded.
"The kids bounced back," he said. "That was just a bad, bad match. But the kids came back and really prepared themselves for counties. They worked hard. That was good to see."
The Falcons should improve off their GMCT performance, Profaci said.
"They came into practice Monday fired up," he said. "We can see their confidence growing. They’re getting more confidence, and more respect. We had some wins over wrestlers from the bigger schools, like Old Bridge and South Brunswick. The kids see they’re able to compete. They see that technically, they’re able to compete with those kids. The biggest difference is our kids don’t have as much match experience, they haven’t been wrestling as long. But they’re gaining rapid ground."
And if the Falcons’ self-discipline to sprint is any indication, they won’t stop until they catch up.

