Raiders hope to build through season
By: Justin Feil
The Hun wrestling team is building for the future.
Without a senior on the team, and with almost half the team in its first year of varsity wrestling, there isn’t really another option.
"This is the youngest team we’ve had since we started the program up back up," said Raider head coach Jim Nehlig. "And even that year, we had a post-graduate. This is the youngest team we’ve ever had. We lost five seniors. On a small team, that’s quite a few. We only had 14 last year. It’s tough. But the kids have good attitudes. They’re working hard."
This year, Nehlig has just 12 wrestlers, five of whom are in their first year with the varsity. They got their first taste of action when Hun lost to Rutgers Prep, 51-12, Saturday. Hun’s two wins came from two of the first-year wrestlers, Ryan Breen and Harish Pasupuleti.
"I’m pleased to see some of the stuff that went on in the match," Nehlig said. "The kids worked hard. Kids were scoring points. It wasn’t like we got dominated every match and were getting pinned in the first period. We got off our backs. It was our first one for a lot of guys that don’t have much experience."
The Raiders figure to gain experience through the season’s matches as well as going every day against each other. The bigger ratio of coaches to wrestlers could help, but Nehlig wouldn’t mind having the opposite problem for once.
"We can afford to spend more individual attention because we’re small," he said. "But with more kids, there’s more competition. I’d rather have the more competition. They get better by doing, not from me telling them how to do it. Having more wrestling partners would be more beneficial. It hurts us to have just 12 kids."
Nehlig, though, likes the mix of wrestlers with which he has to work. They are willing to learn and he has plenty to teach them.
"I’m spending a lot of time teaching fundamentals. We’re not trying to be too fancy. We’re going to continue to drill and drill. Retention is one of my goals. In the past three or four years, we’ve focused on retaining the kids you start with. I don’t think any year I’ve had 100 percent. But I’ve never lost a whole bulk or group. This year, we had two or three that decided not to return."
There is a healthy mix of guys who wrestled last year and returned with hopes of getting better, and some newcomers willing to give it their first shot. They are athletes from other sports who are testing themselves on the wrestling mats.
"Matt Breen and Matt Sanford decided to try to wrestle this year," said Nehlig of two soccer players who came out for the team. "They’re doing as well as I could ask them to do. They’re very good athletes. They’re picking it up pretty quick.
"It’s very technical. I have to continually remind them, it wouldn’t say much for the sport if you could walk in in three weeks and beat kids who’ve been doing it for years. But they have good attitudes and that’s all you can ask."
They are part of a mix that is concentrated in the middle for the Raiders. Hun doesn’t have anyone to wrestle in the top three spots or the lowest weight, but they should be able to cover the middle weights. That’s a positive for matches, and something that will help make practices more competitive.
"We don’t have anyone stranded," Nehlig explained. "Our weights are all together. Fortunately for the kids, everybody has wrestling partners. That works out fine. We don’t have a 103 and then next kid up is 130. We’ve had that before. Until last year, Pat Gallagher always had the situation where he was big, strong 215 and we didn’t have 189 for the last three years. He struggled to have a wrestling partner until last year when we had Todd (Rinaldo) come."
But gone from last year are high-end and heavier wrestlers like Gallagher and Rinaldo. Finding the next of their caliber will be tough, but the Raider wrestlers have plenty of chances to test themselves against some of the top programs anywhere.
"We’re in a situation," Nehlig said, "where even if we were a more experienced team in the league, with Blair and some of the teams that are big wrestling schools that it’s going to be hard. Schools like Peddie is good, St. Benedict’s and Mercersburg are very good, and Hill from year to year, and Lawrenceville is just going to get better.
"We’re in a tough league. We fortunately have enough other teams. Our schedule is diverse enough that those aren’t the only schools we see. I always have other coaches say, man, you guys have to wrestle Blair. But it’s always good to see what’s the best."
That way there’s something to shoot for in the future. And with a team that is loaded with young wrestlers, the future is the focus at Hun.

