Mike Schwarze was only half informed of the enormity of his 135- pound District 25 championship match.
While Schwarze mentally prepared to face his opponent in the finals, the New Egypt High School junior wrestler had no idea of the impact his bout would have on the final team scoring. The Warriors needed a win from him in order to lay claim to second place in the event.
Of course, New Egypt coach Kevin English wasn’t about to put any additional pressure on Schwarze.
“I just kept my mouth shut,” English said. “He had no idea of the importance his match was going to have on the final outcome. I wanted him focused on his opponent, not worrying about where we stood in the team rankings. This was a big moment for him. I wanted him to be as prepared as he could be.”
Following an apprehensive start, Schwarze’s aggressive nature kicked in and he rolled to a resounding 8-2 win over Nick Romanoli of Rancocas Valley towin the 135- pound weight-class title.His victory also assured New Egypt of a runner-up finish behind champion, Rancocas Valley.
“Itwas a hugewin for him,”English said. “Of course it was great for us froma teamperspective as well. He was a little tentative when the match began and he eventually settled in. Once he scored a fewpoints, you could see his comfort level rise. From there on, he began to dominate the kid.”
Schwarze wasn’t the only New Egypt grappler to walk away with a title. Seniors Tom Morton and Tom Carr captured titles in their respective weight classes as well.All three grapplers qualify for this week’s Region VII meet.
“It was really nice to come away with three champions,” English said. “All three of our champs defeated kids from Rancocas Valley, which was kind of nice. It gave us a bit of redemption even though they captured the team title.”
Morton, who had wrestled all season at 119 pounds, defeated Dan Maiorana,
12-5, for the 112-pound title.Morton
darted out to a commanding
6-1 lead and never looked
back.
“He was wrestling with a
lot of confidence,” English
said. “He got that big lead and
the match was virtually over. He’s been here before and he realizes what it takes to win.”
Morton dropped a weight class to give himthe best shot to excel in the postseason.
“We felt by doing it [cutting weight], it gave him the best chance to excel in the postseason,” English said. “It was a decision that we talked about for awhile.” Carr also dropped a weight class down to 130. Carr had wrestled all season at 135. He defeated Sean Buck of Rancocas Valley by a 17-0 margin.
“He was really fired up before this bout,” English said. “His momentum had been building from the warm-up. Within 10 seconds of the match starting, there was no doubt he was going to be the winner. The kid knew he had his hands full.”
In addition, New Egypt had a pair of wrestlers finish in third place. Both Andrew Hinger (125) and Billy Campbell (145) qualified for the Region VII meet.
“We’re looking forward to some good things happening at regions,” English said. “The guys are excited to be still wrestling at this time of year. The competition is now going to get real stiff. They’re going to need to be ready to go both mentally and physically.”