Knights follow sophomore wrestler
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Andrew Newman was in the midst of a match Saturday against New Brunswick’s Jose Garcia that last year might have frustrated him.
It didn’t, and therein lies the biggest change in the West Windsor-Plainsboro North sophomore.
”He stayed in control the whole time,” said Knights coach Bill Mealy. “It’s probably the best match he wrestled ever. When things didn’t go the way he wanted them to early, he didn’t lose his focus. He stayed with it. The more he does that, the better he’s going to get.”
In Newman’s first full season at the varsity level, he is learning to control his emotions on the mat. His third-period pin of Garcia at 215 pounds on Saturday helped him improve to 9-8 overall.
”Usually if someone pushes me the wrong way, I get a little angry,” Newman said. “I didn’t stay angry. I didn’t explode. I used my moves well and I think I wrestled pretty well.”
Newman is the only Knights wrestler with a winning record this season, but on Saturday everything was working for the North squad in its 65-9 win.
”It’s a lot harder when almost all our varsity lineup are freshmen and sophomores and we only have three seniors,” Newman said. Other winners Saturday were Chris Bryde, James Mulhall, Matt Rabin, Chris Mealy, Kevin Mansfield, Ethan Kaye, Iquan Williams, Brian Rivas, Ahmed Abdelhaby, Nathan Frost and Garret Smith.
”When we have opportunities when we believe we could win the meet, they have to understand that’s an opportunity you can’t let slip away,” Bill Mealy said. “As things started to go well for us (Saturday), you could see confidence in the next kid.
”You always have to pay attention to what’s happening, but no matter what’s happening before you wrestle, you still have to go out and wrestle to the best of your ability. You don’t want to be the guy that stops momentum. You’d like to be the guy that keeps it going.”
Newman and the Knights hope to keep it going when the Mercer County Tournament begins Friday and continues Saturday, both days at Trenton High. Newman will return to his usual 189-pound weight class.
”I would love to place in counties,” Newman said. “That’d be probably one of my No. 1 goals. Most of the 89s are pretty strong. They’re big kids. I just have to wrestle my hardest and hopefully I’ll pull it out.”
Though Newman is still relatively inexperienced, Mealy has seen Newman make great strides this year. He has the tools to become a fine wrestler in addition to being a rising linebacker and offensive guard for WW-P North’s football team.
Newman enjoys both sports, and has been wrestling since sixth grade.
”He is starting to get the hang of things,” Mealy said. “Last year, he was pretty much a raging bull. You’d blow the whistle and he’d charge in. He’s strong and he’s quick, but he wasn’t using moves.
”This year, he’s found that he’s not too bad on his feet. He’s trying to tack advantage of that. The more he stays under control, the better he is. If he gets frustrated, every once in a while, that’s when he resorts to grabbing and not using his moves.”
Added Newman: “I think it’s a lot different this year. I’ve been working a lot harder during practice. I’ve been able to be calm during the matches. When I get out of control, it’s hard to think about what I’m doing.”
Newman is having less and less of those moments. He is finding that his mind is critically important to his body. He is learning to become a more successful wrestler.
”You really need to think about what you’re going to do and then think what you’re going to do after that,” Newman said. “It’s a lot of technicality. You have to strategize a lot when you’re doing that.”
Newman is among the young Knights who are steadily improving despite not always seeing it in the team results.
”It’s frustrating when you go to practice every day and you get to meets and don’t see the moves executed,” Mealy said. “It does get frustrating at times. But it’s starting to pick up. Even in matches where kids are getting beat, we’re seeing more execution of moves instead of just grabbing at things.
”They keep coming back,” he added. “I think we’re starting to realize the enthusiasm we need, and the technique we’ve been trying to work on in practice is the key to improving. I think they’re starting to get the hang of that.”
Mealy is looking for more confirmation of that at the MCT. The Knights hope to have a strong showing of how far they have come.
”A realistic thing for the majority of our guys is to try to get past the second round,” Mealy said. “For the older kids, they want to try to at least place in the top six. The younger kids, if they get through two rounds, they’re doing OK.”
Andrew Newman is one of the younger wrestlers for the Knights, but he has one of the best chances to advance far as long as he stays in control and uses his moves, as he did in his latest win.

