Ken Weingartner

By: centraljersey.com
Gavin Edgerton finds motivation in the wrestlers that came before him at Hightstown High.
Not simply for their athletic ability, but for their leadership.
Edgerton, a senior, has taken the leadership role on the Rams this season. He also was 10-4 entering action this week after going 16-11 last season.
"I’ve come through a program where I’ve seen guys be great leaders," said Edgerton, who wrestles primarily at 160 pounds. "I’ve just tried to model leadership out of the guys I’ve seen; guys like Matt Fried and Brendan Walsh and Gregg Ratner.
"I try (to lead) by action. I try to keep confidence going. I try to keep everybody up and cheering during matches. In practices, I’m trying to watch and make sure everyone is working hard."
Hightstown coach Mike Russo said Edgerton’s emergence has made his job easier.
"He’s the extension of the coaching staff that we were lacking at the beginning of the year," Russo said. "He’s definitely the clear-cut team leader. He’s the guy that’s taken that. He’s taken people under his wing. I’m so proud of him. He’s come such a far way as a leader, and a wrestler. He’s a great kid."
Entering the week, Hightstown had won six of 11 matches this season. Edgerton is positioned in a key part of the Rams’ lineup, which features sophomore Joey DiCristofaro at 171 and junior Marcus Lawrence at 189. DiCristofaro was 7-3 and Lawrence 12-2.
"I feel that if I win, then Joe is going to go out there and win at 71 and Marcus is going to win at 89 and the ball will start rolling," Edgerton said. "It’s a huge momentum builder. I’m not wrestling for myself; I’m wrestling for everyone else on the team. We really are a family."
Edgerton, who has won 40 matches over the last three years, practices with DiCristofaro. Last season, he worked out with Ratner, who was a state qualifier.
"Joe’s a standout sophomore. He’s got a lot of talent," Edgerton said. "I’ve had the greatest workout partners.
"I’m just trying to focus on each upcoming match," he added. "I would love to be in the county finals. I would love the team to be up there at counties. I’d love to go out there for the county finals and see [some teammates] lined up next to me. We could do it. Everyone just has to stay focused and working hard."
Even with his success, Edgerton admits to feeling butterflies whenever he takes the mat.
"I try to pretend I’m not that nervous," he said, laughing. "I don’t think being nervous will ever go away."
His nerves have done little to diminish Russo’s faith.
"I have a lot of confidence in him," Russo said. "I think he should be placing pretty high in the Mercer County Tournament and I think he should be wrestling at regions at the end of the year." Leading the way for the Rams, no doubt.
BACKPOINTS: Hightstown has made close matches the norm in the New Year, with three of four matches last week decided by five points or fewer. The Rams opened 2011 with a 38-33 loss at Steinert before going 2-1 in a tri-meet last weekend. They beat Ewing, 34-32, and Notre Dame, 51-21, and lost to Robbinsville, 33-31. Marcus Lawrence, Sean LeBlanc (112) and Aaron Hernandez (215) all had three wins in the tri-meet. LeBlanc was 12-2 entering this week.