4e98544c7d1b06494537c197494319b4.jpg

BORDENTOWN: Corretjer happy to be back on mat

Senior aids Scotties’ CJ I win

By Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
   A summer injury could have cost Grant Corretjer his senior season of high school wrestling.
   But he wasn’t about to let that happen.
   ”I broke my tibia and the doctor said I wasn’t going to be able to wrestle or play football,” said Corretjer, who picked up a win by pin on Monday night to help Bordentown Regional High School to a 45-30 win over Point Pleasant Beach in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group I tournament.
   ”But I showed him. I got back for the last football game on Thanksgiving Day and got to start. And now I get to have a great wrestling season with my team. I wanted to get back because I knew my team needed me and I knew I was one of the most experienced wrestlers on this team. I felt like I would be able to help our younger guys get better and help the other guys wrestle.”
   Corretjer was one of six Scotties to win by win on Monday. The win put Bordentown in the CJ I semifinals against top-seeded Bound Brook in a match that was scheduled for Wednesday night.
   ”We came into the match think that we had to get the job done,” Corretjer said. “Our goal is to win the whole thing and you have to take it one step at a time. We got the job done. It was a good way to start the match. You always want to get ahead quick.”
   Bordentown started fast as Vince Aragona and Julius Neal opened the match by recording pins in less than a minute in their matches at 170 and 182, respectively. Cody Levasseur followed with a pin in his match before Corretjer made it 24-0 with a fourth straight pin.
   ”When you are coming from that far away, to come out and be down 24-0 right away kind of takes the wind right out of your sails,” Bordentown coach Joe Sprague said of his team’s fast start against PPB. “We knew we needed to win there. That area was where we thought we were better than they were. Some of those kids have struggled for us, only two of the four have winning records. But they did a nice job tonight.”
   Corretjer’s match was stopped form more than a minute when he twisted an ankle. But he came out and quickly finished off the match.
   ”At first it was a mental thing and you just have to get over it so you know where you are at and where you stand in the match,” said Corretjer, who improved to 25-2 this season. “Once you get over the mental block you should be able to finish it all the way through. I knew I could beat the kid and I went out there and did my job.”
   After PPB got within 24-6, Ted Rigas won a tight 5-2 decision for the Scotties at 106. The lead was cut to 24-12 before Robert DiPierro picked up a decision win at 120 and Justin McTamney and Chris Nitschmann followed with wins by pin to put the match away.
   ”We’re pretty good down low,” Sprague said of his lower weight wrestlers. “Teddy at 106 is real tough. Robert, Justin and Chris, that 120-132 group, I would put those guys up against anybody. They are very tough.”
   Kevin Lindner won a 3-2 decision at 152 for the final Bordentown win of the night. It was another strong effort for the Scotties, who improved to 18-6 with the win.
   Corretjer was part of the group that got the match started with four straight pins and an early lead.
   ”He’s a tough kid,” Sprague said. “He’s a senior who does everything you ask him to do. He’s a captain and he works hard every day in practice. He broke his leg over the summer and he missed most of the football season. He really put a lot into it to get ready for the season.”
   And now the senior is hoping to make the best of his last season — both individually and as a team.
   ”I think we have a good opportunity to win districts,” Corretjer said. “We have a lot of good wrestlers and a lot of kids who are right there with a chance to take the gold. This is a pretty good team this year.”