ROBBINSVILLE: Ravens have new wrestling coach

Hughes moving up to head post

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Dan Hughes came out of The College of New Jersey looking to stay close to wrestling, he didn’t expect to have such a big opportunity so soon.
   After spending his first year out of school as an assistant coach at Robbinsville High School, Hughes was promoted to head coach to replace seven-year coach Rich Gildner.
   ”I wasn’t sure how soon it would happen,” said Hughes, who teaches sixth grade math in middle school. “It was definitely one of my end goals. It’s definitely sooner than expected, so this is nice.”
   Hughes has wasted no time getting to work with his young Ravens team that went 5-12 last year, two years removed from a 17-7 year in which they won the Mercer County, District 25 and Central Jersey Group I state titles.
   ”We’re definitely building off what we’ve been doing,” Hughes said. “It’s not changing anything drastically. We want to be the best conditioned team first of all. We want to grind out victories. It’s like a battle there and we have to win the fight. It’s a nasty in-your-face mentality.”
   The Ravens have seen it pay off already. Robbinsville did well with a number of individuals against a loaded field at the TCNJ Pride tournament Saturday. Chris Tan (120 pounds), Tyler Gildner (285) and Nick Bossi (145) took third-place finishes home from the season-opening tournament.
   ”We performed pretty well,” Hughes said. “It was a loaded tournament. We had six guys place, and three took thirds. We didn’t have two weights. It’s been a short time but their improvement over the first three weeks as been pretty substantial already.”
   Hughes doesn’t want it to end now. It’s still a long way to the big year-end tournaments, but he knows the importance of progress.
   ”We wrestle two really tough tournaments at the beginning of the year with TCNJ and Long Branch,” Hughes said. “We wrestle everybody in the county and then we started to wrestle some more outside to wrestle the best guys to get them ready for the end of the year.”
   Hughes is looking forward to seeing more development under his watch. He came into the season feeling good about the potential after working with many in this year’s group last season.
   ”I was an assistant last year, so I’ve had a year around everybody,” Hughes said. “I think that’s really important. They’re used to me. They know my tendencies and I know theirs. It was a pretty smooth transition.”
   Hughes brings mat knowledge that he attributes to some of the top coaches at their levels. At Delran, he wrestled for Dennis Smith, who came into the year just four wins away from amassing 600 in his 38-year career.
   ”I had a great wrestling coach in Dennis Smith, who is finishing his career this year,” Hughes said. “I had a great experience. I wrestled three years of varsity for him.”
   Hughes placed fourth in the state at 112 pounds in 2007 and was eighth in 2006 at 103 pounds. He won two Region 7 championships before moving on to TCNJ.
   ”I had Coach (David) Icenhower for four years,” Hughes said. “I was fortunate to work under two legends.”
   Icenhower, whose son Jared wrestled for Robbinsville up through the 2011 season, retired last year after 35 years at the top of the Lions program. Hughes wrestled at 125 pounds for four years in his nationally ranked program. Hughes is hoping he can bring some of the success that he shared a part of as a wrestler to Robbinsville as a coach.
   ”I kind of mix in a lot,” Hughes said. “Everybody is different. I mix in a little from each guy, and a little from Gildner too. I try to incorporate it and mix in my own.”
   Hughes is hoping that it is a successful recipe. He will be starting without the benefit of many upperclassmen starters.
   ”We’re definitely young,” Hughes said. “I think we have three seniors in the starting lineup. We’re definitely young. The freshmen group that came in is a really encouraging group to watch. We’re trying to improve every day. I think we’ll surprise a few people this year. I think we’re young, but on the upswing.”
   Hughes had a great first impression of the sort of make-up of the Robbinsville wrestlers last year, and it has carried into this season. Though the team isn’t highly experienced, there is enough to build around.
   ”The guys have great chemistry,” Hughes said. “It’s a great group of kids to be around. The coaching staff last year and this year are both phenomenal groups of people. It’s nice to learn from Gildner. He’s still a guy I talk to.”
   Hughes’ two assistants are Brian Bollette and Max Larson, and a third volunteer assistant is Jose Bettencourt.
   ”I’m on the mat and my two assistants, we’re all on the mat with the kids which I think is a good thing,” Hughes said. “There’s no way to test them out than to actually wrestle with them.”
   Captains are seniors Dave Steward and Sam Achaempong and junior Chris Tan. They will try to help Hughes push the Ravens to a big year.
   ”We start with team goals because they’re first and foremost,” Hughes said. “Our team goals, we want to compete in Mercer County, we want to compete at the district level for a district title. I don’t think we’re in the top two or three teams yet, but I think that’s our goal. We want to win more than half our duals. We don’t worry about the individual stuff earlier in the year.
   ”I think late February and March, we should have guys wrestling at a high level,” he added. “Tan and Gildner were regional finalists last year, Steward was a region qualifier, Sam, Bossi and Chase Haeuptle, anyone that placed there (at TCNJ on Saturday) we have to consider will have some success later in the year in regions.”
   The Ravens were scheduled to host Middletown South in their first dual meet of the season Wednesday, and they are looking to reward their coach’s optimism.
   ”We have enough experience and a couple studs, so we’ll be able to compete with most teams,” Hughes said. “I think encouraged is a great word for our start. I’m encouraged with the effort guys are putting forth and their willingness to learn and compete hard. I think we’ll start seeing results soon.”