The District Wrestling Championships, which begin on Feb. 22, represent the final opportunity to compete as a team, but that hasn’t changed the mindset of Spotswood High School coach Dan Krainski.
The first-year mentor has implemented a “team-first” mentality with every decision, every practice and every moment on the mat, designed to help the Chargers win as a whole.
Krainski, a former Sayreville War Memorial High School wrestler, admits his philosophy won’t produce instantaneous results.
The Chargers finished this year with a 10-12 dual meet record and managed third place in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Blue Division, which is an improvement over last year’s 6-14 mark. Krainski said his team is looking forward to the District 20 championships, which will be held at East Brunswick High School.
“Our goal is to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, said Krainski. “We have everybody in our lineup except for one. If we can get some of our guys through to the Regions, the experience will be invaluable and it will mean we’re peaking at the right time.”
A number of Chargers stand excellent chances of finishing among the top three, which automatically moves them on to the pre-Regionals. At 113 pounds, junior Ryan Fahy has a 26-7 record and should be a high seed. At 285 pounds, the only senior in the starting lineup, Amiran Odzelashvili, has a 26-2 mark and will likely battle Monroe Township High School’s Tom Tehan for the title. Other wrestlers with impressive records include 182-pound junior Max Pavlis, who is 21-12. At 126 pounds, junior Jake Teetsel has a 19-10 record. The remaining members of the lineup include sophomore Thomas Saulle (14-13) at 106 pounds, junior James Komosinski (3-15) at 120 pounds, sophomore Will Witt (8- 19) at 132 pounds and sophomore Ejike Okafor (13-14) at 138 pounds.
Spotswood also has sophomore Ricky Melvin (4-16) at 145 pounds, sophomore James Witt (11-16) at 152 pounds, sophomore Chris Bruce (6-17) at 160 pounds, sophomore Jordan Rodriguez (11-13) at 170 pounds, junior Shane White (8-19) at 195 pounds and junior Dan McSpedon (3- 14) at 220 pounds.
While this is Krainski’s first year at Spotswood, he has experience coaching at various schools throughout Central New Jersey, including Sayreville, Monroe, Applegarth Middle School in Monroe Township (the team captured the GMC title) and Edison High school.
“The improvement in the number of victories this year is a testament to the athletes,” Krainski said. “Each win happened because of the dedication put forth and we earned every one.”
Among the area teams competing in District 20 are the host team, East Brunswick, Monroe and South River High School. East Brunswick’s 160-pound John Schleifer recently broke the school record for career victories (105 held by Cory Ritchings) and is undefeated this year. He should be among the favorites to win the state title. His teammate, Sean Glasgow, is another strong competitor at 138 pounds. Other favorites include 126-pounder Sal Profaci of Monroe and South River’s 138- pounder, Mike Palomba.