By Jimmy Allinder
High school wrestling is as popular as it’s ever been in New Jersey, but it’s becoming more difficult for smaller districts like South River to put a representative team on the mat.
“It’s the nature of the beast,” said coach Bobby Young, who competed for the Rams over two decades ago during a time when the sport prospered at the borough high school. “Wrestling is different than other sports, even football. It is more mentally and physically grueling and can take a toll on an athlete.”
The fallout from being in Group I — the NJSIAA’s smallest school classification — is that South River has had difficulty fielding a complete lineup, especially this season. Without one, South River has struggled to win (or keep matches close) because of forfeits.
This was never more apparent than when the Rams and Metuchen High School met Jan. 10. South River was credited with a 59-10 victory, which elevated its record to 3-1 in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Blue Division and 3-5 overall.
The scorebook, however, revealed a meet that was hardly that. Of the 14 contested weight classes, the respective teams were able to pair up only four times. In the other 10, wrestlers were awarded forfeit victories, with the only action coming when the referee raised their hands as they stood in the middle of the mat.
Such a scenario has become commonplace at matches involving smaller schools. It didn’t help that coaches and administrators pushed through rule changes years ago that increased the number of weight classes from 12 to 14. Some coaches surmised they would have to five two more wrestlers for those weights to field a complete team.
Still, Young said it could be worse if South River didn’t receive a dependable influx of wrestlers from a middle school feeder program that has been in place for years.
“Take a look at our roster,” he said. “It’s composed mostly of juniors and sophomores, many of whom took up wrestling in middle school and have continued [here]. The upside is each has improved and that, after all, is the goal.”
South River is also fortunate to be where an inordinately higher number of skilled athletes reside compared to communities of similar size. Some started wrestling when they entered high school and have thrived.
For instance, junior Leo Sanchez (145 pounds) came out for the team as a freshman and is currently unbeaten in dual matches, which includes forfeits. Junior Kyle Basack (182) is a member of the football team and has put together a 6-1 record.
Junior Dan Colon (160) is truly the most dedicated member on the roster and commits to wrestling year-round. His record is 6-1. Junior Mark Pacheco (126) is another bright spot with a 5-2 record, while freshman Joe Zargo (132) was 5-1 before he underwent surgery for a knee injury. The expectation is Zargo will recover before the district tournament in late February.
Other team members include freshman Issac Cruz (106), sophomore Tyler Szersen (113), senior Alex Lizardo (126), sophomore Estaban Caldron (126), junior Mark Bonsante (138), sophomore Hunter Guzman (138), senior Alex Amare (138) and junior Kevin Lacruz (145).
There’s also senior Joe Kowalski (152), junior Christian Juarez (152), junior Ben Rente (160), junior Brandon Szersen (170) and sophomores Grayson Ciesielski (220) and Jimmy Stewart (220).
Young said the team’s 3-1 Blue Division record is an accurate reflection of its ability to compete against similar-sized schools. The exception is first-place Bishop George Ahr High School (5-0), which is loaded with wrestlers who are expected to do well in the postseason tournaments.
Looking ahead, Young put a positive spin on what he expects from his wrestlers.
“What I’ve observed is the kids are minimizing the errors that cost them in earlier matches,” he said. “We’re now battle-tested, and that can mean good things are ahead.”