Rohmeyer wrestles to county title
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Terence Rohmeyer made big improvements on the wrestling mat a year ago to contend for the final qualifying spot out of districts.
This year, the Montgomery High School junior has taken another jump to be not just a contender, but a favorite in districts.
”He only has one loss on the year, to a kid from South Jersey,” said MHS head coach Kurt Franey, whose team improved to 7-2 with a 38-34 win over Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday. “He was 106 last year. He’s a comfortable 120. He’s not cutting much weight. He worked hard in the offseason. He really improved on his feet. He’s always been pretty good on the mat. His weakness was on his feet and he’s made a lot of improvement there.”
The improvements have Rohmeyer winning at a higher rate this season. After a 25-11 sophomore year, Rohmeyer has stepped up his wrestling. His season began with him winning his weight class at the East Brunswick Bear Invitational. Three weeks later, he was part of a bigger competition, the Somerset County Tournament.
Rohmeyer opened the tournament with a pin of Frank Gesualdo of Somerville in 1:29 of the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he won a 6-0 decision over Pingry’s Thomas Tarantino. In the finals, he met Victor Castagno of Ridge and won by major decision, 8-0.
”He really did not have too many tough matches,” Franey said. “His last match was his toughest and it wasn’t that bad. He was in control pretty much the entire time.”
Rohmeyer was the only winner for the Cougars, who placed seventh with 94 points. Bound Broook won with 263.
”I was happy with how we wrestled,” Franey said. “We finished seventh which is a little deceiving. Bridgewater was second. I think it’ll be competitive. We had a third-place winner and two fourths.”
And one first from Rohmeyer. It was his first county championship.
Terence Rohmeyer is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”It’s pretty huge,” Rohmeyer said of winning his county crown. “It’s my biggest win of the year. Most of the teams will come back to the district and I can advance on to regions. That’d be pretty big.”
Rohmeyer just missed that chance last year when he finished fourth. The top three advance to the region tournament, and Rohmeyer is hoping this year goes better than last year.
”I wasn’t happy with it because I didn’t get out of districts,” he said. “I was 25-11. I could have done a little better. All and all, it was not a bad year.”
Not reaching regions last year is something that stuck with him. He has used it to drive him through the offseason.
”It’s definitely a huge factor,” Rohmeyer said. “I ended up going to the region tournament and watching those kids wrestle. I wanted to be out there so bad. It helped (to remember that) when you’re doing those hard workouts.”
Rohmeyer put on muscle in the offseason and worked at his technique. With the improvements that he made on his feet, he has more ability to catch opponents and put them down for points.
”I think high school has been really great,” Rohmeyer said. “Getting the strength up is really good. Everyone says in middle school that strength is huge. In high school, it makes the difference. It’s probably helped me win some matches. I’ve worked hard in the offseason. Any weight I put on was definitely muscle.
”You build the confidence as the wins keep going,” he added. “Every time you step on the mat, even before you shake your opponent’s hand, it helps. You have to be aggressive the entire match. You have to keep pushing the pace. A lot of kids will back down if you’re aggressive.”
Franey likes the changes that he is seeing in Rohmeyer. He has taken on a better approach and his results are reflecting his experience and his improvements.
”He’s much more aggressive on his feet,” Franey said. “I saw him as a much more tentative wrestler before. His confidence has helped him be more aggressive which in turn has helped him be more successful.
”He just need to keep improving on his feet,” he said. “He’s still a stronger wrestler on the mat. If he can be dominant on his feet – he’s already dominant on the mat – he’s going to be very difficult to defeat.”
Rohmeyer got into wrestling early. It is ingrained in the family. His father, Paul, is head coach of the Tiger Cubs program in the Princeton Amateur Wrestling Society club. His twin brother, August, wrestles at 126 for the Cougars, and August’s pin gave MHS six points on its way to topping Bridgewater on Wednesday. They also have a younger brother, Gabriel, a fifth grader who is wrestling. The twins can be competitive.
”My mom doesn’t appreciate it when it’s not practice time,” Terence said. They are a part of a young, but promising MHS team that has started quickly. Rohmeyer is among the pleasant surprises.
”Coming into the season, I didn’t expect him to be this successful,” Franey said. “He’s confident because he put in so much work. I think he’s gained a lot of confidence as the weeks have passed.”
Rohmeyer has only one loss, and a lot of wins to build on as he looks to continue to grow. The SCT was an important step as he won a major tournament title.
”I thought I had a very good tournament,” Rohmeyer said. “I felt really good the whole day. My stamina is up. Coach is working us hard. I thought my technique was there when I needed it. I did what I had to to win.”
The expectations are rising for Rohmeyer and the Cougars. He is hoping to make the regions and take a shot at a trip to the Meet of Champions. With wrestlers like him developing well, MHS feels good about its shot to qualify for sectionals. Rohmeyer is just trying to do his part to pick up points for the team, and he is encouraged by his start.
”It’s definitely better than last year,” Rohmeyer said. “I got more wins on the board fast. I’m out to a fast start. It’s a little due to schedule, but I feel like our team is wrestling better as a whole.”
The win over Bridgewater was an indication of their development. It shows that Montgomery could be as good a team as all but Bound Brook in their county.
”We’re excited,” Rohmeyer said. “It’s a great start to the season. Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling and don’t get ahead of ourselves. We have to stay humble and keep working hard and the wins will come.”