Grappling for recognition

The majority of a Highland Park sports fan's attention during the winter season is focused on the hardwood, but the spotlight may soon shift focus with the emergence of a rapidly-developing wrestling program.

The sport of wrestling is arguably the most physically and mentally demanding challenge for a middle or high school student taking it on. The HPMS and HPHS squads have responded to the difficulties of making weight and competing at a high level.

Middle school the seedbed
At the Middle School, head coach Christian Smith has led his group to a 5-2-1 record as of Janurary 29th. For the second year in a row, the Owls defeated three of the four Edison middle schools, an accomplishment that Smith sees as a huge step forward.

"Beating those schools that have a lot more kids and a recreational program for wrestling is big," Smith said. "It shows that HP has a lot of tough kids. They'll see a lot of these Edison guys in the future on the varsity stage, and now they have the confidence to know they can compete at that level regardless of school size."

The middle school team, which will return 80 percent of its wrestlers next year, is the foundation that helps build up the varsity program for grades nine through 12. Smith highlighted a couple of eighth graders that he sees making an immediate impact on varsity next year.

"Tyler Rios and Noah Weinberg are two competitors that really have a chance to step in as freshmen and compete for varsity time," Smith said. "That's a big opportunity and one I'm sure they can capitalize on."

Watching you grow

Smith said he's also happy to see some of his former wrestlers at the top of their game at the next level.

"I'm very proud when I see my middle school guys succeeding on the varsity team," Smith said. "Sam Lobel, for example, was on my recreational team and middle school squad and he'll be seeded in the top ten in the county as a freshman."

When it comes to a perceived lack of recognition for his core of guys that help make up the varsity team year-in and year-out, Smith believes the accolades will come with hard work.

"I feel the middle school could be more successful if we had better practice situations for our hard workouts," he said. "We're showing progress and we hope that'll get us the respect we need from the athletic department and school."

Reaping the benefits

Wherever there's a feeder group with such consistent positive results, the varsity program is bound to prosper.

Led by Craig Girvan and Scott Gerba, the HPHS wrestling squad stands at 8-10 as of Jan. 29, with a marquee win over South River. Girvan was quick to commend Smith for his efforts with the middle school program.

"We're very fortunate to have a guy like Christian Smith, who is knowledgeable about wrestling and works hard to get results," Girvan said. "The development of his program has assisted our efforts in every way imaginable."

Girvan acknowledged how tough it is to teach the basics of wrestling in preparation for a rugged Greater Middlesex Conference slate, while additionally touching on the strengths and weaknesses of his group of wrestlers.

"We have a lot of strong individuals," Girvan said. "They can work as hard as is demanded, but it's still tough for a Group I school to fill all 14 weight classes. Night in and night out, they have to take on some of the best competition out there."

Individual records are even stronger

From top to bottom, the high school wrestlers boast winning records, despite being under .500 as a team. Sophomore Matt McKinney is 16-7 at 103 lbs, freshman Sam Lobel is 13-9 at 112 lbs, and junior Daniel Sherrell is 12-6 at 119 lbs.

Junior Will Randall-Goodman is 17-5 at 189 lbs. and senior Gabe Pagliere is 13-5 at 160 lbs. Girvan had the utmost praise for these two veteran leaders.

"Will and Gabe are returning district place winners," Girvan said. "They were third in District 19 last year and it's that kind of determination that we need to see from all our guys to get the program where it needs to be."

Girvan commented on the state of the program as a whole and the demands of the sport in general.

"Scott (Gerba) and I came in around 2000 and tried to build the program up," Girvan said. "We're very pleased with Coach Smith's efforts in conjunction with our hopes and we're proud to see our guys giving it their all in the most grueling high school sport out there."

HPMS and HPHS wrestling continue to search for the respect they deserve, but the foundation seems set for success in the near future.

"We're ready to move kids through the system and instill success," Girvan said. "That's a big goal of the program."