Barons’ Bubenheimer has solitary goal this year BY MIKE McDONALD Staff Writer WOODBRIDGE — To the average sports fan, a record of 110-9 is certainly impressive. And the average wrestler would be more than happy to boast such a record over a three-year period. But Woodbridge High School’s Joey Bubenheimer is neither impressed or satisfied with his gaudy numbers. "Joey will not be content until he wins the state championship," said his coach, Ed Braunsdorf. Bubenheimer’s record is a reflection of the dominating wrestler he has been at Woodbridge. But he is determined to finish first at the state tournament this year, after a third-place finish last year and a second-place finish the year before. Again, most wrestlers would be satisfied or even giddy with these two finishes, but not Bubenheimer. Bubenheimer, now in his senior year, realizes that this has to be the year, and he is prepared. "He works harder in the offseason than most other wrestlers. A strong off-season workout program is very important for the next season," said Braunsdorf. Anyone who knows Bubenheimer and has seen him wrestle knows how much heart and dedication he has for the sport. Bubenheimer has been training since his third-place finish in the state tournament last year and wants more than anything to get the first-place trophy this time around. But even without that coveted championship, Bubenheimer’s legacy at Woodbridge is intact, according to his coach. "He is a great influence on my younger wrestlers. They see the success he has, the work ethic he has, and they want to follow his lead," said Braunsdorf. And for those who love wrestling, Bubenheimer’s matches are an absolute treat, each and every match. He is extremely aggressive, and this combined with his great natural ability, makes his matches intriguing to watch. He is extremely quick at 5-foot-6, 120 pounds, but also very strong. His quickness and finesse more often than not leads to easy victories. But it’s not the easy victories that will come throughout the season that Bubenheimer is concerned with. Every minute of practice this season, each and every second of every match leads to one thing for Bubenheimer — Atlantic City, and his last chance for that elusive state championship. Barrons looking to regroup after opening loss The Woodbridge High School wrestling team has begun its season, but it certainly has not gone as head coach Ed Braunsdorf expected. A season-opening loss to Monroe has left the coach baffled. "This was our first loss to a White Division opponent in four years. I still cannot believe it happened," Braunsdorf said. So for a coach who had high expectations coming into the season, he has modified his team goals and has kept it simple. "The goal for the team now is to improve each week," said Braunsdorf. Bubenheimer is expected to take on the role of a leader and help the younger wrestlers on his team become the best they can be. "Joey does his part in trying to help the others come along. The younger wrestlers look up to him," the coach said. "Junior Gary Griffin is also expected to help out the younger wrestlers." Two freshmen who have impressed the coach so far are Matt Buckan and Craig Batista. "I expect these two guys to have a big impact on our wrestling program for the years to come. They are our future," said Braunsdorf. Braunsdorf finds himself not only as coach, but also as a teacher of the sport. "Some middle schools offer wrestling at a young age, which allows kids to learn technique and wrestling moves. Woodbridge does not have wrestling in its middle schools, so when we get the kids in high school, we have to basically introduce the sport to them. This leads to us needing to practice more to stay competitive with some of the other schools," explained the coach. "We have a lot of inexperienced wrestlers on this team, which may explain the opening-match loss to Monroe High School. However, we will be fine as the season goes on and we hope to be in contention for the division lead."