Woodbridge grapplers should compete for division
BY MIKE McDONALD
Staff Writer

Above, Woodbridge’s Greg Gerald tries to pin J.P. Stevens’ Jerry Pohida during a 152-pound bout on Friday in Woodbridge. Below, Woodbridge’s Matt Buchan tries to take down Stevens’ Jack Saca during a 135-pound bout.

The Woodbridge High School wrestling team is currently 2-1 and veteran head coach Ed Braunsdorf is not particularly pleased with the way his team has started.

“Hopefully we will get better as the season goes on,” said Braunsdorf. The Barrons beat Johnson Regional High School and Middlesex High School this past Saturday in a dual meet, but the wins were not enough to compensate for a loss to J.P. Stevens High School loss earlier in the week.

“I liked the way we rebounded off the disappointing loss, but we still need to win matches we are supposed to win,” said the coach, now in his seventh year at Woodbridge.

Braunsdorf believes his squad has what it takes to perform well this season and compete with the likes of Sayreville for the GMC White Division title, but also feels his team has some obstacles to overcome first.

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“We are not a very deep squad. A couple of our kids are out of the lineup right now, which hurts,” he said. “For some squads it may not be a big deal, but for ours it is. Also our kids are not at the weight they need to be wrestling at. But in a couple of weeks we should be where we want to be, lineup and weightwise.”

One of the leaders of this year’s team is junior, Craig Batista.

“Craig wrestled last year in Atlantic City, finished third in the region and was the district and county champion. He is a great wrestler,” said Braunsdorf.

Another leader on this year’s squad is junior Jerry Pinhada.

“Jerry is a hard worker. He is what you would consider a tough Woodbridge kid,” the coach said. “He competes and gives 100 percent all the time.”

Junior Frank Murgittroyd is another “tough Woodbridge kid.”

“Frank is a hard-nosed kid who is a major asset to our squad. Right now he is banged up but hopefully we will get him back soon after the New Year,” Braunsdorf said.

Perhaps the biggest inspiration to this year’s team has been senior Chris Mercado.

“There are not enough words to describe how much of an inspiration he is to this team,” said Braunsdorf. “Chris’ mom passed early [last] week, but Chris did not miss Friday’s meet, but rather competed, as his mom would’ve wanted him to do.

“Chris is a tough kid and his mom would be proud of the way he has not missed a beat,” Braunsdorf said.

Freshman Chuck Sabin has been a welcomed edition to this year’s squad.

“I could just tell that he was going to be a good wrestler at the varsity level. He is a talented kid,” Braunsdorf said.

Sophomore Brian Chian also has talent, but that is not the only attribute Braunsdorf has noticed in him.

“Brian never stops on mat. He competes to the very end. He gets you those much-needed points,” said the coach.

Also on this year’s team are the Buchan brothers, Will and Matt, who won a combined 45 matches for the Barrons last year.

“Will is a sophomore and Matt is a junior,” Braunsdorf said. “[They] have been to the regions before and have great talent. They will only get better with more experience.”

Braunsdorf also has two heavyweight wrestlers who play football for Woodbridge as well.

“Seniors Jose Gonzalez and Sal De Luca both play football and both now wrestle,” the coach said. “For Sal, this is the first time he has wrestled since he was a freshman. He has looked very impressive.

“Jose gave me his word, like Sal, that he would wrestle this year. His addition to this year’s squad has really helped a lot.”

Next up for Woodbridge is a Christmas Tournament this coming Wednesday at Middletown South High School and a dual meet the Friday after New Year’s Day against East Brunswick.

While many coaches are still trying to discover ways to get wins at this early point of the season, Braunsdorf knows exactly what it will take for his talented team to reach its potential.

“We need our studs to get bonus points and some of our other wrestlers to keep matches close and win matches they may not be expected to win,” said the coach.