Sports

Wolfpack Wrestlers Set for Historic Title Run

Three seniors head down to Atlantic City seeking individual New Jersey wrestling championships.

To be successful, a high school wrestler needs to have a mindset unlike other athletes.

He trains with a team, yet he faces his opponent as an individual.

The focus and determination necessary in the sport needs to be at an unbreakable point.

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For three West Morris Central seniors, that focus and determination will be put to the ultimate test this weekend.

For just the third time in school history, three Wolfpack wrestlers are heading to the annual New Jersey state championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

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The last time such a feat occurred?

It was 1990. Half a decade before any of the grapplers were even born.

Nick Matthews, Brandon Carcuffe and Adam Kratch will work their way through brackets to outlast 23 other wrestlers in their respective weight classes beginning Friday, March 8.  

This was the first season Kratch made his way out of the first round of districts, but just his fourth year wrestling. It’s been a successful season for the 170-pounder, placing third at the Morris County Tournament, second in the district tournament, and grabbing third in the region to grab a spot in Atlantic City.

Two years ago, Carcuffe fell just short of the state tournament, placing fourth in the regions his sophomore year. The 145-pounder has been focused on the mat for a decade. Both he and Kratch notched records of 34-8 this season.

Then there’s Matthews. The 138-pound senior, who won 38 matches this season and was the first wrestler in school history to eclipse 100 wins in a career has been here before. In 2012, Matthews was the first wrestler from Central to make it to Atlantic City since Jonathan Hey did it in 1995.

“To win a state title would be absolutely crazy,” said Kratch. “It would be the most incredible payoff for all the hard work and dedication needed to be successful in this sport.”

Taking third at regions and qualifying for the state final was “without a doubt the greatest sense of happiness and accomplishment that I have ever had,” Kratch said.

Knowing this was the last chance at an Atlantic City go-around was the biggest factor for Matthews.

“This was my senior year, so I was motivated by the fact that this would the last time that I would get to go down there,” he said.

While individually the trio will face their challenges on the mat alone this weekend, all three know it was the team support and structure that helped get them there.

“(Three members qualifying) really is an amazing feeling,” Carcuffe said. “I hope the future teams only keep making more history. It says that we have truly been working hard and it paid off.”

Kratch echoed those sentiments, and knows the team has stood out in the school’s history books.

“It speaks a lot to our work ethic as a team and the combined experience and expertise of our coaches that we have so many guys wrestling (in Atlantic City),” Kratch said. “We knew going in that we could have a really special season with the group we had and I definitely feel that we made our mark.”

Words From a Wolf

The 17-year drought of Wolfpack representatives between Hey and Matthews was a long one, with just two wrestlers qualifying for regions in 2002, according to Long Valley Patch blogger David Yaskulka.

Hey finished in the top-8 of his 145-pound bracket, and he knew then, as he does now, what kind of accomplishment it was.

“It was an awesome experience,” he said. “You’re wrestling the best of the best from the entire state. You need to be focused.”

Hey went to Boardwalk Hall during his senior year after battling back from a dislocated elbow the previous season, suffered during a match. Making it all the way to Atlantic City in just a year took a lot of hard work and spiritual clarity, he said.

“I definitely drew my strength from the Lord at that time,” Hey said about his return from the devastating injury. “When you’re on a stage like this, you need to have your spiritual life in order. You need to have a winning mindset. Take all that training from the entire year and put them into action. Clear your head and just have a positive mindset.”

That top-eight finish is an aim for Matthews, he said. Last year, Matthews placed in the top-12 at the tournament.

The Wolfpack won 18 matches this season for the first time in school history. Three individuals tallied their 100th wins this season (Matthews, Carcuffe, and John Sickles); something that had never been done before.

And now, for the first time in 23 years, three teammates will be vying for state titles simultaneously.

There’s still room for more history to be made.


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