By Chewy Baumel ’13, Staff Writer

As the Winter Sports seasons approach, it is time to take a look at Newark Academy’s hardest-hitting, toughest, and most brutally tactical team: the wrestling team. The squad consists of some of the strongest, most athletic student athletes that play sports in this school. Why? Wrestling is an intense, physical competition between two men (and at times women as well, although less frequently). In the ring, the only person who can make or break the match is the one wrestler. The wrestler must not only be able to perform a takedown, but also must be able to counteract any move performed by his or her opponent. To win the match, a wrestler does not just need to outmuscle his or her competition, but outwit him or her as well.

This year’s squad is headlined by a trio of passionate seniors. One senior, Joe Gerish ‘11, a co-captain, has packed on over twenty pounds after an intense summer workout regimen, and looks to lead the team in a higher weight class than last year. The other two leaders are co-captain Pat McMahon ’11, a standout on the N.A. mats since middle school, and Jack Breene ’11, another strong  returning senior in the lineup. After this group of steadfast leaders, the squad is filled with youth, youth, and youth.

Three sophomores and four freshmen round out the last seven spots on the team, but instead of worrying about inexperience, the wrestling program is embracing the situation. “We have tons of young guys coming in that won’t just be good in the future, but big for us right now. They’ll add energy and skill, and help fill a bunch of empty spots,” said Gerish. These new wrestlers are anything but space fillers in all respects. Michael Kaplan ’13, Sam Wohlforth ’13, and Rob Kwiatkowski ’13 will all return with a year of technical improvement under their belts, and the younger of the Gerish brothers, freshman Pat Gerish, will lead a solid freshman class in varsity competition.

Coaches Jay Gerish (yes, the family trio is complete with a coach) and Gene Kelly have worked hard every year to make the best wrestlers possible out of every individual. “It starts with fitness,” says Rob Kwiatkowski, who has dropped some weight this year in order to improve his agility, “and our coaches put a real emphasis on having us in shape.” They strive to improve each individual’s strengths over their four year careers at NA. Although the results may not have been seen in the squad’s season records, there have been several individuals that have advanced throughout the state tournaments in the recent past, and many have advanced on to collegiate competition.  Some such as recent graduates include  John Sternlicht ‘08 and James McGann ‘09. They all spent their formative years shaped by Coach Gerish in the NA wrestling program.

The season is just warming up and the mats are only just being rolled out, but these wrestlers have been putting in their hard work and effort for months now. They strive for greatness – an expectation fans should greedily anticipate for this season.