After coming off of a very strong performance last year, Mendham Wrestling is off to a great start! The boys have been practicing very hard and have a very positive outlook on the season so far. There has been talk from both parents and fans surrounding the excitement for the start of the season and along with the players they have been anxiously waiting for the first match on December 17th away against Belvedere. When asked about the results of the opening match, Senior Alexander Winant had three words, “Well, we dominated.” The boys won with a score of 49-18. As a captain of the team along with Seniors Domenico DiGena and Peter Tringali he says together they are able to hype up the team before a match and “establish an intense atmosphere in the room.” Dom DiGena also comments on his commitment to the team as he says “my role as a captain is to motivate my team and make sure everyone is focused on getting better and winning states this upcoming year.” Having three seniors who have been through both adversity and success, this team is lucky to have such strong and experienced leadership in which the captains understand their part and do their best to keep the team just as passionate and ready as they are.

Another very important component of the leadership on the team is head coach Stephen Baig. Alex comments on the fact that “He is great at organizing the logistics and strategy of the match.” DiGena also comments that both the head coach and assistant coach, Mr. Raimundo are great at “helping us improve our technique in practice, managing our weight and helping us learn from our mistakes on the mat.” Having Stephen Baig also be the Freshman Girls Soccer Coach, throughout multiple programs he has been able to help athletes from all age groups in Mendham grow and thrive in such a highly competitive environment. He is just as dedicated to the sport as the players and wants nothing more than to see each wrestler who steps on the mat come off of it with another win under their belt.

The boys have a very exciting season coming up with most popular the match on the horizon against West Morris Central at home. Last year this match had the biggest fan support of the season and the turnout this season is expected to grow due to more advertisement on social media such as Instagram and Facebook. Dom DiGena is most excited to compete against Central for the fourth time as a Senior and says “because they are going to take a fat L this year.” The profound confidence these boys display in themselves and their team just shows how intense and exciting this season will be.

This team is extremely special because of the great camaraderie each individual brings. Peter Tringali says that he is very happy he is able to have such a great team on his final year of wrestling at Mendham High School. Digena says his favorite part of the team this year “is our chemistry. I think that we work well on and off the mat as a team.”  Dom also “expects [the] team to make it far in State sectionals this year and [he] believes that [their] work ethic will help [them] get to the finals and win it again.” These boys can all agree that they can do well and win some insane matches with the help of the fans. DiGena hopes that “plenty of fans this year will come and hopefully get the bleachers filled up #gang.” This is season is expected to be one of the most successful due to the attitude of the wrestlers and their talent. To add onto the future excitement and success, two members from the current team are committed to wrestling at the college level. Domenico DiGena is going to continue his academic and athletic career at Arizona State University in the fall of 2019 and Alexander Winant is off to Washington and Lee in the fall of 2019 as well. This season is expected to be much more than just promising. Let’s see these athletes go all the way and represent Mendham by continuing to battle on and off the mat, to win each and every match and go all the way.