With the fall sports all wrapped up for 2016, it is time for winter sports. That means wrestling season is set to begin. After a solid 2015 season The Mountaineers went beat the Mountain Lakes quad and defeated rival teams such as Glen Ridge and Summit. With open mat sessions, team weight lifts, and excruciating practices wrapped up, the wrestling team is ready to take on the 2016 season.

Coming into this season, the team has already set team goals, and a high standard. They hope to win fifteen matches and hopefully get a few wrestlers to Atlantic City for the state championship tournament. This season, twelve freshmen signed up for for the wrestling team, the most since 2006. It is safe to say that the future is looking bright for the BHS wrestling team.

Head coach David Brothers said “hard work, commitment, and sacrifice are the keys to a successful season” and “we should be much improved this year and I’m very excited.” It definitely looks like this season is shaping up to be a special one for Mountaineer wrestling. Although the team expects to win a lot of matches this season, Coach Brothers only needs total commitment for this season to be considered a success.

Mountaineer wrestling is looking to be unstoppable this season, but like any other wrestling season there will be some obstacles they need to overcome. The season will not only be faced with tough opponents and stiff competition, but everyone will need to give their best effort in attempt to stay healthy this season. The team will need their best wrestlers on the mat for each and every match. Since the wrestling season lasts until March, coach Brothers needs his team to be entirely focused on wrestling and no other sports until the season ends.

Bernards sports have been having tremendous success, this year as the soccer team won the county and state championships, as well as the football team who finished as runner-ups in the state. This may put a little bit of pressure on the wrestling team to perform well this year, but it is nothing that their wrestlers are not used to. On the team this year consists Nico Arce and Andres Lezme who were two star soccer players. These two were instrumental in the soccer team’s success and look to do the same for the wrestling team.

Mountaineer wrestling has no shortage of football players either. The team consists of over nine football players, including star wrestler, Alex Mastronardi, who is a starting wide receiver on the football team. It is clear that the wrestlers are used to winning, and they intend to do so this season.

This season the team will have fourteen matches, six of them happening at home. Notable matches include, at Ridge on February 3rd and at New Brunswick on December 16. “I would love to see the student body come out and watch us compete this season,” said head coach David Brothers. Definitely make sure to check out the wrestling matches this season!