With ALJ up 22-0 after four matches, senior Sam Beilis went into his match trying to get points on the board for the Blue Devils. In the 138 weight class, Beilis fought until the end, eventually overcoming ALJ by pin. At this moment, there was hope for the Blue Devils, who in a season plagued by injuries, have continued to show up and give their best for their team.
Despite losing to ALJ by a large margin of 57-21, bringing Westfield’s record to 3-6, there were positives throughout the match that demonstrate the Blue Devils’ potential if they were at full strength.
After Beilis won his match over the Crusaders by pin, senior quad-captain Luke Sluberski and senior Elias Wood, in the 144 and 150 weight classes respectively, managed to push their teams ahead: Sluberski by decision, and Wood by pin.
With injuries preventing several of the Blue Devils’ top wrestlers from competing in this match and throughout the season, the team has had to work its way around it. “There’s a lot of adjusting going on,” said head coach Glen Kurz. “We also don’t know who’s available from match to match, which has been a challenge.”
As part of this adjustment, several wrestlers have had to step up and Kurz has reocngized that. “I have a mindset that everybody in the room has to prepare like they are a varsity guy,” said Kurz. “[Sophomore] Parker Stanek has been pulled in for a while. He’s been doing a great job. He practices like a varsity guy every day.”
In the matchup versus ALJ specifically, the Blue Devils’ wrestlers all bumped up a weight class, intensifying the match and partially giving the Crusaders the upperhand.
Sluberski has taken a different approach regarding the team’s setbacks, focusing on himself first to then contribute to the team after, “I can’t focus on the team too much because you can’t let it get to you. You just gotta focus on yourself. It’s an individual sport at the end of the day. And I’m just worried about competing and scoring points for myself.”
Wood’s mindset going into his individual match was to “be aggressive and score points.” Despite being an individual sport, Wood said, “There is still a team aspect there, and your team relies on you to go out there and set the tone with each match.”
Inevitably, the Blue Devils were lacking in energy throughout the match, but still managed to end on a high note as Stanek won by pin in the 106 weight class.
The Blue Devils look to bounce back as they prepare for their next match, this time against SPF, who currently has a record of 6-5. “We need to focus on positives and keep building, keep getting better for the next [match],” said Kurz. “SPF is on Friday. That’s circled on the calendar. So we [have to have] all hands on deck. We’ve got to be ready for that.”
The Blue Devils will face the SPF Raiders in a Union County Conference matchup on Jan. 23 at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School at 7 p.m.
