As Blue Devil wrestling fans filed into Westfield High School’s gymnasium, there was nothing but determination on the Blue Devils’ minds. The Westfield wrestlers lined up side by side with a scary look on their faces that seemed to echo throughout the gym, striking fear into their Linden opponents. Led by senior co-captains Ethan Composto, Michael Murphy and Brandon Ribiero, Westfield was ready to win.
As everyone settled in, freshman Jake Zemsky (190 lbs) took to the mat, ready to show what Blue Devil wrestling was really about. Many were worried about his Linden opponent since he was a commanding sophomore, however, these worries were short-lived. Zemsky pinned his opponent in a cradle almost immediately.
This initial pin would set the tone throughout the remainder of the matches as the energy switched completely. With the Blue Devils more win-hungry and motivated than ever, these Westfield pins would prove to be the recurring theme throughout this match.
This wasn’t luck, though, the Blue Devils had been preparing for every move Linden would try to make. “We worked a lot on our headlock defense,” said head coach Glen Kurz. “We kinda knew what we were going to see and we wanted to do our stuff, not what they are doing.”
Linden was ready to fire back in the next match as senior Sergio Cabrera (215) found himself struggling early on. After managing to push his score to 5-0, he fell behind and was pinned by his opponent to even the match total at 6-6.
Groans filled the gym as Westfield fans were completely stunned. This loss was tough for the Blue Devils as they were extremely prepared for this matchup. However, this surprise was short-lived for Linden fans as senior Cary Pritchett stepped up next on the mat.
Pritchett, a heavyweight, is still recovering from a torn ACL only a year after he tore it before playing football. Injuries like this would stop many athletes from trying to play again; not Pritchett. Taking his unprepared opponent by surprise, Pritchett went up 2-0 before quickly pinning his opponent. Victorious, Pritchett hobbled off the mat with his ACL brace wrapped tightly around his leg.
Linden forfeited the following match. In the next match, junior Max Rotter (113) dominated, and the match ended as quickly as it started with a huge pin.
However, Rotter wasn’t satisfied. “We need to be more careful with the upper body,” he said. “We can’t make any more pathetic mistakes.”
With this strong Blue Devil momentum, sophomore Dylan Sontz (126) was ready to bring the heat. Linden started off leading 2-0, but Sontz was quick to break holds and pushed the score to 2-2. A quick clock stoppage didn’t stop Sontz as he dug in deep, trying to push his opponent to the ground. However, his opponent goes up 3-2 before eventually stalling for an unfortunate 5-3 opponent victory.
Although Sontz’s intense matchup put Blue Devil fans at the edge of their seats, nothing would prepare them for the match of the night: Westfield senior Brandon Ribiero (132) against Linden junior Jordan Austin.
It was clear this was going to be a tough matchup from the start. Austin jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead. Fortunately, Ribiero recovered fast and tagged on 2 points closing the score up to 5-3. As the first two minutes expired, Ribiero was determined to claim this victory and prove why he can compete with the best.
Ribiero stuck to low shots, hammering his opponent down to take a 6-5 lead. Things were looking good for Ribiero as he fought hard, barely stopping to catch his own breath. Only a few seconds later, a ‘BOOM’ rattled the warm, sweaty gym. Ribiero had body-slammed Austin to the floor who laid there, in clear pain. Austin was forced to forfeit and Ribiero secured the main match with a single-leg takedown.
Ribiero’s close matchup roused the Blue Devils. Kurz fired up his team, pushing them to work as hard as Ribiero. This motivation ignited a fire in the hearts of the Blue Devils who were ready to give Linden the dagger.
After a Linden forfeit, senior Aidan Harper (144) gave his opponent no hope, taking him to the floor immediately and securing a Westfield pin. Senior Richard DeRick (150) followed and pinned his Linden opponent before most fans could even turn their heads. There was a sense in the air that Westfield’s fierce mentality may slow down, however this was immediately proven wrong. Senior Coby Linsky (157) stepped up next and took his opponent down by force with a pin using his quick reactions to his advantage, surging the Blue Devils ahead.
Linden forfeited the next match and senior Luke Vaccaro (175) wrapped up the night with another obliterating pin which put the rambunctious Blue Devil fans on their feet. With Vaccaro’s pin, Westfield secured its first victory of its season, 66-9.
Even though Linden forfeited Composto’s match, he was still satisfied with the day. “We knew that we were going to be better technically than these guys,” said Composto. “You know with the amount of work that we put in, it makes sense that we had a better gas tank so we just wanted to work on breaking opponents and pushing the pace on these guys.”
The Blue Devils hope to continue their reign of terror this season as they face Roselle Park on Friday at home for senior day.
