The preseason is always a time for optimism and when Kearny head coach Tony Carratura Jr. looks in the wrestling room, the excitement for the upcoming season is strong and with good reason.
With 50-plus kids in practice on a daily basis, the depth issues that plagued the Kardinals with a 7-19 record last season should be a thing of the past. In several of those duals, Kearny had to forfeit three or matches, making it nearly impossible to win despite several strong individual performances in other weight classes.
“This year, it’s been great,” said Carratura. “We’ve never had this many kids on the mat all at the same time. We’ve had probably 50 to 60 kids consistently since we started on the mats.”
Seven guys who competed in 20-plus matches a season ago are set to return, a group headlined by sophomore Matthew Pagan and senior Adam Ramadan.
Ramadan, despite not being all the way back from a broken tibia and fibula that cost him his sophomore year, went 26-8 last season at 132 pounds. According to Carratura, Ramadan has gotten significantly stronger this offseason, making it likely he’ll compete at 138 or 144 pounds.
“When you come back (from an injury like that) you’re going to be a little rusty, a little hesitant, and he didn’t look like himself. it. It takes that year to get back into the swing of things,” Carratura said. “He’s bigger, he’s faster, he is more confident now.
“The sky’s the limit for him. He’s everything grades wise and on the mat and just his overall character. He’s a great kid.”
Pagan had a very strong rookie season, going 27-8 and qualifying in Region 3 at 106 pounds. With Pagan and fellow sophomore Sean Baignosche (17-15 at 113 last year) expected to bump up in weight, a quartet of freshmen will be vying for time at 106/113 in Jonathan Rocco, Eldrick Renda, Aiden Burke, Brayden Castillo and Tyler Olechowski.
The added depth has left several spots up for grabs heading into wrestleoffs this week at Kearny, most notably at 126, 132 and 138 pounds. Junior Jason Maisonet and sophomore Benjamin Cordero are returning starters, while sophomore Michael Pickard also has meaningful experience. Another sophomore, Ammar Khalifa, is also vying for a role among others.
Daniel Oliveira, a senior, and junior Lucas Ruiz are vying for the spot at 150 pounds after seeing varsity action a season ago. Promising freshman Angel Pineda Saravia is expected to start at 157. Senior Isaac Moya, a starter last year at 157, is expected to start at one of the upper-middleweights, a group also includes his brother Izael, a freshman, senior Daniel Martins and senior Peyton Reilly, who was limited to just five matches due to injury.
The return of Reilly and senior Ryan Rodriguez, who missed all of last season due to a torn ACL, at 190 are potential game-changers for Kearny’s fortunes in dual meets. Their return to health will fill two weight classes that were often forfeited last year.
“Those are the two guys that we a hundred percent missed,” said Carratura. “ They’re great kids, very good wrestlers and they would’ve put us in a better spot to win. So having them guys back is definitely huge.”
Elliot Hidalgo, a sophomore, who moved into Kearny before the season, has emerged as the starter at 215 pounds and brings rare strength to the table.
Seniors Louis Fidalgo and Ayden Szper are battling for the spot at 285 pounds.
The Kardinals open the season on Dec. 21 when it hosts its annual Kearny Holiday Tournament, a 15-team field that includes Belleville, Bloomfield, Cranford, Notre Dame, Bayonne among others. A week later, they go to Warren Hills for the 66th Annual John Goles Tournament.
Kearny’s first duals match is on Jan. 4 when the Kardinals go to Randolph for a quad that also includes Mendham and Somerville.
Learn more about the writer ...
Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)