In West Milford, wrestling has always been an important sport.  There is the junior wrestling team for students who are not in the high school and then there is the high school wrestling team. Many students participate in either one. They could be on the team or simply helping out at matches or tournaments.

The high school wrestling team’s record for wins in a season was 15, but this season the team notched only 7. Of course every team has its own goals and expectations; the wrestling team’s goal this year was to go to the county and the district tournaments. The team succeeded in reaching their first goal and did participate in the county tournament; the districts are still coming up.

In order for a team to function well it must be organized by having captains and other leaders. This year the wrestling captains are Pat Van Duyne, Rich Dizenzo, and Will Wenzel. Other leaders of the team are Sal Schimmenti, Dave Zeppetelli, and Kyle Silvestri.

Although the season has been good, every team has its strengths and weaknesses. Mr. Blakely, the coach of the wrestling team says that their strength is the middle and upper weight classes; however it is also their weakness. Despite this he tries to motivate all of his wrestlers by making them work hard and by challenging them.

So far, all of their hard work has paid off because in the county tournaments the team came in third.  Coach Blakely is proud of his athletes.  Though he has been coaching wrestling for 34 years, Blakely is still enthusiastic. When asked why he continues to coach after all those years, he shared, “I just love the sport. It’s a sport where everyone can compete no matter what size you are.”