Warwick wrestling adapts with the times

Warwick - Taking the long trip from Warwick, to Randolph, N.J., over Thanksgiving weekend to kick off the winter wrestling season was something Warwick coach Jeff Brucker was looking forward to. More so he could see his team wrestle their first preseason match of the season, but also because Randolph is close to home. “I grew up in Newton, N.J.,” Brucker said. “I wrestled up through high school and went on to wrestle for a couple of years at Lockhaven University.” Brucker, who now resides in Warwick, added: “I got into refereeing after I graduated college. When I started having children, I got into coaching. This is my third season with Warwick, but the Warwick program has been going seven or eight years.” After watching his team in the first round of the tournament, Brucker has a clearer picture of what he has to work with. “The kids are responding how you would typically expect,” the coach said. “Some of the kids are making silly mistakes. Mistakes that they typically wouldn’t make toward the end of the year. But that is the whole point of having a preseason. “Because we are a club sport, our lineup changes pretty frequently year over year,” Brucker said. As for the preseason, “We look to see what we are doing well so we can emphasize those and then de-emphasize the bad habits we have.” Russ Crespolini is the online editor for Straus Newspapers and can be reached at 845-782-4000 ext. 352 or at webmaster@strausnews.com.