The Point Pleasant Boro wrestling season is right around the corner. Last season Boro’s record was 6-1 in Shore-B South and overall was 14-7. What the people want to know is what are Coach Brady, Coach Grainer, and Coach Linz doing to prepare for the upcoming season?

I was able to have a conversation with Coach Grainer to see what he and the other members of the wrestling team are doing to get ready for their season. The team has some key senior’s in the upper weights like Tyler Criscuolo, Brett Leschinski, and Declan Pratt, if these wrestlers can make this big jump, Boro will have a strong and tough lineup.

Coach Grainer says that they have many more amazing key starters returning like Jack Thompson, Joey Deangelo, and Frank Burgio who were all state qualifiers last season. With all of these wrestlers still a part of the team, Coach Grainer is hoping to ultimately win a team title, even though they were put in a very tough section this season which is group II central. 

Since Boro wrestling is in such a tough division there will be a lot of showdowns throughout the season. Coach Grainer explained, “A new healthy rivalry we hope to spark and get the fans into is our match with Manasquan…We hope to one day turn that match into a spectacle similar to the Beach vs. Boro match, that energy is fun for the wrestlers and the students.” 

There are so many amazing rivalries this upcoming season and Manasquan seems like it might be a new big one. Some other rivalries consist of Boro vs. Lacy, Boro vs. Donovan Catholic, and our biggest, most important rivalry of the season, Boro vs. Beach.

As the season slowly approaches people will be going to the wrestling matches to watch their team try to beat their opponents but does anyone really know how wrestling is scored? There are five ways to score in a wrestling match.

Another school newspaper called Sequoit Media discussed these five ways. The first way is a takedown, where you can score two to five points. Five points can be scored when performing a throw and putting someone on their back to pin or near fall them. Three points can be scored by a short throw by taking them down and putting them on their back. Two points can be scored by taking down the opponent and putting them on their side or stomach.

The next way you can score is an escape (one point) which is when the wrestler being controlled underneath comes out and gets back into the neutral position. A reversal (two points) is like an escape but once you escape you gain control over the other opponent. Another way you can score points is on a near fall which is when you get close to having your opponent pinned. If a near fall occurs for two seconds the wrestler will get two points and if it is for five seconds the wrestler will receive three points. 

 Overall, we have a great lineup for this season not only just the wrestlers but the strong teams we will be competing against. All of the coaches and wrestlers are looking forward to having the stands full of Panther spirit.