Scarlet Knights wrestling gets a face-lift
Arrival of Goodale, Winston brings instant credibility to program
BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent
The buzz surrounding the Rutgers University (RU) wrestling team began to emanate over the summer, right around the time that the rumor started to spread that Scott Goodale was looking to take over the program.

However, while the vast majority of people agreed that Goodale's arrival would spark a greater interest in the RU program here in the Garden State, there were those who still questioned the immediate effect his presence would have on the team's success.

Just a few months later, Goodale has already proven that while new to him, recruiting is simply another talent that he brings to the program.

After already signing some of the state's top recruits, Goodale hit pay dirt on Nov. 14, when he landed arguably the top high school wrestler in state history, Scott Winston.

This winter, Winston will enter his senior season with a career record of 101-0, after recently winning a Junior National Freestyle title at 160. He will also be attempting to become the first state wrestler to finish his career undefeated. He already owns two state championships and missed out on a third when he broke his arm as a freshman after racing out to a 22-0 start.

"We certainly want to move the program forward," Goodale said, following his hire back in July. "The ultimate goal is to win a national title. I'd be making a mistake if I were getting into this without having a goal of being a national championship team. It was my goal at Jackson to be the No. 1 team in New Jersey and it took a while, but we did it. Now that I'm at Rutgers, my goal is to win a national title."

Signing Winston is certainly a leap in the right direction, providing instant credibility to Goodale's belief that RU is closer than people think in achieving his ultimate goal.

"When he got the job … it changed my whole college view around," Winston said. "I had all these big powerhouses, and then I had Rutgers, which is kind of weird. But I just thought that it would be the perfect fit for me.

Winston admits Goodale's hiring is the main reason he chose Rutgers.

"Everything I've wanted to accomplish since I met Coach Goodale I've accomplished. Why would it stop now? I'm ready to go to the next level and hopefully I'll be able to reel in some NCAA championships," he said, adding that the idea of staying in state was also a big part of his decision.

Recent state tournament results in Atlantic City have proven that the very best wrestling in the state, and perhaps the nation, is found in the Shore Conference with Goodale's Jaguars leading the way. Obviously, the coach's ties to the Shore will only help him to keep many of the state's elite grapplers close to home.

Goodale arrives at Rutgers with an impressive résumé, both as an athlete and a coach. After a stellar high school career at Jackson Memorial, he continued to succeed as a collegiate wrestler at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, where he made three trips to the NCAA championships, while also placing second at the Eastern Wrestling League Tournament twice. He finished with 99 wins at Lock Haven, and helped the Bald Eagles become the ninth-ranked team in the nation at one point.

While stressing the importance of the team, Goodale has also been adept at finding the delicate balance needed for his grapplers to achieve individual success. He has coached four New Jersey state champs, five runners-up and 16 placewinners, and has also had 41 district and 10 Region VI champs under his tutelage.

Goodale has also received national acclaim for his role as the Junior and Cadet State Team coach for national tournaments in Fargo, N.D., while following the 2005-06 season, he coached Team New Jersey at the Junior National Duals.

Seemingly, Goodale has been successful everywhere he's gone. However, turning Rutgers wrestling into a national power will likely be his biggest challenge yet.

"I have such a passion for New Jersey wrestling," he said. "I'm up for the challenge and we're going to try to take this team to the next level."

Goodale is replacing Rutgers' winningest coach in wrestling history, John Sacchi, who retired in May following 17 seasons at the helm. Sacchi compiled a 167-102-5 record at Rutgers, including a 10-6 (5-3 in Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association action) record last season.

This season's list of newcomers is a good one, led by Jefferson High School's Tyler Milonas, the state champion last year at 130, where he defeated Christian Brothers Academy's James Beshada in the final. Milonas is wrestling at 133 this year.

Among the other newcomers who may be familiar to local wrestling fans are Old Bridge's Chris Orzechowski, a Region V champion last year at 189 pounds who finished seventh in the state, as well as Raritan grad Shawn Putnam, now a 157-pound sophomore, and CBA grad Anthony Chirichello, who is wrestling at 165.

"Obviously, we have a long way to go, but I was excited for our kids to get out and wrestle," said Goodale. "It was a pretty good tournament. We have a lot of work to do, but I thought our conditioning was good and we competed hard. We just have to do a better job of scoring points in certain weight classes."