Seidenberg hoping to finally win it all at Raritan
Senior has 114 wins; lost in state wrestling final last season
BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent
In recent years, the Raritan Rockets have cemented themselves in the pantheon of top scholastic wrestling teams in New Jersey.

FILE PHOTO A dejected Dan Seidenberg of Raritan High School lies on the mat, with assistant coach Eric Pritchard standing in the background, after losing last year's state wrestling tournament 171-pound final in Atlantic City. The senior will look to win his first state title this season.

Along with the likes of Jackson Memorial, Brick Memorial, Southern Regional, Long Branch, Ocean Township, Howell and others, Raritan has become one of those programs that reloads rather than rebuilds, and is simply expected to be among the top teams in the state.

Even with that reputation securely intact, Raritan head coach Rob Nucci is openly enthusiastic about this year's potential.

"There's something special about this team, there really is," he said. "They may not be the most talented team we've had, but they're just so bright. I know it sounds crazy to assume that just because they're smart they'll be good wrestlers, but I just get the sense that they listen and want to learn more than any other team. I've done more coaching already this season than I've ever done before, and it's not because these kids are inexperienced."

What Nucci has is a team that is already being called one of the state's best, led by a solid group of eight seniors and perhaps one of the most talented sophomore classes in the state.

"Without question, this sophomore class is very, very talented," Nucci said. "We have six to eight sophomores who are going to be in our lineup. While they are somewhat question marks right now, I'm pretty sure as the season goes on, they're going to make or break our season.

"As a coach, I always try to get as many kids mat time as is possible, because in a year like this, that experience can make all the difference."

And while the sophomores' progression could determine just how far the Rockets can go this year, Nucci also knows that it will be his seniors who set the tone early on.

"In all my years at Raritan, this is the best upper-weight group that we've had," the coach said. "They will absolutely anchor this team."

Leading the way is senior Dan Seidenberg, a state place winner the last two years who is currently on pace to break the state's all-time win mark.

"Danny has 114 wins right now and needs 44 more to tie the mark," Nucci said. "He went 42-1 last year, so we went out and pulled a few more matches for him this year. I absolutely believe he's going to do it."

Seidenberg is joined by two district champs — seniors Chris Looney at 130 and Chris VanFechtman at 125. Looney was 26- 11 last year, while VanFechtman finished 27-10. Nucci has equally high expectations for them this year.

"We've got eight or nine seniors in our lineup this year, and I'm expecting pretty good things from all of them," the coach said.

Senior John DeAngelis is back at 135, where he was 10-5 a year ago, while George Davis (4-4) and Chris Lobello (15-11 in 2007) will wrestle at 140 and 145.

Senior Nick Cumerford will wrestle at 189 after going 17-15 a year ago, while senior Aaron Cruz will see some time at 171 after going 12-15 a year ago.

"Aaron wrestled at 215 last year, even though he weighed about 181," Nucci said. "He's taking a big cut this year and will allow us some more flexibility in our lineup."

Heavyweight Matt Walsh is back at heavyweight, where he was 11-19 last year.

At 112, junior Matt Mitchell is back after going 19-13 and finishing second in the district at 103 a year ago. Sophomore Connor McGrath was 3-3 at 119 last year, and will vie for mat time with sophomore Brian French this season.

At 135, sophomore Taylor Smith (10-11, third in the district) is back, while sophomore John Deft will also see some mat time there.

Sophomore Matt Wynne is back at 130 after going 5-5 last winter, while fellow sophomores Ryan Lynch (17-15 at 145) and Joe Masi (4-4 at 152) will be solid in the middle of the lineup.

Junior Cameron Lentz will start at 160, where he was 5-7 last year, while junior John Swiednicki is back at 152 after going 1-1 last year.

At 215, sophomore Tyler Murphy is expected to make a big impact after transferring from St. John Vianney, where he was 16-13 last year. While Murphy will not be eligible to wrestle until January, sophomore Sebastian Lodado and junior Vin Rice will hold down the fort in his absence.

Some of the heralded newcomers who Nucci expects to contribute immediately are freshmen Matt Lindo and Tom Broderick, who both compete at 103.

"Overall, we've got 14 weight classes and 20-plus guys looking to crack the lineup," Nucci said. "We've got a lot of depth and a lot of talent. If we can stay healthy, I think we can absolutely be a topfive team in the Shore.

"One of those wacky preseason polls has us ranked 14th in the state, but are we that good? I don't know yet. But I think we certainly can be."

Raritan will open its season at the Garden State Invitational at Princeton High School.

"It's an individual tournament, and there will be some tough teams there, like Queen of Peace, which I think was ranked 10th in that same wacky poll," Nucci said. "So that will be a good early test for us to see how we do against some of their guys."

From there, Raritan will head down to Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla., for the KSA Events Tournament.

"The parents really did a great job putting that together for us," Nucci said. "We're looking forward to getting down there and hopefully representing New Jersey well."

While Raritan's meteoric rise to its status as one of the top teams in the Shore has taken some wrestling fans by surprise, Nucci insists it is the result of a communitywide effort.

"I always make sure to credit the middle school recreation program, which was started by a bunch of former wrestlers who are now wrestlers' fathers," Nucci said. "The program is now in its eighth year and has really contributed to creating a wrestling community here in Hazlet. I owe them a tremendous amount in getting this program to where we have it. … For a Group II school, the numbers in our program are simply unbelievable."

As the result of a recreation program with upwards of 60 kids enrolled, combined with the consistent progress the high school program has shown under Nucci, the future for Raritan wrestling appears to be very bright.

"Every year since I've been here, we've seemed to break that school record," Nucci said. "We were 23-4 last year and set the school record, and I think we'll do that again this year."

Over the past few seasons, Raritan has established itself as one of the best programs in the state. This year, they may just be ready to take it a step further.