Hillsborough High School has 15 varsity wrestlers for 14 weight classes. With such a small roster, Hillsborough coach Roy Dragon has to shift guys to unfamiliar weights just to fill out a lineup.
Despite the shuffling, the Raiders have not complained.
Instead, they have embraced the challenges and impressed their coach.
“The kids have done whatever I’ve asked and done a great job,” Dragon said. “They’ve wrestled hard each match.”
Results, though, have been tough to come by. Hillsborough is 2-5, though it did win its last match, 57-18, over Westampton Tech on Jan. 5.
The hard work paid off for Hillsborough in that match. Dragon is confident that it will continue to pay off as the season goes on. Hillsborough will get back on the mat on Jan. 12 against Ridge High School.
And while Hillsborough’s roster may be small, it does not lack standouts.
Senior 152-pounder Ray O’Callaghan, junior 182-pounder Varun Deb and sophomore 113-pounder Cole Psemeneki are enjoying solid seasons.
O’Callaghan is 10-2 and won the Panther Invitational at Roselle Park High School in late December.
On Dec. 19, O’Callaghan took on Phillipsburg High School’s Cody Harrison, widely considered the top 152-pound wrestler in New Jersey. O’Callaghan could have wrestled in a different weight class. But he wanted to challenge Harrison, and he took him the distance, losing by a decision.
“Ray knew the experience would make him better. When you wrestle the top kid in the state, you can see where you’re at,” Dragon said. “He was in that match the entire time. It helped him see what he needed to do to get to that next level.”
The senior won his next match, at Middletown High School North on Dec. 22, by pinning his opponent in 4:42. Then, he won the Panther Invitational.
“He’s not far off the top wrestlers in the state. He has the work ethic and is mentally tough,” Dragon said. “I think he can make (the NJSIAA individual tournament in) Atlantic City and win matches.”
O’Callaghan had success last year, too, so his season is not a surprise. Deb, on the other hand, was a spot starter last winter.
With a 6-5 record only a month into the campaign, Deb has already doubled his victory total from last year. The junior is more confident in matches than he was a season ago.
Last year, Deb would be aggressive and take control of matches in practice, but never in real meets. This season, he is translating practice habits to real meets.
“He goes out there and goes to his offense. He’s taking shots and getting more confident with his takedowns,” Dragon said. “I would love to see him make (the Region 5 tournament). But we’re not looking that far ahead yet.”
Psemeneki has similar potential. Dragon thinks the sophomore can finish in the top four in his weight class at the Region 5 tournament, which would earn him a trip to Atlantic City for the state tournament.
The region tournaments will be held at eight sites throughout New Jersey on Feb. 20, 22 and 23. The state tournament is from Feb. 2 through March 2.
It would be a great accomplishment for a sophomore. But Psemeneki is already a consistent varsity wrestler.
“He controls the match on his feet and knows the style he likes. He goes out there and dictates how a match will go,” Dragon said. “He just knows what he’s good at, gets to his stuff and doesn’t wait back.”
Psemeneki is 7-4 this winter. The losses were to state caliber opponents. They prepared him for the big matches to come.
“He wrestled well against them,” Dragon said. “I think he has the ability to get to states.”
Hillsborough will try to improve as a team in the second half of the year. But even if it doesn’t, it will still have postseason contenders in O’Callaghan, Deb and Psemeneki.
“I don’t think there’s really a ceiling,” Dragon said.
