Webb, Brady Named Patch 'Athletes of the Week'

Congratulations to this week's Cranford Patch Boys and Girls Athlete of the Week, girls basketball standout Jamie Webb and star wrestler Joe Brady.

Webb, a senior point guard, helped lead the Lady Cougars to the Livingston Lancer Winter Tournament championship last week, with a 17-point effort against West Orange in the final.

She averages 11 points and five rebounds per game and has proven to be a passionate leader on and off the court for coach Jackie Huber's team.

"Jamie's brought everything" said Huber. "She's been a leader, all of my seniors have been leaders, on and off the floor, the way she controls her attitude and her positiveness towards the girls, it's really good to see. Some girls get down on themselves, and she cheers them on."

"I really want to be a good influence on them so they play well," said Webb.

For No. 15, it all started when she picked up the ball at a young age.

"When I was really little, I couldn't wait to play," said Webb. "I started in third grade in rec league, I loved it, then in the Police Atheletic League. I've been playing for a really long time. All the same girls have been with me, me Taylor and Danielle are seniors. I don't like change, so it's good to have them."

As for Webb's future hardwood plans, a college career might just be around the corner.

"I might play Division 3 basketball," said Webb. "My mom really wants me to play. I'd like to keep playing. Rutgers-Newark said they would like me to be their point guard. I'm going to keep asking other colleges to come and watch me play and we'll see what happens."

"One thing you can't teach is a girl to play with heart and that's something that Jamie has," said Huber. "She plays every single game, every single practice with heart. She loves the game."

Meanwhile, our Boys Athlete of the Week, Joe Brady, remains undefeated in his senior season, leading the Cougars wrestling team to a 5-0 start.

Brady, who wrestles in the heavyweight division, has owned that spot since he entered high school as a freshman, when he went 14-14 his first season.

Since then, he's racked up 72 wins, and is currently ranked seventh in the state.

"Everything's going well right now," said Brady. "Practice is good with my partner Julian Campo and my brother James pushing me every day."

"We knew right away (when he was a freshman) there was potential with Joe," said head coach Darren Torsone. "He works hard in the room. He out-conditions all of his opponents. He does work on his own which helps make him an exceptional wrestler."

Brady is humble when it comes to his accomplishments. On and off the mat, he is the first to give credit to his teammates.

"We don't have to always step up, because everyone's an individual leader on the team, Joe Giaccio, Kyle Markovitch, who's injured and isn't wrestling, still pushes everyone, Ian Henry, Carmine Pellino, they're all just good guys," said Brady. "Everyone works hard every day. That's how we win most of our matches now, it's from conditioning."

Some athletes just know when a sport is in their blood. For Brady, the wrestling bug bit in middle school.

"Sixth grade was the first time I ever wrestled," he said. "I just walked in the room and the coach said 'all right, it looks like we have a heavyweight'. I just kept winning and went to states and finished fourth. Everything just kept going well."

"Joe is an exceptional heavyweight," said head coach Darren Torsone. "He's got speed and agility and all the good things a wrestler should have. Joe maintains his weight around 255, and at that weight he's very competitive with his speed and agility."

Brady is looking to add to his already impressive resume. He owns a county championship, is a two-time Bloomfield Tournament champ, a district titleist and a region runner-up. You could say his junior year was a breakout for him, including his most memorable victory.

"The county championship last year against Mike Tanzi was the best," said Brady. "I wrestled him during the season and I beat him two years before that, every match I beat him. Last year he beat me, actually whipped on me during the season and I just didn't forget it. You could ask everyone on the team. I said I would get him back in the county finals. He was the one-seed, I was the two-seed. I was the underdog and I went out and beat him 8-2 and won the championship."

And what are his goals for his final high school season and the future?

"I'd like to repeat as district champ, win the region this year, win the counties again, go down to Atlantic City and possibly place there," said Brady. "Delaware Valley wants me to wrestle there very badly, so I've been talking with them a little bit. But once I get to A.C. and show everyone what I'm made out of, I'll be able to get more offers."

For now though, he looks forward to offering up some more wins in the Cranford blue and gold.