Winter Sports Previews: Madison High School Wrestling

In the wrestling practice room at Madison High School, pictures of champions and state placewinners past adorn the walls, challenging the current generation of Madison wrestlers to equal their accomplishments. If things go right for the Dodgers in 2009-10, head coach Steve Healey may have to make room on those walls.

Madison, according to Healey, has several grapplers who could make a run to Atlantic City in March, site of the state tournament finals. Some, like seniors Ryan Colwell (Region 3 champion at 145 pounds last year) and Christian Mazzocchi (fourth place at 140 pounds in Region 3), have tasted postseason success and are hungry to return.

Others, including 10 returning starters from the sophomore and junior classes, are looking to break through.

"We graduated three seniors from last year, two of which placed in the region tournament," Healey said. "It's going to be tough to replace them, unless some of our younger kids can step up. But most of the guys we had last year were first-year varsity guys."

Though building depth is the most pressing issue for the Dodgers during the dual-meet season, Madison has a solid corps of three returning starters who advanced to Atlantic City last year.

Colwell, tentatively the starter at 145 pounds, is the most decorated wrestler in the Dodger program right now. He has won 103 career matches, including a sparkling 34-5 record last year. Colwell has won the District 9 tournament twice, and his 2009 state tournament run included a region championship before narrowly bowing out to 145-pound third-place finisher Jon Robertson of Long Branch in the pre-quarterfinal round.

"Ryan has been wrestling since he was in fourth grade, maybe even earlier," Healey said. "He does club training throughout the year, and he works to get better all year long. He's one of the best. We're thinking he could place in Atlantic City this year."

His fellow state medalist hopefuls, Mazzocchi and sophomore Patsy Davis, each won 31 matches and medaled in Region 3 last season. Mazzochi, a senior who is expected to start at 152 pounds, will be a handful for just about anyone.

"He's very unorthodox," Healey said. "He doesn't do most of the standard moves, so opponents find it difficult to deal with his different throws and holds. And the thing is, he pins everybody. If he gets you in a tight hold, he's going to pin you."

Davis, the runner-up in District 9 at 112 pounds last year, is the youngest in a line of Davises who have contributed to the Madison wrestling program.

"Four years ago, his brother graduated after wrestling for us," he said. "His sisters have been our stat girls. His mom and dad are the president of our booster club. He's been around wrestling since he knew how to walk."

Those three will seek to become Madison's first state medalist – and the school's 14th overall – since Kyle Kaufman, who finished in fourth place at 171 pounds two years ago.

But beyond the big three, Healey says he – and new assistant coach Nico Somers, a former Madison wrestler who graduated recently from Franklin & Marshall – have to wait and see who steps up and proves they belong in the starting lineup.

Seniors Anthony Costa (160 pounds) and Heber Santos (140 pounds) each recorded winning individual records (11-8 and 13-8, respectively) last year.

Other returning starters include senior John McAuliffe (135 pounds), juniors Jack Anzul (171), Michael Boardman (285), Conor Stark (135), Thomas Tracy (215) and sophomores Matt Allen (130), Eamon Epstein (130), Colin Gooby (119), Max Gotsch (125) and Peter Wills (130).

"I think our talent level is similar to last year," Healey said. "We have a lot of guys who started last year, but maybe weren't full-time starters. Only two of our three seniors last year were full-time. So really, we have 16 letterwinners for 14 spots. We're balanced in that way."

As a team, Madison finished ninth in last season's Morris County Tournament. This year, in the new Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference alignment, Madison will be tested in the dual meet season by traditional Morris County power Hanover Park (seventh at the MCT last season), as well as Parsippany (8th), Dover (11th) and Pequannock.