Linwood — By GIUSEPPE UNGARO

Special to The Sentinel

LINWOOD – There’s no easy way or shortcuts in high school wrestling.

It takes time, experience and sacrifice to improve as an individual and as a team.

Mainland Regional High School knows that all too well.

The Mustangs have been rebuilding for a few seasons, and are coming off a 6-18 campaign, but they believe they can continue to improve and climb the standings.

“We can be .500,” Mainland coach Mike Colombo said. “That is attainable.”

“I think we will do real good this year,” said Mainland senior Clifford Farrell, who wrestles at 189 pounds. “We had a young team over the past couple of years. We are finally getting older as a team and should fare better than we did last year.”

The Mustangs have seven returning letter-winners, who will account for half their lineup.

Along with Farrell, who had 17 wins, the Mustangs return Kyle Bender (112), Shakeem Gales (125), Doug Ewing (130), Brendan O’Hara (140), Cemah Tudae-Torboh (215) and Antoine Lewis (Hwt.).

O’Hara recorded 19 wins a year ago, and Ewing and Lewis had 18 apiece. Ewing also advanced to the Region 8 Tournament. The Mustangs plan to send a few more wrestlers deeper into the individual tournaments this season.

“It’s nice to have seniors who know what to expect and they know my routine,” said Colombo. “Those guys at the top, the heaviest guys, come every day and they work hard. They are good guys to be around.”

However, the key to the team’s progress may be the fact that the underclassmen have some wrestling experience from either junior varsity last year or the Mainland Junior Wrestling program.

Colombo can continue to build on that experience instead of starting from scratch, which was often the case in the past.

“They know the fundamentals and they know the rules,” Colombo explained. “It’s hard to just throw wrestlers out there without experience. In the past we haven’t had experienced wrestlers and it definitely takes until February for them to understand what is going on and what they have to be able to do. Many struggled with that, but now they have the fundamentals down and the basics from the midget program. They do a good job getting them to high school. They have been around for a while and we seem to get more kids from it.”

The lineup with feature five freshmen in Garrett Ewing (103), John Fitzpatrick (119), Eric Lands (135), Spencer Vanlieshout (145) and Tim Lenzch (152).

Sophomore Matt DeSalle (160) and senior Tom Monahan (171) round out the starting lineup.

“They are coming along pretty well,” Farrell said of the newcomers. “They are coming up quick and getting used to it.”

He added, “We definitely plan on improving on last year’s record. That is always something to look forward to.”

The Mustangs got off to a positive start, defeating Bishop Eustace, 44-28.

Fitzpatrick and Doug Ewing won by pin, and Garrett Ewing, Bender, Lands, and O’Hara won by decision. Farrell, Tudae-Torboh, and Lewis won by forfeit. In all, 11 bouts were decided on the mat, with Mainland winning six.

The Mustangs know tougher challenges await them, especially in the always-tough Cape-Atlantic League, which features sectional champs Hammonton (Group III South), perennial power Absegami, and tough teams like Oakcrest and Egg Harbor Township.

“I think we can surprise some teams that we struggled against in the past,” Colombo said. “Egg Harbor Township, Oakcrest and Absegami are good and we are not going to sneak up on them, but Millville and Vineland we lost to both and we can maybe win those. I have a tough group of kids and shouldn’t be taken lightly.”