Promising start for Baldwin

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Baldwin wrestling coach Jim Murphy will get a chance to return to his alma mater Island Trees, when he takes his Bruins over to the school for a meet. For Murphy the timing of the matchup could not be much better, as he will get to show off a squad that has been looking quite strong in recent weeks.

“We’ve been pretty solid,” Murphy said. “The kids are working hard. They’re getting a little better every day, and we’re starting to see some positive results. The program as a whole is on a real positive upswing.”

One of the biggest early season highlights for Baldwin came Dec. 17, when the club finished in first place at the Paul P. Grammatico Wrestling Tournament. The Bruins had a team score of 195, 19.5 points higher than the second-place school. 10 of their wrestlers managed to place in the tournament, and two came away with first-place finishes.

Another standout moment for the program took place when Baldwin posted an impressive 52-28 win over long-time rival Oceanside. The Sailors had been the dominant team in recent meetings between the schools, but could not keep up with the Bruins on the scoreboard this time around.

“There was a lot of emotion put into that one,” Murphy said. “They’ve been getting the better of us the last couple of years, so I kind of used that as bulletin board material. We got the kids motivated and down to the right weights and spots, and we performed pretty well.”

According to Murphy, the team’s success this season has begun with its three captains, senior Jon Debique, senior Armando Roman and junior Abe Mitchell. Debique and Roman are two of the Bruins talented returning heavyweights, while Mitchell has thrived in the lower weight classes. 

One of the biggest strengths of this Baldwin team is once again its upper weight class wrestlers. Marc Castel has continued to make noise at 285 pounds, and Anderson Sylvain has performed well at 220 pounds, after being injured last season. Perhaps the biggest reason for the Bruins dramatic improvement has been the injection of youth into their lineup. 

“Our ninth grade class is phenomenal,” Murphy said. “We’ve got some real talent down there. This is the first year we’re getting some feedback from our kiddie program, which we started a couple of years back. Things are a lot looking better now.”

Newcomers like Patrick Hickey and Ricardo Vallejo have already made an impact for Baldwin on the varsity club, despite their lack of experience at the level. 

“They’ve been thrust into our varsity lineup and are going against some pretty solid seniors,” Murphy said. “So far they’ve been performing well.”

Coming up soon for the Bruins will be the Battle for the Belt tournament in Syosset. Murphy is eager to see how his team fairs on the stage.

“That should be a big test for us,” he said. “I want to see if we can earn a team championship there as well.”