Baldwin loaded with youth

With a roster consisting of seven upperclassmen and 37 underclassmen, Baldwin figures to experience some growing pains on the wrestling mats this season but coach Jim Murphy likes what he’s seen so far.

“We’re really young, so I’m expecting some ups and downs,” Murphy said. “But the kids just have to keep climbing the mountain.

“They’re pretty motivated and dedicated,” he added. “We had an excellent turnout during the offseason, which is part of what it takes to be a successful program. Hopefully we’ll be right up there with the top teams again in a few years.”

By design, Murphy scheduled a challenging list of foes in December, including some powerhouse teams from Suffolk like Longwood and Sachem, plus Syosset, Holy Trinity and Chaminade. “I wanted our guys to see some of the best teams around and what it takes to get to a high level,” Murphy explained. “We had some good individual performances. I thought we had a solid opening month.”

The most interesting dual meet came Dec. 11 when the young Bruins and Holy Trinity battled down to the wire. Baldwin squeaked out a 41-40 win at home. Murphy saw sophomores Ronaldo Escobar and Jack Thibault emerge victorious at 113 and 138 pounds, respectively, and juniors Nick Crovella prevail at 152, Dan Fisher win at 182, and Druw Humphrey get the job done at 220. Thibault, Fisher and Humphrey all pinned their opponents.

Though unranked, Murphy believes Escobar is one of the top kids in Nassau County in the 106-pound weight class. “He’s been wrestling up at 113 so far,” Murphy said. “He’s a tough kid. I think he’s going to make some noise.”

Thibault, a talented soccer player as well, is getting pretty tough on the mat, Murphy said. “He gained valuable experience a year ago and looks a thousand times better,” the coach noted. “He’s a tremendous athlete. He had a big pin against Holy Trinity and wrestled tough in some other matches. He’s in a strong weight class.”