Scarlet Knights wrestling gets a face-lift
Arrival of Goodale, Winston brings instant credibility to program
BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent
The buzz surrounding the Rutgers University (RU) wrestling team began to emanate over the summer, right around the time that the rumor started to spread that Scott Goodale was looking to take over the program.

FILE PHOTO Jackson's Scott Winston (r) will attempt to become the first wrestler in state history to finish his career undefeated. The senior recently signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Rutgers University starting next fall.

Once Goodale accepted the head coach position on July 31, wrestling fans throughout the state celebrated the news that the three-time New Jersey Coach of the Year was taking his unquestionable talent and ambition to the next level.

However, while the vast majority of people agreed that Goodale's arrival would spark a greater interest in the RU program here in the Garden State, there were those who still questioned the immediate effect his presence would have on the team's success.

Sure Goodale was considered the best high school wrestling coach in the state, but would that be enough to convince some of the state's top grapplers from heading west to more nationally recognized programs?

Just a few months later, Goodale has already proven that while new to him, recruiting is simply another talent that he brings to the program.

After already signing some of the state's top recruits in Brearley's Jesse Boyden, Lodi's Dan Rinaldi and Delbarton's Trevor Melde, last year's state champ at 135 pounds, Goodale hit pay dirt on Nov. 14, when he landed arguably the top high school wrestler in state history, Scott Winston.

Winston signed his national letter of intent to attend Rutgers next year, rekindling a relationship he and Goodale formed together while leading Jackson Memorial High School to the top ranking in the state in 2006 and 2007.

This winter, Winston will enter his senior season with a career record of 101-0, after recently winning a Junior National Freestyle title at 160. He will also be attempting to become the first state wrestler to finish his career undefeated. He already owns two state championships and missed out on a third when he broke his arm as a freshman after racing out to a 22-0 start.

His decision to attend Rutgers further provides credence to the notion that Goodale is quickly assembling a team that will compete with some of the elite programs in the nation, and sooner rather than later.

"We certainly want to move the program forward," Goodale said, following his hire back in July. "The ultimate goal is to win a national title. I'd be making a mistake if I were getting into this without having a goal of being a national championship team. It was my goal at Jackson to be the No. 1 team in New Jersey and it took a while, but we did it. Now that I'm at Rutgers, my goal is to win a national title."

Signing Winston is certainly a leap in the right direction, providing instant credibility to Goodale's belief that RU is closer than people think in achieving his ultimate goal.

"When he got the job … it changed my whole college view around," Winston said. "I had all these big powerhouses, and then I had Rutgers, which is kind of weird. But I just thought that it would be the perfect fit for me.

"All of those kids up there have got a new sense of motivation," he added.

"We've got some good recruits coming in too. It's going to be a very good recruiting class, hopefully top five [in the nation]."

Winston admits Goodale's hiring is the main reason he chose Rutgers.

"Everything I've wanted to accomplish since I met Coach Goodale I've accomplished. Why would it stop now? I'm ready to go to the next level and hopefully I'll be able to reel in some NCAA championships," he said, adding that the idea of staying in state was also a big part of his decision.

"I've dreamt about wrestling in college my whole life," he said. "I didn't think it was going to be Rutgers until August, but I'm happy it worked out the way it did. I'm staying at home so I'll be able to wrestle in front of New Jersey fans for four more years."

Goodale has also received verbal commitments from three other Shore Conference wrestlers - Howell's Joey Langel and Ocean Township's Zac Coulas, and Nick Menditto became the first state champion in school history earlier this year when be beat Southern's Luke Lanno in the 152-pound final.

Recent state tournament results in Atlantic City have proven that the very best wrestling in the state, and perhaps the nation, is found in the Shore Conference with Goodale's Jaguars leading the way. Obviously, the coach's ties to the Shore will only help him to keep many of the state's elite grapplers close to home.

Goodale arrives at Rutgers with an impressive résumé, both as an athlete and a coach. After a stellar high school career at Jackson Memorial, he continued to succeed as a collegiate wrestler at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, where he made three trips to the NCAA championships, while also placing second at the Eastern Wrestling League Tournament twice. He finished with 99 wins at Lock Haven, and helped the Bald Eagles become the ninth-ranked team in the nation at one point.

In seven years as head coach, his teams compiled a record of 155-16, and won two Group IV state championships, as well as four Central Jersey Group IV sectional crowns and four Shore Conference Class A South titles. The Jaguars also held a stranglehold on the District 21 team title, winning it all the seven years that Goodale was head coach.

While stressing the importance of the team, Goodale has also been adept at finding the delicate balance needed for his grapplers to achieve individual success. He has coached four New Jersey state champs, five runners-up and 16 place-winners, and has also had 41 district and 10 Region VI champs under his tutelage.

Goodale has also received national acclaim for his role as the Junior and Cadet State Team coach for national tournaments in Fargo, N.D., while following the 2005-06 season, he coached Team New Jersey at the Junior National Duals.

Seemingly, Goodale has been successful everywhere he's gone. However, turning Rutgers wrestling into a national power will likely be his biggest challenge yet.

He certainly seems excited about the possibilities.

"I have such a passion for New Jersey wrestling," he said. "I'm up for the challenge and we're going to try to take this team to the next level."

Goodale is replacing Rutgers' winningest coach in wrestling history, John Sacchi, who retired in May following 17 seasons at the helm. Sacchi compiled a 167-102-5 record at Rutgers, including a 10-6 (5-3 in Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association action) record last season.

Among the top returning grapplers is senior Dan Hilt, a Manalapan graduate who compiled a 15-12 record last year at 133 pounds.

Metuchen's Jack Barrett is also back for the Scarlet Knights after putting together a solid 16-14 mark at 149 pounds in his freshman season a year ago.

Red Bank's Lamar Brown also performed well last year as a sophomore, going 8-3 at 197 pounds, and expects to play a major role in this season's success.

Delran's Kyle Milanese, a junior, Phillipsburg's Chris Norell, a sophomore, and Parsippany's Mike Whalen, a junior, were the only other grapplers with doubledigit wins last season.

This season's list of newcomers is a good one, led by Jefferson High School's Tyler Milonas, the state champion last year at 130, where he defeated Christian Brothers Academy's James Beshada in the final. Milonas is wrestling at 133 this year.

Among the other newcomers who may be familiar to local wrestling fans are Old Bridge's Chris Orzechowski, a Region V champion last year at 189 pounds who finished seventh in the state, as well as Raritan grad Shawn Putnam, now a 157-pound sophomore, and CBA grad Anthony Chirichello, who is wrestling at 165.

Rutgers will get a big boost from the return of red-shirt senior Steve Adamcsik, of Chester, who is ranked No. 20 in the 141-pound weight class in the Division I Individual Wrestling Rankings. After red-shirting last season, Adamcsik returned to the mat last weekend in the Oklahoma-Brockport Gold Tournament held in Brockport, N.Y., reaching the finals of his weight class before falling 6-4 in the championship round.

In addition to Adamcsik's early success, Whalen lost 6-1 to Jeff James of Oklahoma, while Brown reached the finals of the 197- pound class, falling to Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma by way of major decision 12-4. Barrett also performed well, falling in the consolation final of the 149-pound class, 6-4 to Kent State's Clint Sponseller. Freshman D.J. Russo, of Netcong, finished sixth in the heavyweight division.

"Obviously, we have a long way to go, but I was excited for our kids to get out and wrestle," said Goodale. "It was a pretty good tournament. We have a lot of work to do, but I thought our conditioning was good and we competed hard. We just have to do a better job of scoring points in certain weight classes."

Rutgers competed in the Navy Classic over the weekend, in Annapolis, Md., and will open the dual-meet season against Ohio State on Monday in Columbus, Ohio. The Scarlet Knights' first home match will be held on Jan. 4 when they host Wagner.