The Archbishop Curley Friars have quite a lot to be excited about in this wrestling season, retuning nine varsity letterman and six state placers to the 2010-2011 season.
“The big thing for us this year is to make sure we are a dual meet team and a tournament team,” Curley coach Gregg Kessler said, entering his fifth year as the head coach. “I think you build for longevity and you build for the long hall, and my guys have that in mind, and I have built them a practice and competition schedule that will allow them to peak at the right time.”
Peaking near the MIAA tournament and the Maryland Independent states is going to be crucial to the team’s plans of sending a number of wrestlers to the National Preps, including the return trips of three-time place-winner Brett Przywara, Avery Williams and Vince Scarinizi.
Przywara, going between 130 and 135, is making a run at his fourth time placing at National Preps, coming by way of his three MIAA finals finished and placing thee times at the MIS.
“Him getting his forth trip to the podium is something that he wants to do, and he has mentioned that he wants to win it this year,” Kessler said of Przywara. “Scarinizi’s season was ended a little abruptly with a concussion late in the season, and I know he is looking forward to reaching that national podium.”
Scarinzi (112), a returning Ray Oliver champ, War on the Shore runner-up and bronze medal-winner in at the 2009 MIS, will be battling next to 189-pound Avery Williams, who just a year ago was second in the MIAA, MIS and voted to 2nd Team All-Metro.
Other retuning state placers include Erik Meyer (140),Chuckie Blankenship (152), Anthony Williams (171) and the Friars’ hardest worker, Brett Brigman (160), according to Kessler.
“Everybody on our team has to wrestle the whole six minutes with no reservations,” Kessler explained. “If we put our best guy out at each weight class and they have it in their mind that they are going to win all six minutes of the match, the possibilities are endless for this team.”
Curley is adding some tough freshman to its run at MIAA dual and tournament championships, brining in 103-pound Corey Huntley and 145-pound Morgan McColgan.
Other retuning lettermen include Sean Bieschke (145), Jordan Brigman (125-130) and Purnell Summers (171).
“Spalding, St. Joe, McDonogh… they haven’t gone anywhere,” Kessler said of the tough MIAA conference. “They are all back and all solid.
“That’s the thing about our league, they are all good teams and there are no weak teams. It reminds me of the Big 10 of Maryland wrestling; you just have to go on all cylinders.
The Friars posted big wins in 2009-2010, beating McDonogh, Old Mill, Spalding, Rising Sun and Hereford on route to a 16-3 record, and have aspirations of four or five state finalists in 2011.
“We have the potential to have four-to-five in the state finals and a number of national qualifiers,” Kessler projected. “It is just a matter of building themselves for the long hall and not wanting the season to be over in February. You have to be hungrier in February than you are right now.”
