Wrestling Looks to Defend Division and Sectional Titles

Pirates wrestling enjoyed a season for the ages last year, posting a 24-2 overall record, a 4-0 division record, a Patriot Division title, a sectional crown and individual titles for Keith Swartley (Region 7 and District 26).

The Pirates took down Point Pleasant Beach in the Central, Group 1 final to win the crown last year by a score of 55-18.

Heading into the 2015-2016 campaign, every team in the BCSL, especially the Patriot, will be gunning for the Pirates. Cinnaminson is led by new head coach Mike McConnell.

McConnell is an alum of the school and has been an assistant with the program for eight years under two previous head coaches.

“With the head coach position opening up, we wanted an insider,” McConnell said. “Coach Hart and myself discussed it and I decided I was going to take over the team. He’s an amazing practice coach. He runs a great practice and I knew that the kids would be in good hands with anything he comes up with. Coach Hart has stepped up as much, if not more, in his role as assistant coach. Really, we are sharing the job of running the team.”

McConnell is excited to see the newcomers each year, especially those who don’t have any wrestling experience because it reminds him of where he started as a wrestler at Cinnaminson.

“I started as a freshman with no wrestling experience and every bit of success I had was a result of the work the coaches put in with me and the hard work I put in myself,” McConnell said.

“To get the new guys in who have never wrestled before, and to get them interested in wrestling, and then have them be a benefit to the program and come up with big wins on the varsity mat is one of the most rewarding things.”

McConnell touched on the already existing tradition the wrestling program has at Cinnaminson.

“We have a good tradition of working hard and doing the right stuff in Cinnaminson. It’s not a hard tradition to uphold. I’m coming in off the best season we’ve ever had last year. We only graduated three wrestlers. We’ve got a pretty solid lineup top to bottom coming back. We have young guys that are stepping up. As long as we stay healthy, I’m pretty confident how the year will turnout.”

Following a 24-2 season that including two team crowns, the Pirates will surely have a target on their backs this year.

“I do like that, but I have always just kept my focus inside the room here and just making these guys as good as I can make them,” McConnell said.

“If I start looking out at everybody else out there, I’m going to lose sight of what’s going on in here. I’ve made this my priority. It’s important to me. I am going to make sure these guys are where they’re supposed to be with their conditioning, their wrestling and with their strength.”

As with any team, the first goal will be to defend the Patriot Division title from 2014-2015 and then move forward.

“Everything boils down to the postseason with the individual wrestlers. It’s our goal to win the district title again,” McConnell said. “I know we have a quad coming up with Collingswood, Absegami and Shawnee. That’s going to be a big test for us because they are some really high-level programs. If we can go into that meet and come out with some wins, then we know we are right at the level we’ve been at all along.”

A first-year head coach might get worried that his wrestlers will get ahead of themselves following such a successful season, but not McConnell. He is confident that his wrestlers know the hard work needed to sustain such success.

“They’ve done a lot of work in the off-season themselves. They have a lot of individual goals they want to accomplish. They tend to do all the right things outside of the room. As long as we have good attendance in practice, and they’re working hard when they’re here, then good things are going to keep happening.”

McConnell touched on the impact his seniors have had on the younger wrestlers so far this pre-season.

“The seniors definitely set the tone in the practice room. If they’re working hard, everybody else sees that and will in turn work hard. They’ve been really positive having to deal with the situation that’s less than ideal (practicing in the cafeteria) by having the mats setup prior to practice time each day.”

Pirates wrestling opens the 2015-2016 season on Saturday with an appearance at the Nottingham Tournament.