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Top News Story From LTPS January 2020

Wrestler Connor Verga has his eyes set on breaking Lawrence High School’s career record for pins. (Photo by Rich

Not everybody is happy with Connor Verga’s assault on the Lawrence High wrestling record book.

“There’s a lot of angry old guys out there,” Cardinal coach Chris Lynne said with a laugh, “who are going, ‘There goes my record!’”

Then again, there are a lot of happy young guys—namely, Verga’s teammates—who appreciate what the senior has done for their revitalized team.

Verga’s junior year was a clinic in dominance on the mat as he wrestled at 170 and 182 pounds. He went 33-6 and set a school single-season record with 27 pins and also set the LHS standard with 16 sub-minute pins in a season. This year he continues to add to his Cardinal mark of 32 sub-minute pins in a career.

Entering a Jan. 15 dual meet with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, Verga was 9-1 this season with all nine wins being via first-period pins (four by sub-minute). He had 59 career pins, which were five short of tying the school record of 64.

Asked if he gets a big charge out of planting a guy in under a minute, Verga laughed and said, “Not any more, it happens a lot. I just try to do the most I can for my team, and pinning does that.”

His efforts helped Lawrence to yet another school record last year—most wins in a season with 23.

“Our team has been phenomenal over the past few years,” Verga said. “We’ve had seniors graduate and freshmen are filling the varsity spots and doing well there. We see that and it motivates the older guys to do better.”

Verga’s motivation comes from several sources, including goals that have yet to be reached.

The two main things missing from his resume are a Mercer County Tournament championship and a trip to the states. He finished second last year in counties, and in his first regional match thought he had his opponent pinned but the call was never made, which led to the dismissal of that official for the remainder of the tournament. Verga ended up being pinned in the third period.

“I feel I could have made the states last year if that didn’t happen,” he said. “This year I hope I can win counties and make the states. Last year made me angry, and fired me up for this year.”

Connor is the third Verga to wrestle for Lynne, who also utilizes their father, Jeff, as an assistant coach.

“His brothers (Jake, Zach) were district place-winners, they were comparable to him, but not like what he’s doing now,” Lynne said. “They’re all the same though. All great kids, hard workers. You never have to tell them anything.”

Verga began wrestling at age 6 in the Robbinsville Youth League, and quickly realized there was no other sport for him.

“I don’t remember much of it, but I do remember that’s where I really started to love the sport and got into it. I’ve been wrestling basically year-round ever since,” he said. “I quit football my freshman year because I decided year-round wrestling would help me the most.”

Verga described himself as the Cardinals sacrificial lamb as a freshman, as he usually went against the opponent’s better wrestlers in strategic moves to best utilize Lawrence’s top guys. He went 8-6 that year as five of his losses were by pins while wrestling anywhere from 160 to 182 pounds.

Connor became a regular as a sophomore and finished .500 in dual meets while wrestling at 182 and 195. Years of work finally paid off last year as he exploded into one of the Colonial Valley Conference’s top grapplers.

“He’s very tough on his feet, that’s his main position,” Lynne said after Verga won by pin against Hopewell Jan. 8. “He can wrestle anywhere but he’s good on his feet. Most guys pin from the top position, he pins from his feet. Kind of like (teammate) Jake Dallarda, he’s a thrower. Connor is the same way.

Verga’s teammate Reece Schenck (left) pins West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s Anil Pranav in 3:22 at 138 pounds during a matchup on Jan. 15, 2020 at Lawrence High School. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)

“That kid tonight wanted no part of Connor. He would run away from that as much as he could. And Connor was just patient. He’s eventually gonna get his man. But now he has other takedowns in his arsenal, he’s not just a one-trick pony where he’ll use the same move every time. He’d still get it but everyone knew what was coming. Now he can hit other moves and he’s much more efficient this year.”

That patience Lynne spoke of was apparent during the Hopewell match, as Verga was happy to wear his opponent down in methodical fashion.

“I use a big move a lot of the times,” he said. “But tonight it was just something where I control his head and made it so I was bearing down on his head, making him tired and when I felt my opening I attacked right away. I didn’t hesitate; I went right for it and put him right on his back.”

It’s all part of the new Verga strategy.

“Last year he would have tried to rush everything to get the pin,” Lynne said. “This year he’s patient, he’s looking for the proper time to hit his move and it’s paying off.”

Top News Story From LTPS March 7, 2019

Wrestling Wrap-up

The Lawrence High School (LHS) wrestling team completed a successful season with the Region 6 Tournament in Jackson. The team ended its regular season 23-7, finishing 4th in the Mercer County Tournament and second in their division. The team also broke 4 school records this season: most team victories - 23, most individual bout wins - 304, most pins - 172, and most pins under a minute - 65.

At the District Tournament, the team had six place winners: 4th place - Miraj Patel, Jake Dalarda and Sean Mills, 3rd place - Connor Verga and Moaamen Nasr, and 1st place - Reece Schenck. Coach Chris Lynne was awarded the District Coach of the Year!

Reece Schenck (1st Place)

Connor Verga (3rd Place)

Moaamen Nasr (3rd Place)

In other individual accomplishments, senior Miraj Patel had 30 wins and took 3rd place in the Rumble in the Pines Tournament in December. Senior Darren Ikeda also took 3rd in the Rumble in the Pines. Junior Connor Verga had 31 wins, took second in the both the Rumble in the Pines and the Mercer County Tournament, and broke three school records: pins in a season - 28, season pins under a minute - 16, and career pins under a minute - 23.

Top News Story From LTPS February 19.2019

Chris Lynne (left) is awarded District Coach of the Year.

Lehigh wrestling experience a memorable one for Wolf

By Sarah Epstein '19, Lehigh Sports Communications

On the center mat at the 2016 NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden, Gordon Wolf found himself in an unfamiliar setting, up against his toughest competitor yet.

Facing the No. 13 seed Alex Meyer of Iowa, Wolf was not expecting to come out victorious

But , did.

As an unseeded wrestler in the tournament, Wolf wasn't even expected to qualify for Nationals.

Wolf was expected to just survive the bout. Instead, he and Meyer traded points throughout the three periods. A late escape for Wolf sealed the victory and the upset for the freshman Mountain Hawk.

"That entire arena was watching that match," head coach Pat Santoro said. "That's what happens at nationals. Seventeen thousand people basically cheering for Gordon to beat that kid from Iowa."

Had you asked Wolf a year or two before his victory at nationals if he expected to be winning on the biggest stage in college wrestling, his answer would have probably been no.

A redshirt during his true freshman campaign, Wolf was plagued with injuries that stifled his development into a collegiate wrestler.

"I don't want to say it was a wash, but I did have two knee surgeries and a sprained ankle, so I was out for the majority of the season," Wolf said. "It was nice in a way because the injuries didn't interfere with my actual eligibility, but I didn't get that year to really grow in my wrestling abilities."

Coming into the 2015-16 season as a deferred freshman, Wolf opened the season competing at 157, his natural weight. After injury opened up the 174 starting roster spot, Wolf moved up two weight classes and took over the starting position. This move proved successful, as Wolf's first-session victory at NCAAs was in the 174-pound weight class.

Teammate Cortlandt Schuyler described watching Wolf's nationals win as something out of a movie.

He was wrestling this kid at 174 sort of as a last resort, since he'd been competing at 157 earlier in the season," Schuyler said. "A whole group of our teammates were sitting in the first row watching him. It was electric, the whole crowd was cheering for him."

To Wolf, though, the thing he's going to remember most after his Lehigh career is over isn't that NCAA performance.

"In terms of legitimately wrestling on the mat, I would say beating the Iowa kid who was the 13 seed at the time is probably my most memorable moment, but my most memorable experience as a Lehigh University wrestler is just the friendship, camaraderie and relationships I've made along the way," Wolf said. "Not one single moment stands out, but just the paradigm shift from fighting a kid as enemies on the mat to being really good friends."

chuyler said his friendship with Wolf has developed over the past five years, both on the mat and off. As a teammate, Schuyler said that Wolf is incredibly motivated and passionate about everything he does, especially wrestling and academics, often stopping a teammate and helping them work through an issue they are having either in the gym or in the classroom.

hat friendship and support between teammates is what has guided Lehigh's success on the mat.

olf said that momentum between teammates' bouts is a driver of the team's overall success during any given dual meet.

If the five guys who wrestled before me all had dominating performances, I would have a little momentum going into my match where maybe the kid would be a little more scared and I would have a little bit more momentum to do well," Wolf said. "Success has just been the factor that pushes us to come together as a unit."

uccess is also what is pushing Wolf individually during his final season.

former NWCA All-Academic Team honoree who earned his degree in finance last May, Wolf is currently pursuing his master's degree in applied economics. He found it hard to work out over the summer while working as an intern at an investment management firm. This pause in action only led him to work even harder upon returning to Lehigh in August.

olf said his focus this season is making a serious run at his goals, especially seeing as it's his last year competing for the Brown and White.

On the mat, it's always going to be 100 percent, there's never a question of that, and that's what we love about him," Santoro said. "He can do a lot of damage at the national tournament. It's all about keeping your head in the right place where it needs to be, because those big moments you need to have self-control to do all the right things."

or both Santoro and Wolf, the goal is All-American status and a win at NCAAs.

antoro said that while getting a podium finish at nationals and reaching All-American status is a tall order for anybody, Wolf has wrestled hard enough that he thinks he can do it.

I've dropped a couple of matches throughout the season, losing to kids I shouldn't have lost to, but it doesn't really matter," Wolf said. "Nothing matters except for one weekend in March.

People aren't going to remember your dual meet record or your record at all in college. They're going to remember if you were a one-time All-American, a four-time All-American, a National Champion. That's what they're going to remember, so it doesn't really matter until then."