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Proposal aims to separate public, non-public
schools
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By Harry Frezza, Jr., Staff Writer
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Courier-News - May 11, 2006
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| A plan that would separate non-public and public high schools
in district and region wrestling tournaments should be considered, one local wrestling coach believes |
| The proposal, suggested by Emerson-Park Ridge coach Stan
Woods and Old Tappan coach James Santana, would put non-public schools into their own district and region competitions,
then have them wrestle in the state wrestling tournament at Atlantic City. |
| Non-public schools would be part of four districts throughout
the state -- two in North Jersey and two in South Jersey. The top three finishers in each weight class then would
advance to a non-public school-only region, one in South Jersey and one in North Jersey. |
| The top three from the two non-public school-only regions
then would compete against their public school opponents in the state tournament at Atlantic City. There are 32
district and eight region tournaments throughout the state. Wrestlers advance from both of those tournaments to
the state tournament. |
| The two coaches' proposal was unveiled at the New Jersey
State Interscholastic Athletic Association's wrestling committee meeting Tuesday.The state association has asked
a subcommittee be formed to continue talk on the issue. Both public and non-public schools will be invited to talk
about it. |
| "I think the concept is good," said Hillsborough
coach Steve Molinaro, who is a member of the committee. "There are pros and cons with it, but it's been kicked
around. This is a way of evening the playing field. Whether I'm for it or against it, I'm not sure. But it's something
to be chewed on." |
| Public and non-public schools already are separated in sectional
team tournaments, divided by both location and size of school. Woods said the public versus non-public issue hit
home when Emerson's Tyler Hespe lost to Bergen Catholic's Jon Becker, a Rahway resident. |
| "He took the medal away from my kid at the regions,
and he is not even from Bergen County," Woods said. "The same thing happens in football where kids form
New York state go to Don Bosco or St. Joe's (Montvale) and they become all-Bergen in football. But they're not
even from Bergen County." |
| "I'd like to see them completely separated from public
schools and not compete against us in any way shape or form," Ridge coach Jay Roussey added. "The only
area where I might think it hurts is the individual state championships. For instance (Delbarton's Mike) Grey.
You want somebody to go up against somebody like that. |
| "But as far as the team concept goes, I believe it should
be separate. If you are fighting for a district team championship and a private school is bringing in four new
studs year in and out because they can go out and choose from different towns. That's an unfair advantage." |
| Molinaro said track & field season is an example of non-public
and public school athletes being separated until the Meet of Champions. That's what the state tournament in Atlantic
City would be like, he said. |
| Three non-public schools won district titles last winter:
Bergen Catholic in District 7, St. Mary of Rutherford in District 16 and Camden Catholic in District 28.Bergen
Catholic, which won 10 individual district titles, has won 17 straight district team titles. It won 10 individual
titles this year. Camden Catholic has won 11 straight district titles and this year won eight of the 14 individual
titles. |
| "I'm not in favor of it," said Westfield coach
Glen Kurz, who added that one Westfield wrestler attends Bergen Catholic and another eighth-grade student might
be headed to a non-public school. "It really doesn't make sense. All of the wrestlers are competing in the
same tournament. It's really one state tournament. If we're all together at the states, why not just keep it the
same at the regions and districts. |
| "Outside of Bergen Catholic and Camden Catholic, there's
not too many of those (non-public) schools that dominate," he added. "I just don't think it (the proposal)
holds a lot of water. If you want to prepare kids for a tough state championship, why not have him wrestle the
toughest kids out there?" |
| "I do think that something has to be done about the
recruiting and the fact that kids are coming and going at such an alarming rate," Kurz said. "I don't
think breaking it down by districts is the answer. There needs to be closer scrutiny on how kids are mysteriously
landing up at different schools." |
| Roussey said his team really has been affected by it. "We
lost our five best sixth-graders to Delbarton this year, one of the kids is a national champ and we lost one of
our best eighth graders to Delbarton," he said. "We always scramble for a heavyweight and he went to
Delbarton." |
