FINAL PUSH: Princeton High wrestler Ethan Guerra, right, controls a foe in recent action. Senior star Guerra has been a stalwart at 195 pounds for the Little Tigers, taking second in the Mercer County Tournament in late January. Guerra and his teammates will be competing in the District 19 tournament at Old Bridge from February 17-18. 17-18. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Murphy’s law has reigned this winter for the Princeton High wrestling team.

Hit with injuries and illness, PHS has been shorthanded most of the season, forfeiting as many as six or seven bouts in some dual matches.

PHS head coach Rashone Jonnson likes the character his wrestlers have displayed in dealing with misfortune.

“The guys have become accustomed to dealing with adversity; it seems like if it wasn’t one thing, it was something else,” said Johnson.

“It is one of those seasons. It has been just craziness but the guys have all wrestled tough through all of that stuff.”

As a result, the team’s record in dual matches has taken a backseat to individual excellence.

“You have got to change the mindset to it is not about wins and losses when it comes down to the dual meets,” said Johnson, whose team has a 6-18 record.

“Literally I started gauging our duals on matches wrestled. We knew we were going to have the forfeits. Of the matches that are wrestled, let’s win those. At the end of the day, if we are only wrestling nine matches, let’s make sure we win more.”

The Little Tigers showed that winning mentality at the Mercer County Tournament, placing sixth of 16 teams as senior star James Verbeyst won the title at 160 pounds, sophomore Alec Bobchin was the victor at 126, while senior Ethan Guerra took second at 195, and sophomore Daniel Monahan was the runner-up at 120.

“I only entered eight in the county tournament and six of the eight placed, half of them in the finals,” said Johnson. “That is a testament to their work.”

Verbeyst is enjoying an historic final campaign as he recently became the first PHS wrestler to record 100 career wins and is undefeated so far this winter.

“It is a great accomplishment, it really is,” said Johnson. “James came in on fire as a freshman and he is a four-time county finalist. He won it twice and took second twice. It seems like he has been around forever. He is doing what he knows he is able to do; he is trying to go to Atlantic City (for the state finals) and win some matches this year. His goal is to place this year.”

In Johnson’s view, Verbeyst’s year-round commitment to the sport has helped achieve his goals.

“What stands out the most, he is legit, he bought into wrestling,” said Johnson.

“He was wrestling coming into high school and he started lacrosse that freshman year but I don’t think he made it to the end of the season because he wanted to go to offseason tournaments. He is one of those guys where he gets 100 matches in the offseason each and every year. You can’t be surprised when a kid like that comes through.”

Senior stalwart Guerra has come through in a big way in his senior season.

“He is a tough kid; he is the kind of kid that every coach would want,” said Johnson.

“He is at all of the lifts in the offseason. He leads by example. He doesn’t do a lot of barking. He is not a big talker, he is a doer. In the classroom, he gets great grades and he is a model student-athlete. He is an all-around great kid, he is the kind of kid that most dads would want their daughter to marry.”

The team’s sophomore stars, Bobchin and Monaghan, have done some big things this winter as well.

“Alec is a little bit more confident this year than he was last year,” added Johnson, noting that Bobchin is also undefeated this winter.

“Hopefully that pays off going into the next few weeks. He knows what the districts are like, he knows what the regions are like. Monaghan has had a good year. It is the same thing for him. You know what the districts are, go out there and do what you are trained to do. Go out there and make it happen.”

Junior Reinaldo Zephirin has gained a lot of confidence this season, placing fifth in the MCT at 138.

“Reinaldo has come a gazillion miles from where he was last year; he has really improved a lot this year,” said Johnson.

“I believe he is a 20-match winner this year and he placed in the counties. We are talking about somebody that still went out for the basketball team the last two years and got cut both years; that is how I got him. This year, he bought into what we are doing. He didn’t go out for basketball and decided that he was going to be a wrestler. It is a remarkable turnaround; he still has another year left with us too.”

With PHS competing in the District 19 tournament on February 17-18 at Old Bridge, Johnson is confident that his wrestlers will keep coming up big.

“By the time districts comes around, they are all going to have 20, 25, 30 matches,” said Johnson.

“For guys like James, Alec, Ethan, and Dan, you already have like 25 wins so just go out and do what you have been doing. I am not asking you to do anything different. I don’t want to put any pressure on them.”