GOING TO THE MATT: Princeton High wrestler Matt Ellsworth, top, controls a foe in recent action. Senior Ellsworth has gone 9-2 at 165 pounds this season, helping PHS produce a 7-0 start. In upcoming action, the Tigers have a match at Collingswood High on January 19 and a quad at Robbinsville on January 22 before hosting Allentown on January 24. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

Matt Ellsworth has transformed himself into an outstanding wrestler and team leader for the Princeton High squad over his career.

Senior Ellsworth is off to his best start at 9-2 at 165 pounds. He wasn’t in the varsity lineup as a freshmen, then posted an 11-21 season in his first year in the lineup as a sophomore. In the COVID-19 pandemic shortened season last year, he was 4-6.

“I think I’ve been doing well,” said Ellsworth. “I think I’ve improved a lot from years previous. I’m happy how things are going.”

Ellsworth is even happier with the way things have gone for the team. He is one of four seniors setting the tone for the Tigers, who are unbeaten through seven matches. PHS swept Notre Dame (52-24), Hamilton (57-18), and Hopatcong (65-6) in a quad on Saturday.

“New guys have stepped up which has helped us fill up the whole lineup,” said Ellsworth, who went 2-1 on the day.

“Every single day everyone in the room is pushing each other hard and feeding off each other’s energy. You’ll see at all the matches our bench is very lively cheering for other people on the team when they’re wrestling. The team is built like a strong, tight-knit community. It allows us to push each other and that’s reflected on the mat when we’re wrestling.”

The PHS seniors are competing mainly at the upper weights with 157-pounder Aaron Munford, 175-pounder Jason Ling and heavyweight Jean Henri. Their experience and example have been critical to the Tigers’ fast start. Young wrestlers like freshmen Cole Rose and Blasé Mele have fortified the lower weights. Juniors Ava Rose, Tyler Ehee, Harrison Ehee, Martin Brophy, Basil Rieger, and Jordy Paredes have all gotten off to promising starts.

“The kids are wrestling well,” said PHS head coach Jess Monzo.

“The kids are tough. They’re believing in each other. It’s a very close knit group of kids. They’ve bonded together. They like to pick each other. There’s no real outliers on the team. They’re all close and they’re all getting better and practicing well, and they’re starting to like it. When you’re winning, you’re happy. They’re staying positive. They’re staying optimistic.”

The Tigers will face a stiff challenge at Collingswood on Wednesday.

“It’s good to venture out and see different bodies and different styles,” said Monzo, whose team competed at a tournament at Collingswood two years ago.

“The more you take in, you better rounded you are as a person. I like to get away and look at some other people. We’re excited for that and we know it’s going to be a battle. They have a good program.”

Ellsworth has helped to elevate PHS this year. He’s having his best campaign while finally able to wrestle at his more natural weight. Over the previous two years, he often wrestled at a higher weight class to accommodate state qualifier James Romaine, who graduated last year. This year, Ellsworth has been cutting a few pounds to wrestle at 165 pounds.

“It’s been a different kind of challenge,” said Ellsworth. “It is helping, but I need to learn to get down to the weight class better. I think it affected my gas tank in a few of my matches. My conditioning wasn’t there. It’s something I need to still work on and improve. But I think it’ll be beneficial to me to wrestle guys that actually weigh the same amount as me.”

Ellsworth has put himself on the radar for a Mercer County Tournament medal. He was sixth at 160 pounds at the MCT as a sophomore, and he’s a more polished wrestler now. He credits that to coaching from Monzo as well as Princeton Wrestling Club (PWC) and offseason work with Jackson Elite. It’s also pushed him to partner in the practice room with Romaine in years past and now Munford this season.

“It’s remarkable,” said Monzo of Ellsworth. “From his sophomore year to where he is now, he’s a totally different person. He’s taken on a huge leadership role in everything he does.”

Ellsworth began the application process for his top college choice, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, as a junior and is awaiting confirmation on his nominations and acceptance. He would wrestle there to fulfill their fitness requirement. In September, he earned Eagle Scout. That same drive and determination has carried over to the wrestling mat.

“There’s kids in the program that you really want and you make captains, and there are kids that make themselves captains by how they progress and he’s one of those kids,” said Monzo.

“He has totally transformed his body, transformed his weight. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Ellsworth is helping to set the tone in the practice room and at matches. He can be a vocal leader or lead by example. The leadership has created a strong culture for this year’s team.

“We’ve been doing this a while,” said Ellsworth. “We know what our coach expects and we know what we expect of ourselves and our teammates. So we’re leading by example. If you look over and you see some of the seniors drilling and they’re working hard or during conditioning they’re sprinting all out, that motivates the other kids. Also reaching out, basically becoming friends with all these new kids or freshmen and welcoming them into the wrestling family, making them feel included, it really helps strengthen that bond that makes people want to work harder for each other.”

Wrestling has been an important part of Ellsworth’s life. Even while he has kept busy with schoolwork and outside activities, the wrestling team has been a consistent source of camaraderie. He has valued his time within the program.

“There’s not a ton of stuff going on after school with COVID and stuff, but you are still able to go in the room with the guys and have practice and have meets,” said Ellsworth.

“Sometimes things are shut down, and you can’t hang out with friends in other places, you’re still getting to socialize and hang out in the wrestling room before and after practice.”

With the wrestling season returning to a more normal format this year — counties were not held last year and the district and region
tournaments were modified — Ellsworth is looking forward to the chance to compete in the biggest matches of the year. The MCT is slated for January 29 and districts start in one month.

“I’m just looking to beat those people that beat me in the past,” said Ellsworth.

“Last year without the district tournament, they did that weird thing with the super region. I was part of that first selection but I didn’t get seeded high enough to make it to that region tournament. My goal is definitely to make it out of the district with the full tournament.”

Ellsworth is plenty motivated as well to continue to push the team forward. Monzo believes that the team has done a good job of staying focused on each match at hand. The success early in the season has
bolstered the team’s confidence as they head into the most important part of the season.

“Being in the room and being able to be motivated by wins, we’ve tasted victory over and over again and that’s what keeps us going,” said Ellsworth.

“Every time when we come back after a match into the practice room, we know certain things that we could have done better and might come bite us later on if we don’t improve, and we want to keep winning since we’ve been doing it so everyone is willing to put in the extra mile to continue that winning. It’s definitely been beneficial.”

Ellsworth and PHS have turned heads early with their strong starts. They are striving to continue it as the schedule gets tougher. They face Robbinsville, Steinert, and Trenton when they resume the Colonial Valley Conference schedule with a quad meet on January 22 at Robbinsville.

“I didn’t really expect all this,” said Ellsworth. “I didn’t know I’d be able to grow and improve this much. It’s been amazing. That’s what’s been motivating me to continue working. This team was also not something that I expected. We barely used to have full lineups. Now that we have a full lineup and guys up and down the lineup working hard, it’s been such a treat. The fact that everyone has been working hard motivates each other. It’s been building off each other that has been the best part about it.”