Baldwin battles through injuries

Baldwin wrestling coach Jim Murphy came into last Friday’s match against Oceanside knowing that coming away with a win would be an extremely difficult task. This was not because he felt his team lacked the talent to beat the Sailors, but because injuries have left his squad rather depleted at this point in the season.

With the Bruins missing several key starters, they were in a difficult situation. Baldwin was unable to put out a full lineup, and was forced to forfeit both the 126- and 160-poind matches. The 24 points they lost on the scoreboard as a result of the forfeits were just too much to overcome as they fell, 55-23.

“I thought we wrestled okay,” Murphy said. “We’re going to get healthy, and we’re going to take it one day at a time.”

Key wrestlers missing from Murphy’s lineup included seniors John Quinn and Danny Fisher. Both are returning county qualifiers. Also unable to go on Friday was 160-pound junior Dennis Feeney, who placed third at the Sprig Gardner tournament earlier this season. 

Baldwin still managed to come up victorious in several matches against Oceanside, despite missing many key regulars.

One bright spot on the night for the Bruins was Desmond Kelly. The senior came away with a convincing win in the 152-pound matchup, and picked up four points for his team on the scoreboard. 

Murphy was also pleased with the effort he got from junior Ronaldo Escobar. Escobar faced off against one of the county’s best in Mike Fishman in the 113-pound matchup, and more than held his own for three periods. 

Murphy did his best to provide the rival Sailors with an exciting matchup, but also knew he had to look at the bigger picture for this squad. 

“It was senior night for them, so I tried to give them all the matchups that I could,” Murphy said. “But we have some guys who are beat up, and it’s getting towards the end of the year, and we want them healthy going into the tournament at the end of the year.”

There was plenty of anticipation for this matchup from both schools coming into Friday, after the two teams faced off last season in a thrilling meet that went down to wire. The Sailors thought they had come away victorious after win in the final match put them ahead 39-38. But an excessive celebration penalty on Oceanside allowed the Bruins to come away with the win. 

Murphy enjoys the rivalry that has developed between the two schools, and believes his team will be able to put up a tougher fight in their next meeting.

“They match up very well with us,” Murphy said. “We had a battle with them last year. We’ve got some young kids coming up through the lineup, and we’re looking forward to next year’s match. Maybe we’ll get a little repayment.”

The Bruins are back in action this Friday when Kellenberg visits for a non-league match.