Barrons Wrestle at Beast of the East
February 24, 2017
by Jessie McLaughlin and Ryan Scott
Woodbridge High School wrestlers participated in the 25th annual invitational Beast of the East Tournament head at the University of Delaware on December 17th and 18th, 2016.
Coached by Mr. Carbone and Mr. Liquori, Woodbridge placed 33rd out of 110 teams, with a final team score of 53.5.
The Beast of the East tournament selects wrestlers to participate in the tournament. This year, they chose seniors Alexander LaGrippo, Bryan McLaughlin, Marquan Payne, Jack Quinn, Zack Cottrell, and junior Hunter Kiraly.
“To prepare those six individuals, we run through the same type of early season practices that we normally would,” Coach Carbone said. “But after practice, those six student-athletes go through additional conditioning practices.”
Senior Bryan McLaughlin ended the weekend placing 3rd in the 170lb weight division. To prepare for a tournament like the Beast of the East, McLaughlin said “I train really hard and mentally prepare for the tough matches.”
During the first day of matches, following his first-round bye, McLaughlin won by major decision over Delbarton School’s Cole Kreshpane, 11-0. The next day McLaughlin’s success did not continue, losing to Bethlehem Catholic High School’s Mikey Labriola.
Next year, McLaughlin will be continuing his wrestling career at Drexel University.
Senior Alexander LaGrippo placed sixth in the 285 lbs weight division after losing 5-3 in the semifinals to Elyria High School’s Kevin Vough, who is ranked 9th in the country.
“My mindset this weekend was to be the hunter,” LaGrippo said. “Everyone there was nationally ranked and committed to all these schools and I was just there, no ranks, no offers.”
After being spotted at the tournament, LaGrippo was featured in NJ.com’s “11 First- Time Senior Wrestling State Qualifier Predictions.” “It felt good at first, but I’m not a secret anymore. I’m gonna be one of the guys people try to pick off and beat,” LaGrippo said.
Woodbridge Wrestling intends to continue a successful season after the Beast of the East Tournament.