Bound Brook Wrestling

It has been a rocky start for the Bound Brook High School wrestling squad, as a couple of key injuries to some of its most productive wrestlers have hampered one of the state’s best teams.

With a depleted lineup over the weekend, the Crusaders took part in the Bethlehem Holiday Classic in Bethlehem, Pa. and came away with a fifth-place finish

“Overall, it was a tournament that we wanted to win going into it,” Bound Brook head coach Shaun Cleary said. “We didn’t wrestle our best and some of that had to do with a couple of our guys being out due to injury. There were some positives and negatives.”

The Crusaders were without starting 145-pounder Sean Glasgow due to an injury suffered during the football season.

So, it goes without saying that was one of the negatives heading into the tournament.

A positive, however, was the performance of 126-pounder Craig De La Cruz.

De La Cruz took home the individual title in the 126-pound division.

“He’s our best wrestler and has been demonstrating that so far this year,” Cleary said of De La Cruz.

Another standout for Bound Brook was from 182-pounder Ryan Doerr as he took third in his respective weight class while battling through a 102-degree fever.

Teammate Joshua Ugalde took second-place in the 160-pound weight class.

“It’s hard to gauge your team’s performance when you don’t have a full lineup,” Cleary said. “The guys we have been putting out there have done well to this point. Hopefully, they’ll improve as the year progresses.”