Our program brings together Kindergarten through 8th grade boys from Basking Ridge for an instructional and competitive program where basic wrestling skills are taught and practiced in a supervised setting under the guidance of experienced coaches. Our goal is to help boys develop confidence, self-reliance, discipline, and respect, while stressing the importance of good sportsmanship and teamwork.
Wrestlers join our program to have fun. Our coaching staff recognizes this and often incorporates "games with a purpose" into each practice so that time spent is adequately balanced between work and play. New friendships are formed and are continued on throughout their wrestling years both on and off the mat. K-2 Program: The K-2 program practices on Tuesday nights from 6:00 – 7:30 at Ridge HS. The emphasis at this level is learning the basics of scholastic style wrestling and most importantly having fun and developing a love for the sport.
3rd – 8th Grade Program: The wrestlers in grades 3-8 practice three times per week (M/W/Th 6:00 – 7:30) at Ridge HS. This is open to novice and experienced wrestlers alike and there is a level in the program for all. The wrestlers practice at the same time, but will be split up for competition purposes into the Raritan Valley League, Central Jersey League, and the NJ Grade School Wrestling League. Raritan Valley League - Our novice wrestlers (Grades 2-6) participate in the Raritan Valley Wrestling League. This year the league consists of 14 other teams from neighboring towns plus our team - Bernardsville, Bound Brook, Branchburg, Bridgewater, Franklin, Hillsborough, Manville, North Hunterdon, Scotch Plains, Somerville, South Plainfield, Summit,Watchung, and Westfield. Most of our matches are wrestled on weekends with different towns serving as host. Central Jersey League - Our more experienced wrestlers in grades 2-6 compete in the Central Jersey Youth Wrestling League (CJYWL). The league is divided into two flights based on overall team strength from the previous season. Our team wrestles ten other A-Flight teams – Bridgewater, Clark, Cranford Gold, Cranford Blue, Flemington, Franklin, Hillsborough, South Plainfield, Watchung Hills, and Westfield. Opportunities are also scheduled to wrestle some of the teams in the B-Flight as well as with some teams outside of the league. The season culminates with the league's A-Flight tournament where wrestlers compete for individual championships in their respective weight classes. NJ Grade School Wrestling League - Our wrestlers in grades 7-8 (as well as some from 5-6) compete in the highly competitive New Jersey Grade School Wrestling League (NJGSWL). Member teams extend geographically from the northern corner of New Jersey to the outskirts of New York City and west to the Delaware River. Our schedule consists of mainly quad and tri matches to keep travel to a minimum as well as offering quality wrestling opportunities to our wrestlers. The teams are divided into two divisions and matches are wrestled within and between divisions. Member teams include Bridgewater, Delaware Valley, East Brunswick, Flemington, Franklin, High Point, Hillsborough, Kenilworth, Kittatinny, Lenape Valley, Long Valley, Newton, North Hunterdon, North Warren, Phillipsburg, Randolph, South Plainfield, Sparta, Voorhees, Washington Y, Watchung Hills and Woodbridge. Play-Offs are held between divisions in early February and wrestlers compete in the end-of-season league tournament known as the "Final Exam". This league is probably the toughest of its kind in NJ and does a great job of preparing our athletes for the High School ranks.
