H.S. wrestling: Shawnee's Duarte back on his feet after knee injury
Anthony Duarte was one of very few wrestlers in the Garden State who could lay claim to an undefeated season last year.
However, it was far from the way he wanted it to end.
A balky knee kept Duarte from competing at the South Region, cutting his season short with a 5-0 record.
Now a senior on the Shawnee High School wrestling team, Duarte feels he’s ready to complete his mission this time around.
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Duarte has certainly carried the momentum from last year: He’s 13-2, including Wednesday’s 17-0 technical fall at 132 pounds, highlighting Shawnee’s 51-18 win over Washington Township.
“It was rough with the injury,” said Duarte, who had three major decisions and a technical fall in his five bouts last spring. “Right before (South) Regions, right after the Seneca match, I woke up the next morning with pain in my knee. I had some bad bursitis in the knee and I was out.”
Shawnee head coach Kyle Packer said that he’s seen a different Duarte on the mat, both physically and mentally.
“It’s a new year and a new opportunity for him and he’s looking slick right now,” Packer said.
“I think he’s improved grinding out those tough matches. The ones where it’s high paced and high intensity, the ones where it’s all about conditioning and focus toward the end of the match, to get that point to win or hold on and not give up that point. Years past, it seems like those were the matches that would slip away from him, but he’s tightened up the ship. He’s experienced, mentally prepared and he’s grinding out those wins.”
Duarte has earned four wins decided by four or fewer points. His two losses to Delsea’s Alex Zimmermann in the finals of the Robin Leff Tournament and to unbeaten Isaiah Shafer, of Paul VI, were each by two points.
Duarte, who placed fourth at districts as a sophomore, is polished on his feet and Packer says the senior has improved on the top position, working plenty on turns, something that was clearly evident on Wednesday.
“I feel like I’m super strong on my feet,” Duarte said. “I feel like with enough setups and movement, I can take anyone down. I’m confident in that.”
Duarte’s confidence could be a byproduct of the daily grind in the room where Nick Cottone (126), Jake Hastings (138) - all ranked in South Jersey in their respective weight classes - and promising freshman Chris Ahrens (138/144) go to battle.
“It’s tough, but honestly, a room like that makes it even 10 times more fun because after practice you know you got a great workout and everyone knows they’re getting better,” Duarte said.
Shawnee has been one of the biggest surprises in South Jersey this season. After finishing 4-5 last spring, the team with the Navy and Marian blue singlets and ranked No. 6 in the region by the Mat Pack is 11-0. It’s the squad’s best start since the 2012-13 season when it finished 21-3 and was ranked No. 2 in South Jersey.
“It’s been a blast so far,” Packer said. “I thought we had a good team last year, but the pandemic happened and it obviously changed a lot of things.
“In the beginning of this year, we sat down and talked about coming up with the best lineup. That’s the great thing about this team, they all bought into it and they are willing to go wherever the team needs them to go.”
Shawnee has a lot of wrestlers around the same weight, including Ethan Staples and Luke Sherlock, both of whom weighed in at 106 and 107 pounds, respectively, on Wednesday. Packer hinted that they could be plenty of changes to the lineup when the individual portion rolls around in mid-February.
For now, Shawnee has its sights on the team aspect, which includes a share of the Olympic Conference American Division title that it clinched on Wednesday as well as making serious noise in the South Jersey Group 4 tournament.
This weekend, Shawnee will put its unbeaten record on the line when it hosts the Pine Barrens Duals, which includes a 10-team field with heavy favorite St. Peter’s Prep. The team tournament replaces the usual individual tourney that Shawnee often hosts to open the season.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: H.S. wrestling: Shawnee's Duarte back on his feet after knee injury
