EB wrestling looking to get even this afternoon Bears look to even their record against Bridgewater-Raritan BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer The East Brunswick High School wrestling team will be looking to end its regular season with a win - and reach the .500 mark- this afternoon when the Bears visit Bridgewater-Raritan. Coach Glen Pazinko's team upped its record to 8-9 on Monday with a victory over Highland Park. Other big wins during the season came against Woodbridge and Central Regional. Pazinko noted that his team lost a pair of close matches to South Brunswick and Edison in which each came down to one weight class. "We really want to get to the .500mark," the coach said. "Coming into the season, our teamdid not have a lot of varsity experience, somany of themwere learning as theywent. That's not easy to do. Still, they have improved a lot and it shows." Jimmy Ryder, a 189-pound senior, leads East Brunswick with 22 wins against seven losses. Pazinko is optimistic that Ryder will do well in the upcoming District 20 competition, where he finished fourth a year ago. The Bears also have a trio of 18-match winners. Nick Paribello (125) is 18-9; Matt Ackerman (130) is 18-10, and Jordan Braun (160) owns an 18-7 record. The three seniors are all expected to be competitive at the district tourney, andAckerman took third place in his weight class a year ago. Matt Paribello (112) has posted 12 wins and should be a threat at the districts as well, Pazinko said. The sophomore took a third last season. Patrick Brehm (215) and Rimoun Hanna (171), a junior, have 12 victories apiece. Juniors Brett Kami (152) and Josh Levinsky (145) each have 11 wins, and seniors Brandt Shine (119) and Kenny Charleston (135) both have posted 10 triumphs. Pazinko noted that junior heavyweight Alex Cartelli, with four wins, sophomore Andrew Schittone (140), who has a pair of wins, and freshman Fady Yousseff (103), four wins, have all made good progress as they adjust to the varsity level. Two other sophomores, Matt Schriranich (189-215) and Ryan Marosy (125), have seen some varsity action. "We've had some tough matches, but the important thing is our guys kept their heads up and kept working hard," Pazinko said. "They battled through some illnesses and injuries and they deserve a lot of credit for that, and a lot of them will be back next year and they'll be able to use the lessons they're learning now." Pazinko credited his staff with keeping the team focused on improvement. His assistants are Matt Pazinko, Chris Yanazzo and Steve Roy.