The 2008-09 Long Branch High School wrestling team is sure to be a tough act to follow.

After capturing Shore Conference Tournament and Group II titles, the Green Wave was named the No. 1 team in New Jersey for the first time in school history. And while this year's squad will look a little bit different, with some new faces in spots throughout the lineup, Long Branch should once again be the team everyone else is gunning for.

Head coach Danny George was the state's coach of the year last season, after masterfully guiding his talented team through a brutal schedule. This winter, he will look to do it again, with another talented lineup that features plenty of experienced grapplers and a crop of newcomers ready to make an impact.

Long Branch did suffer some pretty key losses to graduation, however. Gone is 135- pounder Justin Clarke, who enjoyed a stellar senior season that saw him go 31-4, and win a District 23 title before finishing fourth in the Region VI. Jon Robertson leaves a giant void at 145, where he went 39-4 last year, winning district and region titles before putting forth a strong run in Atlantic City to finish third in the state. Heavyweight Ameer Washington will also be tough to replace, as he was one of the more improved wrestlers in the state a year ago, going 37-4 and winning district and region titles before finishing sixth in the state.

Andrew Balina (22-8 at 152 pounds) and RandyRodriguez (18-8 at 215,District 23winner) also graduated, meaning the Green Wave will need to replace a combined 147 wins from a year ago.

However, the cupboard is hardly bare. Like all great wrestling programs, Long Branch has reached the point where it does not rebuild, it reloads— and make no mistake, this year's Green Wave team is loaded with talent and depth, givingDannyGeorge all the ingredients he needs for another championship run this winter.

The lower half of the lineup will feature some of those new faces, though they're only new to the varsity level. Guys like freshmen Luke Balina and Nick George come from wrestling families, and have been waiting anxiously to become part of the Long Branch machine. They will share time at 103 and 112 pounds this winter with sophomore Andrew Vieria (6-7 a year ago) and senior Tom Ging.

From there, the Green Wave line-up is simply stacked. At 119 is junior Matt Eggie, who was 20-13 a year ago and finished second in District 23, while senior Joseph Popo will provide a quality option should George need to play around with match-ups. Senior Jamie Quijano is back at 125 pounds after wrestling to an 18-13 record a year ago, while at 130 pounds is senior Scott Festejo, who is among the favorites to compete for a state individual title this year. Festejo went 40-6 a year ago with 19 pins, won a district title, took second in the region, and put forth a strong showing in AC with a thirdplace finish. He enters the 2010 season looking to finish what he started a year ago.

Junior Luis Filipe returns to the Green Wave at 130/135 pounds after missing the entire 2009 season. Filipe showed some great potential as a freshman, and could become another powerhouse in the middle of the lineup this year. At 135/140 is senior Andrew Cornell, who was 30- 9 a year ago with a third-place finish in the district. Also at 140 is sophomore Joe Cirola (6-6 a year ago), with senior Ramon Rodriguez (2- 5) and junior Ryan Festejo (2-9) at 145.

Senior Doug Cornell is back at 152 after going 27-8 a year ago with a District 23 title, while junior John Jones (3-3) will also see time at 152 and 160.

This is where the Green Wave can really roll out the big guns. Senior Nick Visicaro is back at 160 after winning a state championship a year ago to cap a brilliant 41-2 campaign. Visicaro promises to be even better this year, and will be looking to end his high school career with a repeat performance.

Another senior, Omar Akel, is at 171, where he went 40-3 a year ago and won district and region titles before finishing sixth in the state. Akel was one of the most improved wrestlers in the state last year, and should continue to progress this season.

Senior Billy George recently signed his letter of intent to wrestle at Cornell University and for good reason. This superior athlete went 43- 3 last year and finished third in the state. Big things are expected of George this year and beyond. Once at Cornell, he will get a chance to work with three-time NJSIAA state champion Damian Hahn of Lakewood. Hahn is an assistant coach at Cornell, and was one of the key recruiters responsible for getting George to commit.

At the upper weights, the Green Wave is a little green, so to speak, as juniors Paul Tracey (0-1), Jim Parnell (2-3) and Kirby Gardner don't share much varsity experience, but have certainly shown some potential. In addition, the opportunity to work with both Billy and Danny George every day in practice will certainly be advantageous.

While Long Branch looks like a monster on paper, they will once again need to get it done on the mats. This team features a group of seniors who have been wrestling together since grade school, and they will be looking to go out on top.

They will certainly have plenty of chances to prove themselves too. Long Branch opens its schedule this weekend at the Beast of the East tournament at the University of Delaware, which will also host New Jersey powers Absegami, Blair Academy and Southern Regional, among others. This is one of the most competitive tournaments in the country, and should give the Wave a good barometer of where they stand with some of the elite teams on the east coast.

Long Branch will then host the Winter Wave Tournament on Christmas weekend, before participating in the Haddonfield Memorial quad meet on Dec. 28.

Long Branch will also have dual meets with some top teams in the state (i.e., High Point, Phillipsburg), so Danny George's team should not have any trouble convincing anyone that they're taking on all comers this winter.

These are great days for the Long Branch program, and as the reigning champions in the state's premier wrestling conference, they will have an opportunity to once again be the standard against which all other teams are measured.