“This class achieves several positive things for our program,” Ayres said. "We were able to add a lot of talent to our program. We strengthened areas of our lineup that were lacking depth. The last two years we have struggled with the issue of depth at the lower weights (125-141) and upper weights (197-285), and the addition of four wrestlers in the lower weights and three in upper weights should allow us to avoid forfeits and will force individuals to become more competitive in our wrestling room. I believe these eight individuals are of the highest character and will immediately raise the level of our program with their arrival.
With the addition of these eight recruits, plus the return of Tony Comunale, Anthony Salerno, and Justin Spain from injury, we will have a much improved team for the 2009-2010 season. In contrast with the three state medals owned by my first team during the 2006-2007 season, next year’s team will boast 37 state or national prep medals, adding the necessary talent and depth to move our program in position to do great things in the near future. We will be young, with many of these freshmen representing Princeton each competition, but I am extremely excited to see these young wrestlers develop across the season and achieve great things.”
Zach Bintliff (Gladstone, Mo.) is anticipated to wrestle at either 133 or 141 at Princeton. He posted a career record of 132-27 at Oak Park High School, including a 39-4 record as a senior. After two straight state runner-ups, Bintliff ended his high school career by winning the 2009 130-pound Class 3 state championship.
Greg Field (Moraga, Calif.) will be looking to compete for the starting heavyweight position next year. He went 43-17 for Campolindo High School and was a three-time league placewinner, as well as a two-time NCS qualifier.
Charles Fox (Sioux Falls, S.D.) is a former Brute/Adidas national champion who will look for early varsity time at 197 pounds. He went 101-25 at Canton High School and was a Top-4 state placewinner in both Florida and South Dakota. He finished second regionally and fourth at the Florida state championships, then moved to Sioux Falls and finished second in the South Dakota state championships.
Garrett Frey (Pittsburgh, Pa.) wrestled for the powerhouse Blair Academy over the last four years and will compete for either the 125 or 133 starting spots next year. He went 124-24 throughout his career and finished in the top three at the national prep championships over the last three years; as both a junior and senior, he reached the national prep final. He was a third-place finisher at the Ironman and a sixth-place finisher at the Beast of the East.
Bobby Grogan (Florham Park, N.J.) is an upperweight from Delbarton who won nearly 100 matches in his career and won the Region 3 championship as a senior. Grogan placed sixth at the 2009 New Jersey state championships.
Andrew Hirai (Honolulu, Haw.) hails from The Punahou School and will compete for a lower weight position next season. He has a career record of 102-23, including a 35-2 mark as a senior, and won the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title this past season. He is a two-time league finalist and a 2009 state runner-up, which followed a third-place finish in the state his junior year.
Jason Ott (Chesterfield, Mo.) is the lone middleweight recruit in the Class of 2013, but he brings terrific credentials from The Whitfield School. He posted a career record of 150-9 and is a four-time district champion and a four-time state medalist. He won the Missouri state title as a junior and never placed lower than third.
Luis Ramos (Clemmens, N.C.) won 253 career matches for Parkland High School and will compete for the 141-pound starting spot. He ended his career as both the regional and state champion, and he never finished below third in the regional championships. Ramos placed in the state competition in all four years, improving from fifth to first in each year.
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