Although the Princeton High wrestling team absorbed two tough losses as it started the year by hosting a quad meet last Saturday, Rashone Johnson saw a lot of good things.

“Ultimately the guys came out, performed, and wrestled tough,” said PHS head coach Johnson, whose team lost 69-8 to Voorhees and 45-19 to Hopewell Valley while beating Lawrence 57-19 in Saturday’s action.

“It was good to come out with a win over Lawrence. I would have liked to have had a better showing against Voorhees and HoVal but they matched up well against us. We will be better as the season goes on.”

Senior star Tom Miers picked up wins in all three of his bouts Saturday and matches up well against just about anyone.

“Tommy has come a long way,” said Johnson of Miers, who has been wrestling at 138 pounds this season.

“He has put a lot of time into wrestling and it shows. He is a strong kid and a strong wrestler.”

Seniors Patrick Sockler (132 pounds) and Victor Bell (182) have emerged as strong leaders “Sockler and Bell are providing good leadership,” added Johnson. “They are really pushing the guys in the wrestling room at practice.”

Sophomore James Verbeyst (126) is pushing the envelope as he builds on a superb debut season.

“Verbeyst has gotten better; he does a lot of wrestling in the offseason,” said Johnson of Verbeyst, who posted 23 wins last season.

“I am looking for big things from him this season. He is going to grow; he just has to believe in how good he is.”

A trio of veterans in the heavier weights, senior Omar Moustafa (285), junior Noah Ziegler (220), and sophomore Ethan Guerra (195) have been making a big contribution.

“Those guys have been solid; they are coachable,” said Johnson, noting that  junior Dave Beamer is also showing progress at 170 pounds.

“They are doing the things in matches that we have been working on in practice and that is good to see.”

Another good development for PHS has been the progress resulting from a youth movement at the lower weights.

“We have some young guys who have come through,” said Johnson, whose team now has a 3-3 record in dual match action this season. “Will Smith, Noah Deitch, Remington Hebert, and Max Gensib are helping us down low.”

With PHS heading into the thick of the season, Johnson believes the team’s positive attitude should help it succeed.

“We have good guys on our team; it is a good set of kids,” said Johnson, whose team hosts Allentown on January 7, Spotswood and Hightstown on January 10, and then wrestles at Robbinsville on January 13.

“We are looking forward to a strong middle of the season and doing well in the counties.”