Magditch's 'Liners riding high

COACH OF THE YEAR.

Jason Magditch puts P'burg back near the top of N.J. wrestling.

Monday, March 17, 2008

By BRIAN FORTNER

The Express-Times

Jason Magditch has run in some pretty elite circles as a high school wrestler and coach.

Competing for the legendary Ray Nunamaker at Nazareth Area High School in the late 1980s and then spending eight years under Steve Powell -- and long-time Red Rovers assistant Barry Snyder -- at Easton places Magditch squarely among the Lehigh Valley's wrestling royalty.

That being said, it's no wonder Phillipsburg's second-year head coach admits to being a bit spoiled.

"I've definitely been blessed," Magditch said. "I've been around some great people and great programs that only expect the best. It's what I've grown up around it's all that I know."

That could be the reason Phillipsburg chose Magditch to replace Rick Thompson as coach prior to the 2007 season. A choice that has the rabid Stateliners faithful resting easy, heading toward a promising future.

In two seasons, Magditch, 34, has vaulted P'burg back to prominence as one New Jersey top teams.

After a 15-5 campaign a year ago, Magditch's squad posted a mark of 27-3 this winter, setting the school record for wins in a season, while capturing the North 2 Group 4 title -- the 28th sectional championship in school history.

The 'Liners were widely regarded as a heavy contender to claim The Star-Ledger Trophy as the No. 1 team in the state -- until a 34-28 loss to Brick Memorial in the Group 4 semifinals derailed that train.

Today, Magditch is named The Express-Times Wrestling Coach of The Year for 2007-08.

"It's exciting, especially with all the great coaches in this area," said Magditch, who resides in Ferndale, Bucks County, Pa., with his wife, Stacy, and their daughters Morgan and Jenna. "It's a testament to the hard work everyone involved has put in."

Magditch also has a 15-year old son, Taylor, from a previous relationship.

"Jason is a great choice for coach of the year," Powell said. "He certainly has a great background and he's put his time in. P'burg provided a great opportunity and he's making the most of it."

Powell's Red Rovers handed P'burg one if its three losses this season, a 32-24 decision on January 6, but the outcome was a lot more competitive than it's been in years.

"Phillipsburg has always had tough kids," Powell said. "They just had to believe in themselves. Jason has them doing that."

When Magditch took over at P'burg, there weren't many people who thought the Stateliners would be in the position they are today. Not this quickly anyway.

With 11 starters returning, it's a good bet P'burg will be right back in the thick of things next season.

So, just how did P'burg come so far so fast?

"Phillipsburg has always had good kids." Magditch said. "It was a matter of getting them to buy into the new system. Like we said when we took over, 'New Coach, New Liners.' We took what was here and created a new version of it."

Credit Magditch, a health and physical education administrator at P'burg, for devising a creative workout regimen that draws from all aspects of his own multi-faceted athletic background.

Besides borrowing wrestling technique from Nunamaker and Powell, Magditch, a jack-of-all-trades in the field of grueling individual sports, is a master of using every possible resource to get his wrestlers ready to compete.

Besides being a wrestling lifer, Magditch has dabbled in Mixed Martial Arts as well spending his summers as a world-class pro-rodeo bullfighter.

Magditch serves as a cowboy protector -- what rodeo fans used to call clowns back in the day -- during bull-riding competitions around the country. He then competes in freestyle bullfighting, which is comparable to being a matador in the customary Latin American sense.

So whether it's applying aspects of the Jiu-Jitsu training from his days in Mixed Martial Arts or clearing his in-law's Bucks County barn of hay bales, Magditch will do whatever it takes.

"You stack a barn with hay bales for 10 hours on a hot day in June, you're going to get a workout," Magditch said. "We'd have guys taking turns pushing my pick-up truck up a hill with someone in the back jumping rope. Just off the wall stuff. We wanted to change things up. Have fun and create a refreshed type of training. And the kids are responding."

Magditch, however, won't be putting his wrestlers in the bull ring for any off-season cardio work any time soon.

"If it was up to my wife, I'd give that up, the bullfighting," Magditch said. "She'd rather have me go back to fighting MMA than step in the ring with a bull where I could die at any time."

Whether Magditch takes his wife's advice and hangs up the face paint and Cowboy hat remains to be seen.

But one thing is certain: his head coaching career is off to a flying start. And by all indications, the sky is the limit for Phillipsburg wrestling.

Magditch got his first state place winner when senior Luke Grassi finished third at 130 pounds at the NJSIAA State Tournament in Atlantic City on March 9.

The Stateliners sent four wrestlers to states, including sophomore John Horak (119), Grassi, juniors Nick Pare (145) and Matt Santini (171).

Magditch pointed out the number could easily have been as high as nine.

"We had a real good (District 1) tournament and Region 1 is a tough region," Magditch said. "We placed seven in the top four at Region 1 and we had a couple of disappointments at weights that we expected to do better. But, in all, it was pretty satisfying. Guys got experience in tough situations and now they know what it takes to get to the next level."

Brian Fortner can be reached by e-mail at sports@express-times.com.