H.S. wrestling: Eastern's Brunner starts new family tradition with milestone

VOORHEES – Jared Brunner couldn’t have scripted his milestone win much better.

The Eastern High School senior earned career victory No. 100 in quick fashion, needing only 41 seconds to seal a pin, highlighting the Vikings’ 48-24 home triumph over Cherry Hill East.

“It was a perfect storm,” said the 113-pounder, who is ranked No. 1 in his weight class for South Jersey by The Mat Pack. He wrestled up at 120 on Friday night. “Getting my 100th win feels great, but to have our team get the win and have my whole family here and all of that happening on Senior Night, it makes it even more special.”

The Brown-bound Brunner certainly comes from a wrestling family. He’s a third-generation grappler, following his father and grandfather to the Ivy League.

His father, Jeremy, and grandfather, Serge, each wrestled at Vineland High School (Class of 1990 and 1967) before graduating from Cornell and Brown, respectively. Both attend every one of Jared’s matches, but it was easy to see that Friday night’s was a special moment in their eyes.

“It’s always nice when your son accomplishing the things you weren’t able to do,” said Jeremy, who placed twice in the state (fourth and fifth) and owns a school-record 98 wins for the Fighting Clan. “He’ll never let me live it down (that he reached 100). If he places a third time at states, I’ll be as happy as ever, but I know I’ll never hear the end of it.”

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The proud papa sees plenty of himself in his son: Many of his favorite moves are Jared’s go-to moves too, but Jeremy admits his son owns a much “broader arsenal” than he ever did.

Jared is definitely the most technical wrestler of the Brunner bunch. Those skills have enabled him to earn a pair of medals at the state tournament - an eighth-place finish at 106 as a sophomore and a sixth-place spot at 113 last spring. He’s the 19th wrestler in Eastern history to reach the century mark for wins.

“I feel like I’ve really improved my mental toughness,” Brunner said. ‘I’ve always felt I had the skills to be successful, by sharpening my mind, working on that side of wrestling, I think that’s what really has helped me take that next step.”

Serge sees something else that has been key to his grandson’s success: “It’s that little bit of aggression, not meanness, but Jared has that little bit that you really need in this sport. I think we both had that.”

Jared said achieving 100 wins was a special benchmark and Friday's pin reminded him a lot of his first victory which came at a tournament in Haddonfield as a freshman.

“It’s a milestone that I think everyone wants to reach when they go into high school,” he said. “To achieve it makes it extra special. It’s another milestone to check off my list, another banner to get on, but it also pushes you to get even higher.”

Brunner is aiming high. He wants to claim that elusive region title and continue his ascent up the award podium at states.

Eastern head coach Brian Boland said Brunner’s consistency at his craft has turned him into a successful wrestler at the high school level and will translate to the college level too. He also pointed to Brunner’s leadership (he’s a two-year captain) as another big strength.

“He’s that rock,” Boland said. “Our team has gone through some changes over the last couple of years and he’s always been there to solidify the lineup. He’s more physical, little more tougher, gritty and he’s gotten sharper.

“It will be a learning curve for him (at the college level), but I definitely think he has what it takes to be a successful wrestler at the next level.”

Brunner says he’s excited for his next challenge of juggling the rigors of academic work at an Ivy League school along with wrestling. He plans on studying computer science at Brown.

Even while proudly wearing a Brown University face covering at the match, Serge's smile was obvious when asked if he was happy that Jared chose his alma mater. Jeremy chose Cornell over Brown as his college choice.

“There was no sales pitch,” Serge said. “He had a world of possibilities in front of him. I’m lucky that he fell in love with the school. He decided it was the right choice and I’m happy for him.”

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: H.S. wrestling: Eastern's Brunner starts new family tradition with milestone