South Jersey Magazine - Gloucester County / Newsstand

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SJM_WINTER_HS Athletes_1225FINAL.qxp_Feature 12 / 18 / 25 4 : 26 PM Page 3 SJM : What else do you for fun ? match routine or the way that they wrestle , I like to take cer - CH : When I take a break from training , I like to go down the tain things . I watch college guys on YouTube all the time and ColeHAGERTY Shore , go to the beach , hang out with my friends , go out to seewhat I can add to my game to get better . eat . Washington Township wrestling SJM:Do you think you’re going to stay around the SJM : Do you have a certain routine before a big match ? sporteven after you’re done wrestling ? Athree - time district and two - time region champion CH : I really just walk and visualize what I’m going to do in the CH : I know I want to wrestle all four years in college , and during his stellar career with the Minutemen , match . I always like to be calm — I don’t want to get overly when I have kids , if I have a boy , he’s going to wrestle . I’ll let Hagertyplaced fourth in the state last year at 126 excited , so I try not to show emotion . I just have fun , because him do other sports , but I’ll really emphasize being a wrestler , pounds.He is aiming for a state crown this season as it’s all to have fun , and trust that the training I put in is because I love being around the sport . Coaching is something asenior before moving on to Drexel University . enough to win the match . I’d like to do too . SJM : What’s it like winding down when you come off SJM:More and more girls are wrestling now , so even if SouthJersey Magazine : It seems like just yesterday themat ? Are you able to enjoy the rest of the bouts ? youhave a daughter you can stay around the sport . thatyou and your classmates were making a name for CH:Oh yeah , after my match I like to watch the other athletes CH : I don’t know if I want my girl wrestling . She can play yourselvesas freshmen . Is it hard to believe this is compete.You want to be a student of the sport ; you always soccer . yourfinalseason at Washington Township ? want to learn from someone else . Whether it’s their pre - ColeHagerty : It’s crazy how fast it goes . Everyone says that it’s over in the blink of an eye , and now it’s already my fourth season . Even now , as we’re getting ready for our first compe - tition , the practices are going so fast . SJM : It’s a very talented senior class . Did you all grow up wrestling together ? CH : Yeah , we’re all real close and that make it easier during hard practices , because you know you’re with your boys . We all have the same goal : to try our hardest , to get on the podium together , and to win . SJM : Do you have any individual goals ? CH : Of course , winning that state title is No . 1 . I want to place high at the national tournaments too , like Beast of the East and Escape the Rock . I want to win some matches there and get myself ranked in the national rankings . I also want to win another region title and just keep winning as much as I can . SJM : Did you grow up going to Boardwalk Hall for states ? CH : Me , my mom and my little brother used to go all the time and I always thought it was the coolest thing ever to see the guys walking out on the red and green carpets . It was a goal of mine to be under those lights [ in the finals ] , and I want to make that happen this year . SJM : Did you ever play other sports growing up ? CH : In elementary school I did football , baseball , wrestling , soccer — my dad pretty much put me in everything . I was kind of small , so I just felt like wrestling was my thing . My little brother does baseball , my other brother does football — we all picked our own thing . SJM : What made you commit to Drexel ? CH : I really liked the co - op opportunities . I also feel like the coaches — Mauro [ Correnti ] and [ Matt ] Azevedo — really care about who are as a person . They have a good culture there and it’s a real good school , so I think it will be good for my future . SJM : Do you know what you want to study ? CH : I’m probably going to study accounting . I’m not 100 % sure , but I know I want to do internships and co - ops . SJM : It will be cool being in the city . CH : Yeah . It’s going to be a change , but I like trying new things , so it will be fun . SJM : What do you like about growing up in Wash - ington Township ? CH : I’ve always lived there and I like that it’s a big town . There’s always new cliques and new people to see . I also like that sports are real big there , and if you play sports , you won’t have trouble making friends . Everybody has the same goal of living a healthy lifestyle and winning . SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 22 issue 9 SouthJerseyMagazine.com 20 |

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SJM_WINTER_HS Athletes_1225FINAL.qxp_Feature 12 / 18 / 25 4 : 26 PM Page 4 going to take ] a lot of hard work and I have to watch more Jaidyn Boyd from Lenape . That would be a really good five . basketball to become a better point guard . Chris ABREU SJM:What else do you do for fun ? SJM : Do you know what you would want to study ? CA : I play video games and hang out with friends , but that’s CA : Not yet . I was thinking business , but that’s what every - about it . I play basketball a lot . Cherry Hill East boys basketball body does , so I might do something different . Abreu , a junior , transferred to Cherry Hill East as a SJM:What’s your go - to video game ? sophomoreand made an immediate impact with his SJM : If I could give you four other guys from South CA : [ NBA ] 2K . I use the Golden State Warriors because Steph ability to get to the basket , create for himself and Jerseyto run with , not counting your teammates , Curry is my favorite player . histeammates , and contribute defensively and on whowould you pick ? theboards . He led the Cougars to a 26 - 4 record and CA : I’ll take Matt Laskowski from Cherry Hill West , and I don’t SJM:What do you like about growing up in South aone - point loss to Lenape in the sectional know their names , but the two big guys from PVI who were Jersey ? championshipgame . freshmen last year . For my three , I’ll probably have to go with CA : I like eating and there’s a lot of good options for food here . South Jersey Magazine : Last year was a special one for you and the team . Do you have high hopes heading into this one ? Chris Abreu : Yes . We have high expectations and we have to fulfill them . Personally , I don’t want to lose a game . We started last year 12 - 0 , so I’m just trying to beat every team . SJM : You came so close to a sectional title . Do you think about that game a lot , or have you moved past it ? CA : I haven’t moved past it . I always think about it , especially since we lost by one point . It hurts , but I feel like we can get it this year . Our whole team is back except for one person . SJM : After going to Paul VI as a freshman , was it easy to transition to Cherry Hill East since you already knew a lot of your teammates ? CA : Yes . I’ve known Jacob Jones , who was a senior guard last year , since I was like 5 . I versed Chris [ Delgado ] a lot when I was younger too . I just met Jamieson [ Young ] last year , but I fit in with him and everyone . SJM : What are the strengths of this year’s team ? CA : We like to play fast and we try to be a defensive team . Everybody on the court is basically a point guard so we like to push the ball . SJM : What is your role ? CA : I have a lot of roles to fill but I’m mainly the new point guard . I’ve always played point guard ever since I was younger . Last year I played the four , so I didn’t have the ball in my hands a lot , but I scored a lot . SJM : What have you been working on to get better ? CA : All offseason , I was working on improving my shot . That’s all I’ve been doing , trying to get my angles right . SJM : Do you watch a lot of basketball ? CA : Yes — more college than NBA . I went to a Drexel - Syracuse game and I also went to a Drexel - UPenn game that was really good . SJM : Are there certain guys you try to emulate ? CA : I watch a lot of Jalen Brunson and try to model my game after him . I also watch a lot of SGA [ Shai Gilgeous - Alexander ] . They both stay patient , they can shoot the ball , and Jalen Brunson is around my height . SJM : Who are your biggest rivals ? CA : Cherry Hill West , of course . I also really want to get back at Lenape . SJM : What’s the toughest South Jersey gym to play in ? CA : There really isn’t one . I just played at Haddonfield for the first time and I didn’t really like the rims . But I actually like to go [ into hostile environments ] . It pumps me up and some - times I play better in other teams ’ stadiums than in ours . SJM : Have you started thinking about college yet ? CA : I’ve had a few looks . It’s always been my dream . [ It’s SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 22 issue 9 SouthJerseyMagazine.com | 21

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