Edge Wrestling - Whippany | Wrestling School

The Nation's First Amateur Wrestling School

ABOUT US

Established in 1984, Edge Wrestling became the first amateur wrestling school of its kind in the United States. Since then we have been training wrestlers at the youth, high school, collegiate, and international level. We have a proven system that works and has produced unrivaled results. The Edge provides quality training in team, large group, small group, and private settings. We work with athletes of all ages, abilities, and experience levels and strive to provide them with the highest level of instruction possible. Our goal is to see that each of our athletes reaches their full potential.

Our Mission

The Edge is committed to teaching and mentoring students through the sport of wrestling to strive for individual excellence in all aspects of their lives, developing character, self-confidence, self-discipline, mental toughness and a strong work ethic to prepare them for life’s challenges.

STAFF

Ernie Monaco Sr.

OWNER & FOUNDER

WHIPPANY SITE DIRECTOR

HEAD COACH

Ernie is an alumnus of Upsala College where he earned a B.A. degree in Business Administration. He attended graduate school at Montclair State University where he received his teaching certificate in Technology Education and Industrial Arts after completing 72 credits beyond his bachelor's degree. In 2012, Ernie was named “Teacher of the Year” in Warren Middle School (see article), but it was in 1984 that he revolutionized the concept of club wrestling when he founded The Edge School of Wrestling, and he has been training wrestlers of all age groups ever since. Ernie has been a member of the New Jersey Wrestling Federation Coaches Council and a Member at Large on the executive board of the New Jersey Wrestling Federation. He has coached at the Junior, Cadet, and Schoolboy levels for all the New Jersey Wrestling Federation National Teams. Ernie has 20+ years coaching Team NJ Freestyle Cadet and Junior level national teams. He is currently a member of the Asics Corporation Advisory Board and a USA Wrestling certified coach. Ernie was coined “The Godfather” and “The Originator” of club wrestling by “FloWrestling’s” founder Martin Floreani in 2009 (watch here) for being the first person to mainstream amateur wrestling as a full-time private wrestling school (The Edge School of Wrestling est. 1984) in the United States.

Ernie’s long list of coaching accomplishments have made Edge Wrestling one of the most highly respected and nationally recognized programs in the country. The success of his students on every level has made “The Edge” a common name among college recruiters. His coaching record speaks for itself with having coached more New Jersey High School State Champions (105), and more New Jersey State Runners-ups (85), than any other coach in New Jersey wrestling. For a more complete list of the impact Ernie's Edge Wrestling program has had on wrestling nationally and its results visit our Honors page.

Whippany

Dave Esposito

HOBOKEN SITE DIRECTOR

COACH

Dave is a graduate of Lehigh University where he received a B.S. degree in Marketing. Following his graduation from Lehigh, he worked at The Edge as an assistant for two years before attending Columbia University Graduate School where he received his Masters degree and was an assistant wrestling coach. Among his many accomplishments as a college wrestler Dave was a two-time NCAA Division 1 All-American finishing third and second. He was a two-time Eastern National Champion and recipient of the prestigious Fletcher Award for most points scored for a team over the course of his career in the tournament. While at Lehigh Dave was voted Lehigh’s outstanding wrestler twice and named Captain of the team. He received the male athlete of the year award for Lehigh University. On the Open or Olympic level, Dave was ranked as high as fifth in the nation. In high school, he attended JFK Iselin where he was a three-time state place finisher. Dave is one of the best wrestlers ever to come out of The Edge.

Dave started his wrestling career at The Edge when he was 8 years old. Today some 20 years later he is an extremely valuable part of The Edge and its future. His technical knowledge, understanding of the sport and ability to communicate it make him a great coach on any level. His college recruiting experience, and national contacts make him an invaluable resource when it comes to college placement. His unique ability to relate to younger wrestlers and inspire them by his example set him apart from most. We are extremely proud to have Dave back at The Edge and as a principle member of our staff.

Ryan Wilson

NATIONAL TEAM COORDINATOR

ASSISTANT COACH

Ryan is a graduate of Columbia University, where he studied computer science and engineering. In high school, he was a New Jersey state champion and earned All-American status in freestyle at the ASICS/Vaughan Cadet & Junior Nationals in Fargo, ND. Ryan began his Edge career nearly 18 years ago, developing under the guidance of coaches Ernie Monaco and Dave Esposito. As a coach and our National Dual Team coordinator, he has spent the last 5 years giving back to the program that has given him so much. Ryan is currently pursuing a career in technology as a software developer.

Louie Cerchio Sr.

ASSISTANT COACH

Formal biography coming soon!

Jonathan Becker

ASSISTANT COACH

Jonathan is a graduate of North Carolina State University where he earned a B.S. in Program Management. During his high school career, at Bergen Catholic High school, he was a Three-time NJ State Place winner and Finalist. He also gained All-American honors as a high school wrestler by winning a Freestyle-Fargo National Championship and taking Runner-up at the Greco Roman- Fargo National Championships. Jonathan started his Edge career at the age of 8 years old where he developed throughout his career to eventually become a Division-1 Student-Athlete but due to injury was unable to compete at the collegiate level. Today, Jonathan is working as a Recruiter in the I.T. Industry and is beginning his coaching career at the Edge School of Wrestling as an assistant.

Karl Monaco

ASSISTANT COACH

4x National Finalist

3x National Champion

3x NJ State Finalist

2x NJ State Champion

Brother of Owner and Founder of Edge Wrestling, Ernie Monaco Sr.

Full formal biography coming soon!

Jack Barrett

ASSISTANT COACH

Graduated from Metuchen High school in 2005 with career record of 109-24, including an 8th place finish in the 2004 Beast of the East and voted Outstanding Wrestler in 2005 Middlesex County tournament. Also was multi-year letterwinner in Soccer and Tennis. In 2007, as a student-athlete for the Scarlet Knights, he was awarded the Nist-Sachsel Memorial Trophy for Most Improved Wrestler. A three-year starter and letterwinner from 2007-2010, that included 4th place finishes in Oklahoma-Brockport Gold and Navy Classic tournaments, he graduated from Rutgers University with BA in Communication and Minor in Sociology. He currently works as Pre-sales Partner Specialist at SHI International Corp supporting Autodesk software. Jack started his journey in the Edge program at age 13, where he claims to have improved significantly from one-on-one attention and competing with high-level athletes; incorporating Edge principles throughout his career. As a USA wrestling certified coach, he is inspired to help athletes reach their full potential and accomplish their goals.

Eric Swick

ASSISTANT COACH

Eric is a graduate of Harvard University where he was a highly recruited Division I wrestler earning All-American honors during his high school career. He was a Four-time New Jersey State Place Winner and finalist. Eric also was an alternate on the Cadet World Team while placing second in the Cadet Nationals. He ended his high school career by gaining All-American honors by placing fourth in the National High School Wrestling Championships and winning the Sports Illustrated Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. Having three shoulder surgeries during his high school career, Eric was forced to retire early from the sport after another reconstructive shoulder surgery early in his sophomore year at Harvard.

With his competitive career behind him, Eric continued to work with the wrestling team and further develop his wrestling technique and knowledge of the sport. Eric is currently a regulatory compliance consultant for hedge funds and private equity firms in New York City. Eric started attending the Edge at the age of eight and is excited to use his wealth of experience and knowledge to help current members of the club in the same methodology that has made his career and the Edge itself such a success.

Glenn Pritzlaff

ASSISTANT COACH

Pritzlaff wrestled for Penn State University and captured an NCAA Division I National Championship title in 1999. It was the second time Pritzlaff would achieve All-American status for the Nittany Lions and capped a stellar collegiate career which saw him finish with 135 career victories, a Big-10 Conference Championship, and all Big-10 Honors.

In addition to Glenn's accomplishments on the mat for Penn State, he also excelled in the classroom, being named to the Big-10 All-Academic Team three consecutive seasons.

A native of Middletown, Glenn wrestled for Middletown South High School and won three NJSIAA State Tournament Championships, being names the most outstanding wrestler his final two years, and a four-time All-State selection.

He finished his high school career with a four-year record of 146-4. Glenn also earned a University Freestyle Championship in 1996, won the USA Junior Freestyle Championship in 1994, and was the USA FILA World Junior Freestyle champ in 1994.

Ernie Monaco Jr.

WEBSITE MANAGER

CAMP COORDINATOR

ASSISTANT OFFICE MANAGER
PHOTOGRAPHER

Ernie is the son of the owner and founder of Edge Wrestling. Ernie Jr. currently has many roles at The Edge, including the Assistant Office Manager, Edge Photographer, and Webmaster. Ernie also manages Edge Social Media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Ernie is a USA Wrestling Certified Coach, has some wrestling experience, and has been around the sport his entire life. Ernie serves as Summer Training coordinator, and has many business responsibilities at our Whippany location. Currently a student at The College of New Jersey, Ernie works there as a Wrestling Manager while pursuing a double major in Special Education and Integrated STEM Education with a minor in Computer Science.