Same coach, different title for West Deptford's James Shields

WEST DEPTFORD – James Shields is the same coach.

Only his job title changed.

After eight years as an assistant coach, Shields switched roles with former head coach Nick Iraldi, and the transition has been nothing but seamless so far for the West Deptford High School wrestling team.

“It really doesn’t feel any different for us and it’s the same for our kids,” said Shields, a 2011 graduate of West Deptford.

“The switch really felt natural. I’m (a special education teacher and assistant athletic director) in the school and I’ve always started our practices because of being in the building.

“It’s a great coaching staff. Drew Spector and Donald Dennis were teammates on that 2010 (South Jersey Group 2 championship) team and Vince Layton, who was our coach.”

More: West Deptford names John Emel as head football coach

In the offseason, Shields and Iraldi flip-flopped roles. Iraldi, who was a district champion and starting quarterback for the Eagles in his scholastic days, was hired at the head coach in 2016 when he was 24. He guided West Deptford to back-to-back sectional titles in 2019 and 2020 and was the quickest wrestling coach to earn 100 career wins.

Now, Shields is the boss and Iraldi is right by his side.

“Nick and I are really compatible,” Shields said. “Where I’m weak, he’s strong. Where he’s a little weak, I’m strong. We’re wrestled together since we were four years old. We’re great friends.

“I love coming to practice every day, we have a lot of fun.”

The Shields era is certainly off to a solid start.

After a season-opening 52-15 victory over Woodstown, the Eagles improved to 2-0 with a 31-24 triumph over defending South Jersey Group 2 champion and rival Haddonfield on Wednesday.

“We overcame a lot of adversity (in this meet), which I’m excited about,” Shields said.

Running on empty

Nick Graziano admits the needle on his gas tank was dangerously close to being on E.

After surviving the third period, the senior delivered a clutch win with a 4-2 decision in sudden victory at 165 pounds to give the Eagles a 25-24 lead before Chris Andujar and Marcus Carter close the meet out with victories.

“I gotta get my gas tank up, then I’ll be alright,” said Graziano, who placed fourth at 150 in District 26 last winter as a junior. “I’m just trying to make a name for myself. I’ve been working on my technique and being in that room every day, my coaches are trying to get me to that next level.”

The assignment wasn’t an easy one for Graziano.

With Caleb Jackson out for a couple of weeks with a wrist injury, Graziano and fellow senior James Derocini both weighed in at 157. Derocini drew the start at 157 and earned a 13-4 major decision in his season debut.

“My coaches told me that I was going to bump up (before the meet), I just had to change my mindset and get ready to win," Graziano said.

Bumping up to 165, Graziano yielded about eight pounds to Haddonfield’s Alex Goldman, but managed to get a takedown in the opening period. He gave up the tying points, but fought off a late charge to force the extra period.

“Nick’s very good on his feet. We just had to get him there,” Shields said.

Haddonfield made things interesting thanks to its work in the third period. The Haddons pulled off several comeback pins in the final period with Pierce Hoffman earning one of the biggest wins. Trailing 7-4 late in the third period, the sophomore rallied to tie the score and won in sudden victory, 10-8.

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: West Deptford wrestling has seamless transition as Shields takes over