On Saturday, the Fort Lee wrestling team got some valuable time on the mats against some competitive out-of-town opponents.

The team traveled to play Emerson/Park Ridge and North Bergen over the weekend as Head Coach Alex Almeyda gained a better understanding of his young team.

"It was a reality check," said the coach immediately after the scrimmage. "A lot of the guys are hesitant right now, understandably so, but it will come with time."

With ten seniors graduating from last year's team, the staff is looking to many wrestlers who competed at the junior varsity and recreation levels to make the jump this year.

"The big thing is the underclassmen have to step up," Almeyda said. "We have a lot of holes from last year that have passed on to the varsity. They have to step up with the maturity and the skills. Hopefully they come through."

The day started shortly after 10:30 in the morning with all wrestlers running around the mats to loosen their muscles. The student athletes then followed that by stretching their arms before entering limited contact one-on-one drills.  The wrestlers would alternate their match-ups so everyone got a chance to gain more repetitions while also working on their weaknesses.

"I did see some confidence with my team, and every week is another step to success," said the coach.

This visit to North Bergen also presented the Bridgemen with another glance into how the starting lineup may look for their first match. They underwent hydration tests before the scrimmage, a strong indicator of which weight classes the wrestlers will compete in during the season.

All signs point to Anatoliy Alkhazob bumping up from the 140 weight class to 152 to take the place of county champion Johansi Rivera. Alkhazob was groomed over the last few years as Rivera's practice partner and has lofty goals for 2011.

"I definitely want to make it to states," said the confident wrestler. "I am going to try to place if it's possible. I didn't start wrestling until my sophomore year, but I really want to make it to states."

As the drills turned into live, full-contact matches, Almeyda was able to see more of the team leaders of whom he has high expectations like junior Demir Radonic and senior Jose Granados.

According to Almeyda, Radonic will move up to 215 while Granados will hope for a breakout season in the 119 weight class.

"With a team like North Bergen, it's not going to be easy for these kids," Almeyda said. "Now we just need to work on the mental side of the game."

The Fort Lee Bridgemen will continue to practice this week to prepare for a difficult conference schedule and a season-opening match about a week away.

The team is back in action on Dec. 22 when they host Mahwah High School at 7 p.m. That contest should prove to be a strong indicator of what to expect the following week during the Bergen County Wrestling Tournament and for the rest of the 2010-2011 season.