Eric Hall - Head Coach

 (908) 638 - 2199 ext. 2232 - ehall@nhvweb.net

Coach Eric Hall was born and raised in Hunterdon County, living right down the road in High Bridge, New Jersey.  Eric attended Voorhees from 1992-96 and earned a total of nine varsity letters in football, wrestling, and baseball, serving as captain of each of his teams in his senior year.  Eric wrestled in the varsity lineup for four years under his father, former Head Coach Bob Hall.  He was the first ever   four-time district and regional champion for VHS. He was also an indispensable part of the Group II State Championship Wrestling Team in 1995.  Eric was a 3 time  NJ state-place winner.  He placed seventh/eighth as a sophomore, fourth as a junior, and was a state runner-up as a senior.  Eric continued to compete in the High School Senior National Tournament that winter and finished third place gaining High School All-American status.  By the end of his elite wrestling career, he amassed a school record 126 wins and 19 losses.   As a shortstop and third-baseman, Eric excelled in the Spring season.  As a part of the baseball team he sustained a .400 average during his junior and senior seasons.   Eric was the quarterback / cornerback of the Central Jersey Group II State Championship Football Team in the fall of that same year.  Eric garnered multiple individual honors, including all-state football honors as a cornerback and was named the Courier-News Male Athlete of the Year..  He served as the student council vice president and president during his junior and senior year. 

 Eric continued his wrestling career at Virginia Tech where he became a two-time conference champion and four-time qualifier for the Division I National Championship Tournament, falling in the All-American round.  Coach Hall finished his career as a 3 year captain, strength and conditioning All-American, freshman All-American, and amassed a career record of 116-43.  After graduation he remained at Virginia Tech and earned a Masters degree in Curriculum & Instruction while serving as a graduate assistant for the Tech wrestling team.      

Coach Hall then moved on to his career where he served as a special education teacher and assistant coach at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, VA.  He also served as the VA National Team head cadet coach in Fargo, ND.   Coach Hall then returned to graduate school to pursue a degree in Educational Leadership and Administration.  During this time he served as an assistant coach at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.   Coach Hall has recently moved back to the area and has been hired as a special education teacher at Voorhees.  In the fall of 2006 he was inducted into the Voorhees High School Hall of Fame.   He currently resides in Califon, NJ. 

Brian Baumann - Head Assistant Coach

(908) 638-2199 ext. 2084 - bbaumann@nhvweb.net

 Coach Brian Baumann grew up right here in Lebanon Township. He attended Voorhees and participated in football, wrestling, and track. As well as earning seven varsity letters, Brian was a member of the Voorhees Wrestling Group II state championship team in 1995. After graduating Voorhees, he enrolled in The County College of Morris and earned his Associates degree in Humanities and Social Sciences. Coach Baumann then went to The College of New Jersey and earned two varsity letters in spring track. He graduated from TCNJ in the fall semester of 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in English Secondary Education.

In January of 2001, Brian was hired as an English teacher at Voorhees, where he has been coaching ever since. Currently he is the head boys track coach and an assistant for both the football and wrestling programs.  Brian will be married in July to his fiancé Julie and he currently resides in Lebanon Township. 

Ricky Kurtz made a name for himself as a dynamic and prolific two-sport athlete at Delaware Valley High School.  Ricky first made his way onto the varsity football field as a sophomore when the senior starting quarterback was injured halfway through the season.  The experience he gained was vital in his rise to prominence as a junior.  For the remaining two football seasons of his high school career, Ricky was the highest rated quarterback in the area as he commanded Del Val’s high-powered offense to an average of 40 points a game.  As a senior he led the terriers to an undefeated regular season before getting upset in the playoffs.  He ended up putting his signature on every quarterback record in Del Val history and was named first-team all-state.  As a wrestler, Ricky was a four-year varsity starter for the Terriers who placed in the District 17 tournament all four years.  He finished his career with an impressive 101 wins as he went from 103 pounds as a freshman to 160 pounds as a senior.  He capped off his High School career with a Region 5 championship and a fourth place finish at the New Jersey State Championship Wrestling Tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in 2004.  Ricky played football and wrestled at Wagner College before transferring to Lackawanna Junior College.  A hernia injury sidelined him from his starting quarterback position.  Upon recovery he made the switch to wide receiver and helped his team finish as the number one junior college in the country.  Ricky graduated Lackawanna with and Associates Degree in Media Studies and is currently working on becoming a certified in secondary education.  Ricky began coaching in 2009 when he signed on as an assistant coach for the Voorhees Football Program.  This is his first season as a high school wrestling coach.

Coach Steve Barkman has been involved in wrestling for over thirty-five years. He was a standout athlete for Hunterdon Central High School in the early seventies earning a total of nine varsity letters in football, wrestling, and baseball. As a wrestler, Steve has a District 17 championship to his credit. Upon graduation Coach Barkman attended Indiana State University where he wrestled varsity for three years. During that time, he established himself as a standout middle-weight winning two conference championships and qualifying for the Division I National Championship Tournament twice.

Steve has been self-employed for most of his life and spent many years assisting the Voorhees Junior Wrestling Program.  Coach Barkman returns to the junior program this year and will be assisting the HS staff with individual and team technique.  In addition to wrestling, Coach “Barky” enjoys cycling, a sport he competed in semi-professionally at one time.  He is still competing internationally in wrestling and will wrestle at the US Nationals in Las Vegas, NV again in April. Coach Barkman qualified twice and participated in the veteran's division of the world freestyle championships at 63 kg. in Istanbul, Turkey and in Perm, Russia.  He earned a bronze medal and silver medal.   Coach Barkman currently resides in Bloomsbury, NJ with his wife and two children. 

Mike Flynn - Volunteer Assistant Coach

(908) 883-2069 - buffalo542002@yahoo.com

Coach Mike Flynn is a native of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He attended Pottsville High School where he participated in football, wrestling, and track. He earned a total of nine varsity letters. Mike graduated high school in 1979 and he headed to Rutgers University to play football. He earned three varsity letters for the Scarlet Knights serving as a long snapper.  Mike graduated in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology Secondary Education. He was hired by Piscataway High School where he has taught biology for sixteen years. Mike was a wrestling coach for the Chiefs for ten years before he joined the Voorhees staff in 1999. He currently resides in Lebanon, NJ with his wife Terri and their four children. 

 

Keith Skinner - Athletic Trainer

(908) 638-2199 ext. 7459 - kskinner@nhvweb.net

Keith Skinner arrived as athletic trainer here at Voorhees in 1996-97.  Keith graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1987 with a degree in athletic training.  He then attended the University of Wisconsin where he received a Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction.  Keith served as a graduate assistant in the athletic training department working with the men’s wrestling team.  Prior to serving the students and athletes at Voorhees, Keith worked at Freedom H.S. in Bethlehem, PA.  He also worked at Lehigh University and Belvidere High School.  Keith works directly with the Voorhees coaching staff and wrestlers to ensure proper weight certification, nutrition, and prevention/treatment of athletic injuries.  Keith and his wife reside in Bethlehem, PA with their three sons.  

Steve Syrstad - Athletic Trainer

(908) 638-2199 ext. 7458 - ssyrstad@nhvweb.net

Steve Syrstad has been an athletic trainer at  Voorhees High School since 2003-2004.  Steve graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1985 with a degree in athletic training.  Steve was a     graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin where he first met Keith Skinner.  Prior to helping the Viking athletes, he was the Health and Safety Coordinator for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.  He also worked at Coordinated Health Systems in Bethlehem, PA as an athletic trainer.  Steve  and his wife live in Nazareth, PA with their daughter.