Bridgewater-Raritan High School senior Logan Levine, senior Matt Di Eduardo, and sophomore Trent Levash are kings of Somerset County wrestling.
With Levine and Di Eduardo already crowned county champions and a whopping seven podium spots guaranteed for the Panthers heading into the second-to-last championship bout at 215 pounds, it was hard to script a better finish for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School wrestling team at the 2025 Somerset County Tournament on Saturday, January 11, at Hillsborough HighSchool.
Then, Levash stepped onto the mat for his final bout against reigning finalist and Ridge High School junior Nate Engdahl, who needed to win for the arch-rival Red Devils to successfully defend last season’s county title.
After a scoreless first period, Levash (215) struck first with a takedown early in the final minute of the second period before taking a two-point lead into the third period against Levash. With his lead cut to one point early in this third period, Levash not only hung on in the closing seconds.
In front of a gym packed with roaring fans from all over Somerset County, Levash produced an emphatic pin of Engdahl in 5:48 to give the Panthers their third individual county champion and deny rival Ridge its bid to successfully defend last season’s team title.
“It was just awesome and one of the best feelings I ever had,” revealed Levash of his immediate reaction the moment the referee pounded the mat to signify his victory. “I was so happy.”
Due to this memorable result, Watchung Hills Regional High School (180 points) was able to edge Ridge High School (177.5 points) for the 2025 Somerset County Wrestling Tournament team title, while host Hillsborough High School (164.5 points) won the event’s bronze medal. To cap impressive fourth-place team finishes and 157.5 total team points for Bridgewater-Raritan, Levash (215) joined Levine (138) and Di Eduardo (165) as individual champions for Bridgewater-Raritan in their respective weight classes.
Sophomore Matt McCann (150) and senior Lerrod Smalls (190) also collected runner-up finishes, while juniors Lucas Pelc (113) and Andrew Adell (120) both finished fourth place to round out the Panthers’ seven top-four podium placers.
“I’m most proud of the family that we have created,” praised Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Kyle Murphy following Bridgewater-Raritan’s millstone day. “Our kids love each other, care for their coaches, and celebrate together. It means a lot to them when their teammates win. The wins are here and there and losses happen, but when you create a culture of a family, that’s the most important thing.”
Next up for Bridgewater-Raritan (7-2) will be a return to dual-match wrestling against Old Bridge High School (6-3) on Wednesday, January 15, at 6 p.m. at the Vaughn Stapleton Gymnasium in Bridgewater.