Two Bridgewater-Raritan High School wrestlers—165-pound Matt DiEduardo and 215-pound Trent Levash—will compete in the second day of the State Individual Championship Tournament on Friday, March 7, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
But two of their Bridgewater-Raritan teammates, 132-pound Mark Marsigliano and 190-pound Lerrod Smalls, were each eliminated from the state tournament during the first round of the wrestle back constellations Thursday evening March 6.
Round two of the wrestle backs will be held on Friday morning, March 7, at 9 a..m., when both DiEduardo and Levash will bid to earn a medal at their weight classes. A wrestler gains a medal for placing in the top eight of his weight division. Athletes are placed in the wrestle back rounds after they have been defeated in the championship rounds.
DiEduardo, the 17th seed at 165 pounds, had opened the state tournament with a thrilling 14-13 decision over 16th-seeded Frankie Romeo of Red Bank Catholic High School in the preliminary round Thursday morning, March 6. DiEduardo, a Region 4 champion, scored a takedown in the final seconds to win.
DiEduardo was, however, then knocked out of contention to win a state title, when he was defeated by top-seeded Alessio Perentin of the Delbarton School, 19-4 in a technical fall time of 2:34, in the pre-quarterfinal round at 165 pounds.
Levash was defeated in the preliminary round by Delsea Regional High School’s seventh-seeded Salvatore Marchese by a 9-4 decision.
Levash then remained alive to place at 215 pounds when he won by a 16-8 decision against 10th-seeded Bryann Mejias of the co-op schools Cliffside Park and Ridgefield Memorial in the first round of wrestle backs.
In the second round of the wrestle backs Friday morning, March 7, iEduardo will wrestle 18th-seeded Griffin Goldmacher of Northern Burlington High School and Levash will meet ninth-seeded Elbrus Majagah of Delbarton.
The quarterfinals and the third round of wrestle backs are scheduled for 11 a,.m. on Friday, March 7, with wrestle backs rounds four and five slated later in the day. The semifinal round of the championships is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, March 7.
On the final day of the wrestling season, Saturday, March 8, the consolation medal rounds will go off at 9:45 a.m., and the state championship round is set for 3 p.m. Meanwhile, the state final round for the girls is scheduled for this day at 1 p.m.
Marsigliano, the 26th seed at 132 pounds, fell in the preliminary round to seventh-seeded Giovanni Schinina of St. Peter’s Prep, 16-0 in a technical fall time of 2:11. Marsigliano was eliminated when he was pinned by 23rd-seeded Adan Cedeno of Pascakc Valley Regional High School in 5:41 in the first round of wrestle backs.
Smalls, seeded No. 22, was defeated by 11th-seeded Carmen Marano of St.Peter’s Prep, 4-0, in the preliminary round at 190 pounds. Smalls was then eliminated when he fell by a 5-4 decision to 27th-seeded Lucas Brown of Sparta High School in the opening round of wrestle backs.