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5 Morris/Sussex wrestlers who stood out on Day 1 of the NJ state wrestling tournament

nick gantaifis, morristown daily record
·4 min read

The state wrestling championships returned on Thursday with the first of three days in Atlantic City.

Here are five Morris/Sussex wrestlers who stood out.

Brody Neill, West Morris

The freshman is off to a fast start in his state tournament debut, picking up two wins to book his spot in Friday’s 106-pound quarterfinals.

The 16th seed and Region third, Neill decked sophomore Greyson Pettit of Delsea in 2:39 in the opening round and closed the day with a 13-7 win over freshman Nikolas Rivas of St. Thomas Aquinas in the pre-quarterfinals.

“It’s been a hard journey. I’ve done a lot of great things and bad things. I’m just trying to wrestle my best with the nerves and everything,” Neill said. “I think it’s a great place to be my freshman year, but I’m not satisfied with just being here. I want to be on the podium.”

Neill cleared a path to the quarterfinals when his likely second-round opponent, top-seed Tyler Hildebrandt of Williamstown, was forced to forfeit after failing to make weight early Friday morning.

“It was a lot of hard moments thinking I was going to have to verse the number one seed right off the bat first day,” Neill said. “When I noticed he [Hildebrandt] didn’t make weight it felt great knowing that I had a closer chance of making it up to the podium.”

Neill will face West Essex senior ninth seed Alex Esposito in tomorrow quarterfinals. Esposito is a Region 3 champion.

Carl Betz, Delbarton

Rober Barrezueta, of Morris Hills, is in trouble against Carl Betz, of Delbarton, in a 157 pound match, during the opening round of the NJSIAA Wrestling State Championships, Thursday, February 29, 2024, in Atlantic City. Betz would go on to win the match.
Rober Barrezueta, of Morris Hills, is in trouble against Carl Betz, of Delbarton, in a 157 pound match, during the opening round of the NJSIAA Wrestling State Championships, Thursday, February 29, 2024, in Atlantic City. Betz would go on to win the match.

The sophomore recorded back-to-back major decisions and outscored both opponents, 24-2 in his tournament debut.

Betz, seeded seventh at 157 pounds, cruised to a 15-1 win over senior Roger Barrezueta or Morris Hills in the preliminary round and followed with a 9-1 win over 10th seed Andres Cortes of Gateway Regional/Woodbury.

Betz, a Region 5 and Morris County champion, will meet second seed Kage Jones of Camden Catholic in the quarterfinals.

MORE WRESTLING: Complete coverage, results from NJ state wrestling tournament

Nicolas Balella, Hackettstown

Balella, a three-time state qualifier, won both opening-day matches to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals at 132 pounds.

The Region 3 runner-up scored a 3-1 decision over sophomore Andre Moreno of Seton Hall in the opener and then stunned Region 6 champion sophomore Giovanni Schinina of St. Peter’s, 4-3 in the pre-quarterfinals.

“It never gets easy down here, but I would say it’s a little easier this time considering the environment. I’m not as nervous as my first two times here. I know what I have to do to get on that podium,” Balella said. “I watched a lot of film with my coaches and by myself when I had free time. I knew I had to push the pace for six minutes. I’ve been working on my cardio every day this season. Mentally, I feel strong.”

Up next for Balella in the quarterfinals is two-time state medalist Patrick O’Keefe of St. John-Vianney. O’Keefe finished eighth last year at 132 and was second at 106 pounds in 2022.

Eva Barry, Newton/Kittatinny

Eva Barry, of Newton/Kittatinny, places her contact lens back into her right eye before action starts again in the 138 pound match of the NJSIAA District Girls Region North 1 state finals, Sunday, February 25, 2024, in Vernon.
Eva Barry, of Newton/Kittatinny, places her contact lens back into her right eye before action starts again in the 138 pound match of the NJSIAA District Girls Region North 1 state finals, Sunday, February 25, 2024, in Vernon.

The two-time state qualifier knocked off last year’s state medalist, Layla Soto of Linden, 9-1 in the girls 138-pound quarterfinal round.

The sophomore will resume action tomorrow afternoon where she will face Rosabella Kearns of Freehold Township in the semifinals. Kearns picked up two win on Thursday, a 10-3 decision over Celeste Falkovich of Metuchen in the opening round and a 10-3 decision over Gabrielle Roberts of North Brunswick.

Connor Martin, Delbarton

Mt Olive, NJ -- January 27, 2024 -- Connor Martin of Delbarton won this 285 lb. semi-final, defeating Austin Buczynski of Roxbury in the Morris County Wrestling Tournament held at Mt. Olive, NJ on January 27, 2024.
Mt Olive, NJ -- January 27, 2024 -- Connor Martin of Delbarton won this 285 lb. semi-final, defeating Austin Buczynski of Roxbury in the Morris County Wrestling Tournament held at Mt. Olive, NJ on January 27, 2024.

The senior heavyweight continued his impressive season posting back-to-back falls to move into the quarterfinals.

The Region 5 champion decked Jayson Ross of Timber Creek in 2:38 and then needed just :42 to pin Matt Smith of Rumson-Fair Haven.

“This is my second time here after tearing my meniscus my sophomore year. The way I’ve been working in the offseason and training in the weight room, I can feel the difference,” Martin said. “Tomorrow’s quarterfinals is going to be a tough match. I know a little something about my opponent.”

Martin, seeded sixth, will meet Bergen Catholic junior third-seed Benjie Shue on Friday morning for the first time in his career. Shue finished fourth last year at 285 pounds.

“I’ve never wrestled him, but we played football together when we were in eighth grade with the Bergen Stars. He was a lot bigger than me back then, but I’ve put on some size since then. I’m looking forward to it," Martin said.

“I’m more comfortable this year. I’m trying to preserve myself throughout the day and not think too much. I’m going with the flow. I’m pretty calm with everything. Watching my teammates gives me a lot of motivation. I love those guys. Seeing them do great makes me want to be great.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Morris/Sussex wrestling: 5 wrestlers who stood out on Day 1