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Girls Wrestling: Emma Sagi rallies for win, Aliya Graca takes gold at EB tournament

andy mendlowitz, mycentraljersey.com
·4 min read

EAST BRUNSWICK – The first two periods, well, they didn’t go so good for Old Bridge’s Emma Sagi. The senior got thrown to her back and trailed 7-0 in a high-level final Saturday at the East Brunswick Lady Bear Invitational.

For Sagi, it was no problem. Simply, the fighting spirit in her says to keep scrapping.

“I don’t even look at the score,” Sagi said. “I just keep wrestling. I just listen to my coaches and just keep going. I just knew I was good on top. When she picked bottom, I was like, ‘Yes.’ So then I worked my stuff.”

More: Central Jersey girls high school wrestlers to watch in 2023-24

Down 7-2, Sagi cranked in an arm bar for back points and then stuck in a half nelson to score the fall against Somerville’s Emme Hoarle in 5:59 to stunningly win the 126-pound title.

Old Bridge's Emma Sagi (purple) wrestles Somerville's Emme Hoarle in the 126-pound final at the East Brunswick Lady Bear Invitational on Dec. 23, 2023
Old Bridge's Emma Sagi (purple) wrestles Somerville's Emme Hoarle in the 126-pound final at the East Brunswick Lady Bear Invitational on Dec. 23, 2023

East Brunswick’s Aliya Graca (185) was the other Greater Middlesex Conference wrestler to earn a title in the tournament that attracted 44 teams from throughout the state. Kingsway won with 186 points and East Brunswick placed second (119).

Here is a look at GMC’s performances.

Sagi comes back

The 126-final final featured two wrestlers who each placed fifth in the state last season – Sagi at 126 and Hoarle at 114.

“As soon as I looked at the bracket, I was like yeah, I figured it’s going to be the two of us,” Sagi said. “I was just excited because I knew that match was going to be a tough one. You want those tough matches. They make you a better wrestler. … I knew I was ready. I just made some stupid mistakes, but I fixed it.”

Sagi advanced to the final with pins in 42 seconds, 5:09 and 1:21. The championship had a feel like it was a March bout in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.

Hoarle led 2-0 after the first period opened after chin-whipping Sagi during a shot attempt. Sagi didn’t get frazzled and calmly regrouped with a dominant third period.

In Sagi’s corner were Gabby Miller, a former state champion for the Knights, and her brother Tyler, home from the Naval Academy where he is a freshman wrestler.

“I’m really excited that my brother’s home this weekend,” Emma said. “So I got really fortunate with that.”

Tyler was one of the area’s best wrestlers the past four seasons. The running joke among Old Bridge fans is that people often refer to Emma as Tyler’s sister.

Now, after performances like Saturday, they’ll be saying Tyler is Emma’s brother.

Graca wins gold

Wrestling in a dual meet or a consolation match is one thing. But prematch prep for a final?

As East Brunswick’s Aliya Graca put it, she felt a high level of anxiety before Saturday’s 185-pound final.

East Brunswick's Aliya Graca has Bloomfield’s Reno Prochilo on her back in the 185-pound final at the East Brunswick Lady Bears Invitational on Dec. 23, 2023
East Brunswick's Aliya Graca has Bloomfield’s Reno Prochilo on her back in the 185-pound final at the East Brunswick Lady Bears Invitational on Dec. 23, 2023

“It was total business until I got onto the mat,” she said. “I was very nervous. This is my first ever finals match. So it was very adrenaline-pumping, very nervous, very ready for the fight. But I’m happy I was able to finish it and win.”

The junior won by injury default against Bloomfield’s Reno Prochilo after the first period. Graca, though, looked good in the first two minutes and hit a head lock.

Graca placed eighth in the state at 145 last season. Not bad in her second season wrestling.

“My freshman year was a lot of learning,” said Graca, who has a jiu-jitsu background. “My sophomore year was where I started to put stuff together and now junior year, it’s me fine-tuning everything. It’s coming together.

East Brunswick's Aliya Graca (green) wrestles Bloomfield’s Reno Prochilo in the 185-pound final at the East Brunswick Lady Bears Invitational on Dec. 23, 2023
East Brunswick's Aliya Graca (green) wrestles Bloomfield’s Reno Prochilo in the 185-pound final at the East Brunswick Lady Bears Invitational on Dec. 23, 2023

“I definitely put in a lot of work in the offseason. Put time in the gym and it’s paying off already. I’m really happy that I was able to win my first tournament. … I’m so excited for the rest of my season.”

Graca did bump up a couple weight classes, but said she feels energized and great in her new division.

“Last year I was just wrestling with scale the whole season,” she said. “I wasn’t really focusing on my actual technique. So now I did put on some weight ... and now I feel a lot stronger. I feel quicker. I’m just ready to go.

“I feel more knowledgeable, and I’m ready to win. Everything is to my coaches. My coaches got me to where I am today. If they didn’t spend time with me and work with me, I wouldn’t be here today winning this gold medal.”

Other East Brunswick medalists included Olivia Mitchell (second at 114), Kristina Imperial (fifth at 107), Arielle Holeman (sixth at 132) and Abigail Lydon (sixth at 152).

 Other GMC top finishes

Perth Amboy placed ninth with 62 team points, highlighted by Leeah Gutierrez (107) placing second and Estrella Brito (107) taking second. (Teams were allowed to enter multiple wrestlers at each weight.)

South Brunswick’s Sruthi Murugan (185) took third, and placing fourth were J.F. Kennedy’s Evangelia Kotsonis (107) and Old Bridge’s Emily Valerio (165).

Metuchen had a pair of medalists in Celeste Falkovich (fourth at 138) and Caelum Ritzdorf (fifth at 132).

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ wrestling: GMC wrestlers compete at EB tournament