Region 4 Wrestling: Opening night highlights of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, area Union
The eight region wrestling quarterfinals started Friday night across the state with the first round and quarterfinals. Action resumes Saturday morning with the semifinals followed by the consolation rounds and finals.
The top four in each weight class advance to the state tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Feb. 29 and March 1 and 2.
Here are some Friday highlights from Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and area Union counties wrestlers in Region 4 at Union High School.
More: Region 4 wrestling tournament live results from Union
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No-loss semifinal
One of the best semifinals can take place at 175 between Hunterdon Central’s No. 2-seeded Thomas Brunetti and Colonia’s third-seeded Michael Feliciano. Both wrestlers are 37-0 and advanced with pins in the quarterfinals.
Fourth time is the charm
Bridgewater-Raritan’s Brady Hnasko lost three times to Watchung Hills’ Cam Kolakowski this season via a pin in 3:42, 11-3 major and a pin in 6:36. Friday, the fifth-seeded Hnasko prevailed 8-0 over No. 4 Kolakowski with the highest stakes on the line to win the 120-pound quarterfinal Hnasko goes against top-seeded Anthony Rossi of Hunterdon Central.
Round 3
A 106-pound semifinal features opponents that know each other well. Top-seeded Reid Buzby (North Hunterdon) and Ridge’s fifth-seeded Tanner Connelly will meet for the third time this season. Buzby won 3-2 in the first meeting on Dec. 16. Connelly prevailed 4-3 on Feb. 6. Connelly advance with a 6-5 win over fourth-seeded Julian Arango (St. Joseph Metuchen).
Champ vs. Champ
The 157-pound quarterfinals showcased a meeting of Somerset County Tournament champions. Second-seeded Cody Pritzlaff (Watchung Hills) edged Bridgewater-Raritan’s seventh-seeded Dane Sorensen 6-4 in a meeting that lived up to the billing. In the SCT, Pritzlaff captured the gold medal at 157 and Sorensen won at 165.
JFK pulls upset
Wrestlers need to win in the first round and reach the quarterfinals in order to be able to wrestleback in the consolation rounds. J.F. Kennedy 12th-seeded freshman Armani Maglione scored the upset over fifth-seeded Owen O’Leary (Ridge) in 4:26. Maglione fell 7-2 to No. 4 Derek Sutphen (Immaculata), but he’ll be continuing his season Saturday.
Upset watch
Westfield’s seventh-seeded Max Rotter topped Immacualta’s No. 2-seeded Ryan Goldstein 12-5 in the quarterfinals.
Rematch watch
On Jan. 6, Ridge’s Gavin Duran edged Immaculata’s Nate Keller in the SCT semifinals en route to the gold medal. Saturday, they get another meeting in the 132 semifinals. The No. 2-seeded Duran beat Colonia’s Noah Bone 11-0 in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Keller beat Ahmed Hussain (Hunterdon Central) 10-0.
Wrestlers in the semifinals
Other MyCentralJersey area semifinalists include Hunterdon Central’s Ryan Sherlock (106), Watchung Hills’ Anthony DiAndrea (113), Immaculata’s Derek Sutphen (113), Pingry’s Jack Abramson (113), Hunterdon Central’s Anthony Rossi (113), Pingry’s Matteo Littman (120), St. Joseph Metuchen’s Zach Beadling (126), Watchung Hills’ Jordan Bash (138), Hunterdon Central’s Evan Thompson (138), St. Joseph Metuchen’s Morgan Schwarz (138), Bernards’ Nick Villani (144), Hunterdon Central’s Will Cella (144), Hunterdon Central’s Rhett Washleski (150), Bridgewater-Raritan’s Matthew Di Eduardo (150), Somerville’s Ryan Closterman (150), Voorhees’ Logan Wiecoreck (157), St. Joseph Metuchen’s Tyler Whitford (157), Governor Livingston’s Jake Kreisberg (157), North Hunterdon’s Brian Wilson (165), Governor Livingston’s Cristian Gioia (165), Immaculata’s Adam Bowles (175), Ridge’s Kevin Taylor (190), Westfield’s Jake Zemsky (190), Somerville’s Fabian Acuna (190), Governor Livingston’s Nathan Faxon (215), St. Joseph Metuchen’s Brian Christie (215), Plainfield’s Josue Cordoba (285), Ridge’s Christopher Oliver (285)
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Wrestling: Region 4 opening night highlights from Central Jersey
