West Orange Wrestlers Compete for Spot at State Championship

Six West Orange High School wrestlers will compete at the NJSIAA Region 4 Tournament this Saturday, to vie for a spot at the state championships. The tournament is being held at West Orange High School.

West Orange High School senior and Essex County champion Chris Morgan, weighing in at 182 lbs., is the top seed. He remains undefeated this season at 34-0.

District Champions, sophomore Victor Lopez (106 lbs. and third seed) and senior Isaiah Adams (120 lbs. and sixth seed,) will compete along with Morgan on Friday, Feb. 27 beginning at 6 pm.

Senior Alex Elliott (160 lbs.), freshman Sebastian Rawls (170 lbs.) and freshman Noah Tandy (195 lbs.) wrestled Feb. 25 but were eliminated.

“The boys lost but they battled valiantly,” said Head Coach Stephan Zichella. “Elliott lost in a scramble at the end of his match. He almost had his opponent taken down for a win, but he ran out of time. Sebastian lost to a senior that was 31-4 in double overtime. Tandy was outmatched but wrestled tough.”

There are 12 wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes, and the top three in each will advance to become the top 24 in the state.

“Our goal is to have as many of our kids advance to the NJSIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament in Atlantic City next weekend as possible,” said Head Wrestling Coach Stephan Zichella.

The NJSIAA Region 4 Tournament at West Orange High School continues at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27 and at 9 a.m. on Feb. 28, with Semifinals at 9 a.m. and Finals at 3:45 p.m. Qualifying wrestlers from Region 4 are competing for a slot in the State Individuals Championships to be held March 6-8 in Atlantic City.

The Tournament will be held in the Tarnoff Gymnasium located at West Orange High School, 51 Conforti Avenue. The gym is located off Alisa Drive near Degnan Park.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase throughout the competition and parking is available. Tickets are $6 for general admission, $4 for students on Friday, and $10 for all day Saturday.

Pictured: WOHS Senior Chris Morgan heads into the NJSIAA Region 4 Tournament undefeated.

Photo by Erika Bakirtzis

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