Bloomfield assistant coach Kyle Christiansen, left, and Gabriel McCulloch pose at the Essex County Tournament on Jan. 23 at Essex County College in Newark. McCulloch won the 285-pound title and became the first Bloomfield county champion since Christiansen in 2012.
BLOOMFIELD/RANDOLPH, NJ — Senior standout Gabriel McCulloch finished in second place in the 285-pound weight class to lead the Bloomfield High School boys wrestling team at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s District 9 tournament at Randolph High School on Saturday, Feb. 22.
In the finals, McCulloch dropped a tough 2-1 decision to August Moser, of Delbarton.
Meanwhile, freshman Aidan Matias and senior Alejandro Valencia each took second place in their weight classes for the Bengals. Matias lost by an 18-1 technical fall to Tommy Marchetti, of Delbarton, at the 120-pound class; while Valencia fell by a 19-4 technical fall to Carl Betz, of Delbarton, at the 190-pound class.
The Bengals had three third-place finishers. Sophomore James Haverick pinned Harrison Smith, of Madison, in 5 minutes, 57 seconds, at the 106-pound class; senior Anthony Lizama decisioned Danel Figueroa, of St. Mary–Rutherford, 7-4, at the 126-pound class; and junior Matthew Miller pinned PJ Rooney, of Mendham, in 4:28, at 138 pounds.
The six BHS wrestlers qualified for the NJSIAA’s Region 3 tournament at West Orange High School on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28 and March 1.
McCulloch is looking to reach the NJSIAA’s state individual championships in Atlantic City for the third year in a row. The top-four finishers in each weight class at the eight region tournaments advance to Atlantic City. McCulloch won his 100th career match this season.
Seniors Joey Testa (132 pounds) and Malik Nelson (157) each took fourth place for BHS at the district tournament. The Bengals had 119 points and finished in second place overall among the 10 schools. Delbarton, which took first place in all 14 weight classes, won the district team title with 351.5 points.
Photo Courtesy of Bloomfield High School Wrestling
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