Bloomfield HS wrestlers Barak Pipkins and Adam Lutick finish second at Region 4 to reach state tournament in Atlantic City

BLOOMFIELD – Bloomfield High School wrestlers Barak Pipkins and Adam Lutick each finished in second place in their respective weight classes at the Region 4 Tournament at West Orange High School.

Pipkins and Lutick, both juniors, qualified for the state tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, March 4-6. The top three finishers in each weight class qualified for the state tournament.

In the finals, Pipkins lost to Jala’a Darwish of Passaic Valley, 5-1, in the 170-pound weight class to move to a still strong 31-9 record, and Lutick lost to Elyezer Oliviery of Union City, 3-0, in the 220-pound class to move to a still stellar 34-5 record.

Noel Eustaquio, a senior, had a strong run at the Region Tournament for BHS. Eustaquio finished in fourth place in the 195-pound class to just miss qualifying for the state tournament. In the third-place consolation, Eustaquio lost to Verona’s Mark Riggio, 7-2, to end with a solid 28-7 record this season.

Pablo Estevez, Elijah Hernandez and David Broderick also represented BHS at the Region Tournament, which consisted of the top three finishers in each weight class from the district tournaments.

Estevez, a junior, lost in the quarterfinals and lost in the wrestlebacks quarterfinals to finish with a 17-9 record.

Hernandez, a junior, lost in the preliminary round to end with a 23-13 record. Broderick, a junior, also lost in the preliminary round to finish with a 15-9 record.

BHS freshman Kevin Adorno qualified for the Region Tournament, but could not compete. Adorno finished third in the 113-pound class at the District 14 Tournament.

REGION 4 TOURNAMENT

BHS RESULTS

Feb. 24

Preliminary round

160: Omar Abdelhamid, Rutherford, pinned Elijah Hernandez, Bloomfield, :33.

285: Vladimir Baez, Passaic County Tech, decisioned David Broderick, Bloomfield, 7-1.

Feb. 26

Quarterfinals

126: John Iurato, Hasbrouck Heights, major decisioned Pablo Estevez, Bloomfield, 13-3.

170: Barak Pipkins, Bloomfield, decisioned Tiberiu Rizea, Clifton, 7-1.

195: Nick Tantillo, Fort Lee, decisioned Noel Eustaquio, Bloomfield, 7-3.

220: Adam Lutick, Bloomfield, decisioned Daniel Parra, Clifton, 8-4.

Feb. 27

Wrestlebacks quarterfinals

126: Thomas Cruz, St. Mary of Rutherford, decisioned Pablo Estevez, Bloomfield, 9-7.

195: Noel Eustaquio, Bloomfield, decisioned Taureen Jarrett, North Bergen, 5-1.

Semifinals

170: Barak Pipkins, Bloomfield, decisioned Daniel Diprenda, Cedar Grove, 9-4.

220: Adam Lutick, Bloomfield, decisioned Francis Hunter, West Essex, 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker.

Wrestlebacks semifinals

195: Noel Eustaquio, Bloomfield, decisioned Joe Lesho, Becton/Wallington, 5-4.

Third-place consolations

195: Mark Riggio, Verona, decisioned Noel Eustaquio, Bloomfield, 7-2.

Finals

170: Jala’a Darwish, Passaic Valley, decisioned Barak Pipkins, Bloomfield, 5-1

220: Elyezer Oliviery, Union City, decisioned Adam Lutick, Bloomfield, 3-0