Bloomfield HS wrestler Zachary Andruchowitz reaches NJSIAA tournament in Atlantic City for second straight season

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Bloomfield High School wrestler Zachary Andruchowitz punched his ticket to Atlantic City for the second straight season.

Andruchowitz, a junior, finished in third place in the 182-pound weight class at the Region 3 tournament at West Orange High School on Feb. 26, 28-29. As a result, Andruchowitz earned a berth in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Association tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on March 5-7. The top four finishers in each weight class earned berths in the NJSIAA tournament.

After receiving a bye in the pre-quarterfinals, Andruchowitz won in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Adonis May of West Orange by a 3-1 decision in the semifinals. Andruchowitz then won in the consolation semifinals to clinch an NJSIAA tournament berth and reach the third-place bout where he posted a technical fall over Columbia’s Tyson Carroll.

D’Isaiah Larrea, a senior, made a good run as he finished in fifth place in the 145-pound class for the Bengals. 

Gerald Van Baelen, a sophomore, and junior Ramin B-Razavi were the other BHS wrestlers in the region tournament, which consisted of the top three finishers in each weight class from districts 9, 10, 11 and 12. BHS competed in District 9 in Livingston. Van Baelen won in the pre-quarterfinals before losing in the quarterfinals and consolation quarterfinals, while B-Razavi lost in the pre-quarterfinals.

Last season, Andruchowitz took fourth place at 182 in the Region 3 tournament.

Region 3, at West Orange HS

Feb. 26

Pre-quarterfinals

120-pound weight class: Gerald Van Baelen, Bloomfield, pinned PJ Shaw, Verona, 3:31.

132: Cahil Love Jr., Columbia, technical fall Ramin B-Razavi, Bloomfield, 19-4.

145: D’Isaiah Larrea, Bloomfield, decisioned Glenn Torkos, Hanover Park, 7-3.

Feb. 28

Quarterfinals

120: Joseph Davi, Delbarton, pinned Gerald Van Baelen, Bloomfield, 0:59.

145: Eli Shepard, West Morris, major decisioned D’Isaiah Larrea, Bloomfield, 12-2.

182: Zachary Andruchowitz, Bloomfield, decisioned Max Ruiz, Caldwell, 7-2.

Feb. 29

Semifinals

182: Adonis May, West Orange, decisioned Zachary Andrchowitz, Bloomfield, 3-1.

Consolation quarterfinals

120: Damianlee Torres, West Orange, major decisioned Gerald Van Baelen, Bloomfield, 10-2.

145: D’Isaiah Larrea, Bloomfield, pinned Jason Candelano, Madison, 1:52.

Consolation semifinals

145: Jacob Gonzalez, Nutley, decisioned D’Isaiah Larrea, Bloomfield, 10-3.

182: Zachary Andruchowitz, Bloomfield, pinned Bradley Mika (Wood-Ridge), 2:23.

Fifth-place

145: D’Isaiah Larrea, Bloomfield, pinned Zalyn Smith, Irvington, 5:18.

Third-place

182: Zachary Andruchowitz, Bloomfield, technical fall Tyson Carroll, Columbia, 4:48.