Gerald Van Baelen leads Bloomfield HS wrestling contingent at Region 3

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield High School senior Gerald Van Baelen finished in fifth place in the 126-pound weight class at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Region 3 tournament at West Orange High School on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25 and 26.

Van Baelen pinned Michael Hare, of West Morris, in 2:54 in the first round, before losing by pin to John Hager, of Delbarton, in 2:38 in the quarterfinal round on Friday. Van Baelen won by an 11-2 major decision over Tyler Redfield, of Warren Hills, in the wrestleback quarterfinal round on Saturday but then lost by a 6-0 decision to Shaun Quirk, of Livingston, in the wrestleback semifinal round. The wrestleback semifinal winners advanced to the third/fourth-place medal bouts. The top four finishers in each weight class qualified for the NJSIAA’s state individual championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Thursday to Saturday, March 3 to 5. 

In the fifth/sixth-place bout, Van Baelen was pinned by Vincent Keeler, of Rutherford, in 1:46.

Juan Millan, Damian Torres and Gabriel McCulloch were the other BHS competitors at the region tournament, which consisted of the top three finishers in each weight class from the districts 9, 10, 11 and 12 tournaments in the previous week. BHS competed at District 9 in Nutley.

Millan, a junior who won the District 9 title in the 120-pound weight class, earned a first-round bye but lost to Michael Campanaro, of West Morris Central, by a 7-1 decision in the quarterfinal round. Millan then was eliminated with a 7-1 loss to Jason Quirk, of Livingston, in the wrestleback quarterfinals on Saturday.

McCulloch, a freshman, competed in the 285-pound heavyweight class. He pinned Jonathan Viton, of Cliffside Park–Ridgefield, in 2:19 in the first round. In the quarterfinal round, McCulloch was pinned by Josh Herrmann, of West Morris Mendham, in 2:51. McCulloch then forfeited to Mark Ratel, of Cedar Grove, in the wrestleback quarterfinal round.

Torres, a sophomore, was pinned by Sean Haas, of Caldwell, in 1:43 in the first round of the 157-pound weight class.

Photo Courtesy of Jerry Simon

  Bloomfield High School wrestling