Bloomfield sophomore Gabriel McCulloch battles a Pascack Hills opponent during a home match this season.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield High School sophomore wrestler Gabriel McCulloch took fourth place in the 285-pound heavyweight class in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Region 3 state tournament at West Orange High School on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25.
As a result, McCulloch earned a berth in the NJSIAA’s state tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Thursday to Saturday, March 2-4. The top-four finishers in each weight class in the eight state region tournament earned state tournament berths.
McCulloch, seeded eighth, decisioned ninth-seeded Jack Tierney from Seton Hall Prep in West Orange 3-2 in an ultimate tiebreaker in the first round, but was then pinned by top-seeded Henry Frayne of West Morris Central High School in 35 seconds in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The next day, McCulloch decisioned fourth-seeded Nelson Claremont of Montclair High School 5-2 in the consolation first round, and won by injury default over third-seeded Brandon Toranzo of Nutley High School in the consolation semifinals to earn a berth in the state tournament as he moved on to the third-fourth place bout. McCulloch then lost a tough 2-1 decision to sixth-seeded Gavin McGill of Rutherford in the third-fourth place bout.
Sophomore Anthony Lizama, and seniors Juan Millan, Rahjohn Plummer, Michael Marzano and Estuardo Lopez were the other Bloomfield competitors at the region tournament, which consisted of the top three finishers in each weight class from district 9, 10, 11 and 12 tournaments from the previous weekend. Bloomfield competed in District 9 at Nutley High School.
At the region tournament, Marzano, seeded 10th, took sixth place in the 144-pound weight class. He pinned seventh-seeded Derek Mingmongkol from Columbia HIgh School of Maplewood in 3 minutes, 50 seconds in the first round, but then lost by pin in 40 seconds to second-seeded Brandon John Dean of West Morris Central High School in the quarterfinals.
Marzano decisioned sixth-seeded Anthony L. Moreno from St. Mary HIgh School in Rutherford 6-3 in the consolation first round. But Marzano’s bid for a state tournament berth was denied when he lost to fifth-seeded Justin Barr of West Orange High School by pin in 2:46 in the consolation semifinals. The winners in the consolation semifinals earned state tournament berths. Marzano then lost a 7-1 decision to third-seeded Nicholas Orejola of Seton Hall Prep in the fifth-sixth place bout.
Lizama (113 pounds), Millan (126) Plummer (138) and Lopez (150) each lost in the first round to become eliminated.
Photo Courtesy of Bloomfield Wrestling
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