IRVINGTON, NJ – Irvington High School standout wrestler Tyhmir Lassiter enjoyed a great run in the Region 3 tournament held at West Orange High School.
Lassiter finished in fifth place in the 182-pound weight class. The senior just missed qualifying for the NJSIAA state tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. He was just one win from earning a state tournament berth. The top four finishers in each weight class qualified for the state tournament.
In the fifth-place consolation bout on Saturday, Feb. 25, Lassiter won by major decision over Ridge’s Nolan Bianchi, 11-4, after losing to Bianchi in the quarterfinals the previous night.
In the first round on Wednesday, Feb. 22, Lassiter pinned Seton Hall Prep’s Zachary Merlino in 3:33.
In the quarterfinals on Friday, Feb. 24, Lassiter dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Bianchi.
On Saturday, Lassiter decisioned Millburn’s Sam Gladson, 9-4, in the wrestleback quarterfinals. But in the wrestleback semifinals, Lassiter dropped an 11-4 decision to Sean Aston of Iselin-Kennedy. A win would have put Lassiter into the third-place consolation bout.
Lassiter got sweet redemption in the fifth-place consolation with the win over Bianchi to finish a great career for the Blue Knights.
Clerson Xavier (145-pound class) and Carl Napoleon (285-pound heavyweight class) were the ther IHS wrestlers in the region tournament. Xavier lost in the first round. Napoleon lost a tough 2-1 decision in overtime in the first round against Seton Hall Prep’s Nikolaos Diakides.