Irvington HS wrestlers advance to state finals in Atlantic City; Steele named District 13 and Region 4 Coach of the Year

IRVINGTON, NJ — Justin Evans-Jenkins and Lensley Therlonge have punched their tickets to Atlantic City.

The Irvington High School seniors finished in the top three of their weight classes at the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Region 4 wrestling tournament on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25 and 26, at North Hunterdon.

Evans-Jenkins finished in second place in the 285-pound weight class, losing to North Hunterdon’s Liam Akers in the final, while Therlonge took third place in the 215-pound class with a hard-fought 2-1 win in a tiebreaker session over Trevor Bowen, of Delaware Valley.

Evans-Jenkins and Therlonge have qualified for the NJSIAA’s state individual championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Thursday to Saturday, March 3 to 5. The top four finishers in each weight class at the eight state regions qualified for the state championships.

In addition, IHS head coach Kyle Steele was named the Region 4 coach of the year. In the previous week, Steele was named the District 13 coach of the year. 

In the Region 4 tournament, Evans-Jenkins pinned Tim Torrey of Delaware Valley in 1:14 in the first round and then won by a 5-0 decision over Brian Moyer, of St. Thomas Aquinas, in the quarterfinals on Friday. Evans-Jenkins posted a 3-1 decision over Kevin Shriner, of Cranford, in the semifinals on Saturday before falling to Akers. At the NJSIAA’s District 13 tournament at Millburn on Feb. 19, Evans-Jenkins lost to Akers by pin in 4:34 in the final to finish in second place.

Meanwhile, back at the region tournament, Therlonge pinned Shawn Amer, of Colonia, in 1:48 in the first round before losing to Bowen in the quarterfinal round by a 6-3 decision. Therlonge bounced back on Saturday with a pin over Aidan MacKenzie, of South Plainfield, in 1:46 in the wrestleback quarterfinal round and then posted a 3-1 sudden-victory decision over Martin Martinetti, of St. Peter’s Prep, to reach the third-place consolation, where he got his revenge over Bowen.

Evans-Jenkins and Therlonge were standout football players, helping the Blue Knights to their first-ever state sectional and regional championships last fall. They will continue their football careers on the collegiate level on athletic scholarships. Evans-Jenkins signed with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, while Therlonge signed with American International College, in Springfield, Mass.

Irvington featured three other competitors at the Region 4 tournament. 

Isaiah Augustin, another standout football player, who signed to play football at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, took fifth place in the 190-pound weight division. Augustin posted a 6-3 decision win over John Johns, of Newark East Side, in the first round but then lost to Michael Torres, of Colonia, in the quarterfinal round by a 8-2 score on Friday. Augustin then pinned Fabian Acuna, of Somerville, in 35 seconds in the wrestleback quarterfinals on Saturday but lost by pin to Jake Fern, of Ridge, in the wrestleback semifinals, to move to the fifth/sixth-place bout, where he won by a medical forfeit over Torres.

Demo Clenord, a junior, took sixth place in the 165-pound weight class. He pinned Anthony Robinson, of Scotch Plains–Fanwood, in 3:54, in the first round, before losing to Colin Murray, of Cranford, by pin in 1:42 in the quarterfinal round. Clenord then pinned Michael Feliciano, of Colonia, in 1:53 in the wrestleback quarterfinals before losing by an 11-3 major decision to Jack Martin, of Pingry, in the wrestleback semifinals. Clenord lost by pin to Tyler Balent, of South Plainfield, in 4:53 in the fifth/sixth-place bout.

Jayson Turner, a junior, lost in the first round to Ben Levy, of Delaware Valley, by pin in 4:34 in the 138-pound weight class.

The region tournament consisted of the top three finishers in each weight class from the districts 13, 14, 15 and 16 tournaments. 

At the District 13 tournament at Millburn on Feb. 19, the Blue Knights finished fourth overall out of nine teams. Turner and Therlonge, in addition to Evans-Jenkins, finished in second place, while Clenord and Augustin each finished in third place.

In the finals, Turner was pinned by Daniel DeLusant, of North Hunterdon, in 1:130 and Therlong lost by an 11-0 major decision to Brendan Raley, also of North Hunterdon. In the third/fourth-place consolations, Clernord decisioned Freddy Gabin, of Elizabeth, by a 9-1 score, while Augustin decisioned Austin Tilton, of Rahway, by a 5-3 score.

Photos Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owens and Nesbit Digital

  Irvington High School wrestling