UPDATE: Irvington HS wrestlers impress to earn All-Area honors

IRVINGTON – The Irvington High School varsity wrestling team, under head coach Kyle Steele, enjoyed a successful season, finishing with an impressive 16-10 record.

The Blue Knights, as the host team, won their Holiday Tournament title for third consecutive season. They also finished fourth out of 10 teams at the District 10 Tournament at Millburn High.

The Blue Knights were blessed with outstanding wrestlers who have earned Worrall Media All-Area honors. They include Tyhmir Lassiter, Terrell Ashman, Clerson Xavier, Donchard Jean-Paul, Carl Napoleon and Elijah Shannon.

Lassiter and Ashman made All-Area first team, while the other four IHS wrestlers made All-Area second team.

Lassiter had a strong season at the 182-pound class. The junior took second at the Essex County Tournament. He won the District 10 Tournament title and finished fifth/sixth at the Region 3 Tournament to finish with a stellar 32-7 record. Steele called Lassiter the “leader of the team.”

Ashman, a sophomore at the 106-pound class, was third at the ECT and second at the district to finish with a solid 28-8 record.

“He is very athletic and coachable kid,” Steele said. “He learns and applies what he learns really well.”

Xavier, a junior, took second at the district to qualify for the region tournament and ended with a 21-9 record.

“Clerson, aka ‘Pac-Man’ because of his excellent use of the cradle, joined the varsity lineup late this season and pinned through the competition like he had to make up for lost time,” Steele said.

Jean-Paul, a senior 195-pounder, was third at the ECT. He also took third at the district to reach the region tournament and finished with a strong 27-5 record. “He had a very solid senior season,” Steele said. “He was as consistent as you could get and used a wide range of attacks to secure takedowns en route to taking third in the county and district.”

Napoleon, a sophomore in his first year on varsity, was fourth at the ECT at the 285-pound class. He also was fourth at the district to finish with a 23-12 record. “He was very impressive and used grit and stamina to win a lot of overtime matches. He beat the county champ from Columbia (Kevhan Bent) twice!”

Shannon, a senior at 145, finished with a 23-12 record, taking fourth at the district. “He had a very respectable year,” Steele said. “He used speed to secure a lot of his wins.”

Correction: Ashman has made All-Area first team.