NUTLEY – Nutley High School senior Darwin Pena has put himself in position to earn a bronze medal in the state wrestling tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Pena, the No. 6 seed in the bottom of the bracket of the 152-pound class, bounced back from losing in the pre-quarterfinals on Friday, March 4, to win all four matches in the wrestleback rounds on Saturday, winning his 100th career match before capping the day by getting payback against Newark Academy’s Steve Bonsall.
Pena, who raised his record to 41-4 after Saturday’s victories, enters Sunday’s final day of the tournament needing one win to get a shot at the bronze medal.
To start the tournament, Pena decisioned unseeded Brady Ford of Bergen Catholic, 6-1, in the preliminary round on Friday. Pena, unfortunately, dropped a tough 3-2 decision to third-seeded Lorenzo Ruggiero of Delsea in the pre-quarterfinals later that night.
Pena returned on Saturday and simply went on a roll.
First, he decisioned Colin Lex of Collingswood by a 17-2 technical fall in 3:17 in the wrestlebacks first round. Pena then decisioned junior and Essex County 152-pound champion Aidan Monteverdi of Seton Hall Prep, 5-3, in the wrestlebacks second round to gain his 100th career victory.
Pena followed that with a 5-2 decision win over senior Daniel Hedden of South Plainfield in the wrestlebacks third round. Hedden, the Region 3 champion, was the No. 3 seed in the top bracket and fell to 33-7.
Pena then decisioned Bonsall, 8-6, in the wrestlebacks quarterfinals. Pena avenged three losses to Bonsall this season (the Essex County Tournament semifinals on Jan. 22, 5-4, Jan. 22; the District 14 Tournament final, 6-2, Feb. 20; and the Region 4 Tournament final, 5-4, in double overtime, Feb. 27).
Bonsall was undefeated going into Atlantic City and was seeded fourth in the top bracket.
Pena will wrestle Avery DiNardi of Holy Cross in the wrestlebacks semifinals on Sunday. DiNardi, a junior, who is 36-5 and won the Region 7 title, was seeded No. 2 in the bottom of the bracket.
The other wrestlebacks semifinals pits Dominick Mandarino of Don Bosco Prep against Ruggiero.
The wrestlebacks semifinals winners will wrestle in the third/fourth-place medal round, while the losers will wrestle in the fifth/sixth-place medal round, both later on Sunday.
Bonsall, a senior, fell to 41-2 with the loss to Pena and will wrestle in the seventh/eighth-place medal bout on Sunday.
Justin Bivona was NHS’ other competitor at the state tournament. Bivona, unseeded in the bottom of the bracket of the 182-pound class, lost to sixth-seeded Christopher Nielsen of Pinelands by decision, 9-3, in the preliminary round on Friday. The next day, Bivona lost by pin to Zach Turner of Allentown in 3:59 in the wrestlebacks first round to become eliminated. Bivona finished with a 19-19 record.
This is Pena’s second straight appearance in the state tournament in Atlantic City. Last season, Pena competed in the 145-pound class and finished 2-2 in the tournament to end his junior season with a 36-6 record.
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