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NUTLEY, NJ — The Nutley High School boys wrestling team, under veteran head coach Mike DiPiano Jr., has enjoyed a great season this winter.
The Raiders finished the dual-meet season with a stellar 24-7 record. In the final day of the regular season, DiPiano won his 400 career coaching match, as the Raiders hosted a tri-meet, defeating Lyndhurst 62-16 on Feb. 21.
NHS went 1-1 in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 state tournament on Feb. 16. The third-seeded Raiders defeated No. 6 seed Passaic Valley 42-27 in the quarterfinals before losing to host and No 2 seed West Essex 34-30 in the semifinals later that night.
Leading the Raiders are senior 144-pound Christopher Cifelli, who won his 100th career match earlier this season, and junior 157-pound Aidan Rotbaum.
Other strong wrestlers for NHS are junior 175-pound Antonio Maiden, junior 285-pound heavyweight Nolan Brewer, senior 138-pound Patrick Chell, junior 106-pound Valne DeLaney, sophomore 120-pound Evan Blanchard, senior 215-pound Sean Vilchez and freshman 113-pound Luke Finkelstein.
NHS will host the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s District 10 state tournament on Feb. 28. The top three wrestlers in each weight class will advance to the Region 3 tournament at West Orange High School, March 6-7. The top four finishers in each weight class at the regions will advance to the NJSIAA state individual championships in Atlantic City, March 12-14.
Photos Courtesy of Mike DiPiano Jr.
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