MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Jared Van Allen took first place and Reid Ordower and August Katz each took second place in the respective weight classes to lead the Columbia High School boys wrestling team at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s District 11 tournament at Morristown High School on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Van Allen, a junior, won by a 13-6 decision over Giovanni Gutierrez of Hackettstown to win the 120-pound weight class championship. Van Allen won all three of his matches in the tournament, the first two by pins each in under a minute.
Ordower, a junior, won two matches before taking second place in the 113-pound weight class, losing by injury default at 5 minutes, 6 seconds to Matt D’Arcy of St. Benedict’s Prep in the final.
Katz, a sophomore, also won two matches before losing by pin in 2:27 to Justin Holly of Pope John XXIII in the final at 138.
The three Columbia wrestlers qualified for the NJSIAA’s Region 3 tournament at West Orange High School on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24.
The Cougars had two fourth-place finishers at the district: freshmen Oliver Kreizman at 106 and Milan Connolly at 126.
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