Columbia HS wrestler Tyson Carroll enjoys inspiring run this season

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Tyson Carroll, a senior on the Columbia High School wrestling team, enjoyed a tremendous season.

Carroll took second in the Essex County Tournament in the 215-pound weight class. After taking second place in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s District 10 tournament in Phillipsburg, Carroll placed fourth in the NJSIAA’s Region 3 tournament at West Orange High School to qualify for the NJSIAA’s state individual championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, March 3-4.

At the state individual championships, Carroll lost in the first round but regrouped to win three straight wrestleback rounds before falling in the fourth-round wrestlebacks, thus finishing in the top 12 in the state.

Carroll finished the season with a 31-8 record. He had an 86-35 record in his career. CHS head coach Mike Freedman said Carroll would have easily broken the school’s all-time win record of 103 set by Devin Rocha in 2019, if not for the COVID-19–shortened season in 2020-21, in which he had just nine matches.

Freedman said Carroll is believed to be one of only three wrestlers in school history to finish in the top 12 in the state since 1991. The others were Bradley McClaren and Rodney Cenat, according to Freedman.

“After qualifying for the state tournament (in) his sophomore year, Tyson lost in the first round in regions last season in a COVID year in which we didn’t wrestle any tournaments and hardly any dual meets, etc.,” wrote Freedman in an email to the News-Record. “There is no doubt in my mind that it affected Tyson tremendously, because we couldn’t make any corrections or scout any opponents, etc. Showing up to regions last year as the first tournament of the season was so unfair, in my opinion. 

“This season Tyson wrestled very well the entire season, winning the Belleville tournament earlier in the season, as well as finishing second in the Essex County Tournament for the second time in his career, as well as second in district and second in the Clifton tournament. After Tyson punched his ticket to states with a fourth-place finish in the region, I knew his state tournament ride would be difficult. He immediately drew Jack Stoll of Pope John, who is a two-time state placer and finished fifth in the state this season. I was actually hoping we would wrestle the Hawthorne wrestler (Andrew Morzetta) in the wrestlebacks but that wrestler upset the Delsea wrestler (Luke Maxwell), so we had Maxwell, the 10th seed, who won 35 matches and actually defeated (Jarrett) Pantuso (of Warren Hills) in team states to win the team state title for Delsea. Tyson controlled Maxwell from the start and dominated him in a 9-4 win.

Following that match he had Nick Burns of Raritan, a region champ and ninth seed with a 34-2 record entering states and (his) only two losses were to state-ranked (David) Pierson of Phillipsburg all season long. Tyson steamrolled Burns and was winning 9-0 before pinning him.”

Carroll next faced Livingston rival Edward Padilla, who was previously 3-0 against him. “Honestly, I really liked the draw because we are very familiar with Padilla, and despite losing to Padilla in the past, I felt Tyson is the better wrestler. Tyson is much more offensive than Padilla and knew if we score first it would change the match. Tyson did score first and dominated Padilla to a 6-3 decision.

“He ultimately lost his last match to state-ranked (Brendan) Raley of North Hunterdon, another region champ we had to face along the way. Tyson won three matches in a row that day, and wrestling a fourth was just too much. He was in battles all day. I wish he could have wrestled Raley the next morning instead, but that isn’t how it works.

“The coaching staff is extremely proud of his run, and he will go down as one of the best Columbia wrestlers in the last few decades,” Freedman concluded.

Carroll and CHS junior Derek Mingmongkul, who competed at 138 pounds, were named to the All–Super Essex Conference–Liberty Division first team. Reid Ordower, a freshman 113-pounder, made the second team, while freshman 106-pounder Jared Van Allen received honorable mention.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Freedman/CHS head coach

  Columbia High School wrestling