Seton Hall Prep wrestlers impress at the state finals

Seton Hall Prep senior Logan Brzozowski, right, competes at the state finals in Atlantic City.

Seton Hall Prep sophomore Rocco Salerno is shown at the state finals, Thursday to Saturday, Feb. 29-March 2, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep wrestling team qualified a school-record eight wrestlers who competed at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s state individual championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City last weekend.

Two wrestlers went 0-2, four wrestlers went 1-2, sophomore 215-pound Rocco Salerno went 5-2 and finished in seventh place and senior Logan Brzozowski went 4-2 and finished in fifth place. Following his final match, Brzozowski said, “I thought I wrestled well. It was not the finish I wanted, but I did have a lot of fun, being this is my last appearance here in Atlantic City. It is an honor and privilege to wrestle in this tournament. I look to improve at the next level at Harvard next season.”

Salerno commented on his seventh-place finish. “It was a great feeling. I worked very hard all season in the room and I am glad it paid off. Once I got to the losers bracket, it’s do-or-die and it took a lot of mental strength and determination to win three bouts to qualify for the medal round.”

The following are the SHP results:

106 pounds – sophomore Joseph Viola – lost 7-2 to Jake Holly (Pope John XXIII); lost by pin in 3 minutes, 17 seconds to Reid Buzby (North Hunterdon).
113 pounds – junior Anthony Pellegrino – lost 6-3 in a tiebreaker to Aidan Yarussi (North Hunterdon); won 7-5 over Matt D’Arcy (St. Benedict’s); lost by pin 2:39 to Colton Hagerty (Washington Twp.).
120 pounds – Brzozowski – won by pin in 4:59 against Matteo Littman (Pingry); won 3-1 against Christopher Nucifora (Bergen Catholic); won 6-4 against Noah Michaels (Red Bank Catholic); lost 20-5 by technical fall in 5:46 against Anthony Knox (St. John Vianney); lost 7-1 to Mikey Bautista (St. Joseph (Montvale); fifth-place: won 4-1 against Noah Michaels (Red Bank Catholic).
132 pounds – sophomore Andre Morero – lost 3-1 to Nicolas Balella (Hackettstown), won 10-6 against Alexander Liss (Matawan), lost 8-3 to Gavin Duran (Ridge).
138 pounds – senior Carlo Vanvolkenburgh – lost 6-2 to Logan Hrenenko (Sparta), won 4-2 against Noah Zindaki (Wayne Valley), lost 3-2 to Josh Lee (Warren Hills).
144 pounds – junior Nicholas Orejola – lost by injury default in 3:09 to Zach Reilley (Raritan), lost by forfeit against Reid Clausi (West Essex).
190 pounds – junior Clark Rich – lost 9-0 to Pantaleo Varge (Bergen Catholic), won 5-2 against Aidan Dugan (Westwood), lost by pin 1:18 against Kaleb Wright (Gloucester City).
215 pounds – Salerno – won 9-1 against Nathan Smith (Phillipsburg), lost 5-4 in an ultimate tiebreaker against Dante DeLuca (Don Bosco Prep), won 8-4 against Mateo Vinciguerra (Woodstown), won 12-6 against Pasquale Stanco (Allentown), won 5-2 against Matthew Jones (Hillsborough), lost by pin in 5:01 against Collin French (Southern Regional), seventh place: won by forfeit over Cole Hughes (Emerson/Park Ridge).

Brzozowski had a great career, as he finished with a 97-24 record with one Essex County Tournament title, three district titles and one region title, and made three appearances in the state finals, finishing in the top 12 in 2022, second place last year and fifth place this year.

Salerno is having a great career as his current record stands at 59-15 with two Essex County Tournament titles, two district titles, a second- and third-place region finish and a seventh-place finish in two state finals appearances.

At the state finals, a brand new Seton Hall Prep wrestling mat was unveiled, as it was used as one of the eight state finals mats.

Photos Courtesy of Seton Hall Prep