State Wrestling: St. Joe's Alejandro and Old Bridge's Roman and Sagi advance to the semis
ATLANTIC CITY – Tyler Sagi’s roar from Boardwalk Hall just might have been heard on Rt. 516.
After the Old Bridge senior’s 7-2 upset over Paramus Catholic’s top-seeded Zach Ballante in Friday’s 157-pound quarterfinal, he let out three screams, clenching his fists, moving his arms up.
Sagi had come close but went 0-for-3 in previous state tournament attempts to medal. Now, he clinched a podium spot with a top eight finish and will wrestle in the evening semifinals.
“Since this time last year I had one focus,” Sagi said. “Everything that I did – going to Fargo (Junior Nationals), doing the training that I did even like right before districts hitting the weights harder than I ever have before just put on a little more size before I go into the postseason. Everything I did was focused on this.”
He’ll be joined by Knights teammate Logan Roman (113) and St. Joseph’s Giovanni Alejandro (138) – who had exciting quarterfinal wins – as the three Greater Middlesex Conference wrestlers to reach the quarterfinals.
Four other GMC wrestlers are still alive to earn a medal after wins in the consolation rounds. They are St. Thomas Aquinas’ Beniamino DiCocco (106) and Landon Kearns (150), South Plainfield’s Nicholas Campagna (150), North Brunswick’s William Wilson (165).
The eighth-seeded Sagi shot first and got a takedown six seconds into the match and controlled the pace. He added another takedown to lead 4-1 after the first period and spun behind for a takedown with just over 20 seconds left to seal the 7-2 win.
He’ll face Delbarton fourth-seeded Alessio Perentin (39-1) in the semifinals that start at 6 p.m.
“It’s been a long time coming for him,” Old Bridge coach John Post. “He’s always had this block. He’s gotten into the quarters a few different times and it’s never been a kind round for us but today was good. That was another one we liked the draw. Everybody in that weight is good. So whether you’re seeded first or eighth, we were very confident going into that match. I just like the way his head’s at right now. He’s loose, he’s smiling prior. I told him, I said you’re warming up how we want to see you warm up. In years past, he kind of shuts down a little bit.”
Roman’s stunning pin
It was a tight, tense match. In seemingly a flash, Logan Roman jogged to his Old Bridge coaches in the corner for a victory embrace after pinning third-seeded Robert Duffy (Christian Brothers Academy) in 2:45.
Roman got a reversal late in the first period to take a 4-2 lead. In the second period, his opponent put in a cradle, but Roman maneuvered enough to get the fall off a cement mixer.
“We knew going in that Duffy had a good cradle,” Post said. “A lot of offense that Logan sets up is defense. He’s got great shots from a whizzer and countering. He’s comfortable when he gets cradled. As soon as the cradle was slapped on, he sat through, he got his head up, scooped his head and punched his arm across.”
Don’t call it a fluke.
“It’s something that he does all the time,” the Old Bridge coach said. “He’s very comfortable in bad shots. It makes him tough to score on.”
The sixth-seeded Roman (43-1) will meet second-seeded Jayden James of Delbarton (32-2), who advanced with a 4-1 win over 10th-seeded Dalton Webber (Pope John).
Roman is having a dominant tournament with a pin in 5:55 in the opening round and a 17-2 tech fall in 6 minutes in the prequarterfinals. He reached the fourth consolation round last season, just missing a state medal.
Alejandro claims medal
Giovanni Alejandro also just missed a podium spot last season after reaching the fourth consolation round as the 27th seed. Now, as the third seed he’ll make the climb.
At 138, St. Joseph’s Alejandro and Camden Catholic’s 11th-seeded Wayne Rold traded escapes in regulation. In overtime, Alejandro darted for a good shot on the edge of the match and got the takedown for the 3-1 win.
Next up is seventh-seeded Joey Giordano of Long Beach, who upset the No. 2 seeded Zach Reilley of Raritan, 3-1 SV.
Alejandro advanced with a pin in 5:32 in the preliminary match and a 5-1 win in the prequarterfinals. He reached the fourth consolation round last season for a Top 12 finish. Now, he earns a medal.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Three GMC wrestlers reach the state semifinals
