Wednesday night on January 13th, Colonia’s Wrestling team defeated JP Stevens won with a 45-32 lead that boosted their record to 6-2.
Colonia has had a positive history against JP Stevens. Last year Colonia also proved to be the better team as they beat them again on their home mat. Last year with the help of last year’s seniors and varsity starters which included Sam Pero, Azam Naqvi, Mahmoud Bachir, and many more, Colonia was able to wrestle their way on top of the Falcons.
This year the starting lineup for Colonia was better than ever, better than it has been in a long time. With continuous starters from last year’s team Colonia has displayed more than enough potential to compete for their spot in the Top
Colonia’s Luke Pero(Blue) Securing the Pin
10 in the GMC. With performances from ‘Outstanding Wrestler’/Minuteman Tournament 1st place champion Keion Cherry and other Minuteman Tournament 1st place champions Luke Pero and Mike Salcedo, Colonia proved to be a challenge for JP Stevens.
The starters for JP Stevens proved to be more of a challenge than expected as they kept the match quite close for the duration of the Senior Night match. This year Samuel Marshall(JP’s 170 pound wrestler) came looking to display his growth as a wrestler against Colonia being that last year he lost against former Colonia Varsity starter Sam Pero. Another starter to note was Daniel Defilippo that won due to his injury default caused by Colonia’s Julian Arteaga wrestling at 113.
Losing on their senior night, Wednesday’s match for JP Stevens was an upset. They can say though that they didn’t go down without a fight. Senior Samuel Marshall from JP gained the lead against his opponent Mike Salcedo and dragged the match on for the full three periods. Showing no signs of mercy, Marshall beat Salcedo with a 7-0 upset giving his team another three points. Not to forget JP Steven’s Paul Vargas which pinned Colonia’s Brandon Gallitelli in 1:32 at the 152 pound weight class.
Finishing with a with a 12 team point lead, Colonia gave themselves breathing room for the night but kept it crisp with more than half the team pinning other JP Steven wrestlers. Colonia Wrestlers from Luke Pero to Keion Cherry helped to secure the team’s lead. With Wednesday night’s win, Colonia’s team record now goes up to 6-2 which gives the team just one more place higher in the GMC.
