The esteemed Escape the Rock wrestling tournament underwent significant changes this year, shifting from its traditional two-day format to a fast-paced one-day event on Saturday, leading to several remarkable performances from New Jersey wrestlers.
Among these standout athletes, Christian Brothers’ Paul Kenny captured his second title at the tournament, showcasing his dominance in the 127-pound weight class with a convincing 13-2 victory over Mikey Bautista from St. Joseph (Mont.). Fellow wrestlers Michael Batista (121) and Salah Tsarni (189) from Blair Academy also secured championship titles, while St. Joseph’s heavyweight Cristian Alvarez staged an impressive comeback to triumph 13-12 against Blair’s Cael Mielnik in a thrilling match.
Batista, seeded third, delivered a decisive third-period reversal to defeat Cooper Merli of New York Military Academy by a score of 2-0. Tsarni put forth a strong performance, defeating Howell’s Tanner Hodgins 13-4, after the two had met in the Beast of the East semifinals, where Tsarni narrowly won 8-6 with a last-second takedown. Hodgins had previously edged out Notre Dame’s Dominic Sumpolec in the semifinals, 7-6, and all three wrestlers are currently ranked among the top 10 nationwide.
Blair Academy finished second in the team standings, trailing behind Florida’s Lake Highland Prep. The team had two other wrestlers who took second place; Jack Anello (107) lost to Arav Panday of Trinity by a score of 10-2, while fifth-seeded Barry Norman fell in a nail-biting 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker to McKaden Speece from Wilson at 172 pounds.
St. Joe’s wrestlers Charlie Esposito and Brian Little also made headlines as runners-up after pulling off significant upsets. Esposito, who stunned top-seeded Rutgers commit Justin Farnsworth of Malvern Prep with a 2-1 win in the semifinals, ultimately could not secure the title, losing 8-3 to second-seeded Braiden Lotier of Bishop McDevitt. Meanwhile, Little, despite his eighth seed, achieved a remarkable victory over the nation’s sixth-ranked wrestler, Keanu Dillard of Bethlehem Catholic, winning 4-1 in the quarterfinals and then defeating Chase Hansen of Lower Cape May 4-3 before finishing as the runner-up to Tyler Conroy of Malvern Prep.
Mount Olive’s Nico Gonzalez claimed second place in the 215-pound division after a stunning semifinal victory against top-seeded Cash Colbert of St. Paul VI. However, Gonzales was pinned by Elijah Brown from Belle Vernon in the final match.
In other noteworthy performances, Camden Catholic’s Kage Jones led his 160-pound semifinal 10-2 but lost by fall to the Hill School’s Arment Waltenurgh, though he rebounded to take third. Fighting Irish state champion Sammy Spaulding experienced a heartbreak in the 133-pound semis, losing in an ultimate tiebreaker to Trinity’s Will Detar, thereby finishing fourth for the second consecutive year. He earlier secured victories by technical fall and a narrow 7-5 win against Greyson Pettit of Delsea. Additionally, Christian Brothers’ Bobby Duffy beat Delsea’s Anthony DePaul 1-0 in the 145-pound third-place matchup.
The Escape the Rock tournament not only showcased the remarkable talents of young wrestlers but also highlighted the competitive spirit within New Jersey wrestling, further solidifying its reputation as a breeding ground for future champions.