Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School Wrestlers Capture Second Place in League Tournament

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School wrestling team secured second place overall in the Raritan Valley League Tournament on Jan. 31, hosted at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School. The team concluded its regular season with a 6-6 record.

Mike Denver, who coaches the team with Anthony Silva, noted the wrestlers' progress.

"I think that this team demonstrated resilience, growth, and the power of peaking at the right time," Denver said.

He added, "Although we did not have many team wins this season, finishing 6-6, the team continued to improve by 1 percent each day."

Denver also stated, "We kept believing in the process and continued to improve on our technique, and when it was time to perform, they showed up with confidence and poise."

He expressed pride in the team's development.

"We finished up second as a team overall in the tournament, with some of our lower-seeded wrestlers knocking off or battling it out with some of the top seeds," Denver said.

He added, "I am proud of how far this team has come and look forward to what they will accomplish next year."

Three Middle School wrestlers earned league championships: Xaden Chua, Chase Magley, and Lucas Toro. Xaden Chua won the 95-pound title, securing two matches in 1:10 mat time.

Xaden stated he used "a cradle for one pin and then an arm bar to win his other match by the fall." He also noted, "It helps that I wrestle almost year-round."

Lucas Toro, a No. 1 seed, pinned his way to the 140-pound championship. Lucas said he used an underhook to achieve his pins.

"I like to use a lot of throws," Lucas said.

Chase Magley, a fourth seed, won the 100-pound championship. He defeated the No. 5 seed, the top seed, and the No. 3 seed in double overtime in the final match.

Additional titles were won by Sean Sylvestrer in the B Tournament and Danilla Quuevedo in the Girls’ Tournament.

Denver also recognized Silva's contributions.

"I would also like to mention that Coach Silva put a lot of work into this tournament, organizing all the workers and officials, running it, obtaining medals, and answering questions from other teams," Denver said.

He added, "He is the main reason why the tournament goes off without a hitch every year. Thank you, Coach Silva, for all that you do."

Other notable results included Owen Jones placing third at 80 pounds, Tyler Hampton second at 90 pounds, and Leo Grasso third at 150 pounds.