Hopatcong's Rey Moves to NCAA Quarterfinals

Zach Rey is one day closer to .

The Hopatcong native won both of his matches at Thursday's NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament in St. Louis. Rey dropped West Virginia's Brandon Williamson, 2-1, in the third round after beating Indiana's Adam Chalfant, 6-4, in overtime earlier in the day. Rey, the fourth seed, earned a first-round bye.

Rey will face his toughest challenge yet early Friday. The 285-pounder will take on No. 5 Bobby Telford of Iowa in the quarterfinals. If Rey wins, he'll face the winner a bout between Citadel's Andrew Delaney and nemesis Ryan Flores of American, the top seed.

Flores dealt Rey one of his two losses this season; the other coming at the hands of Arizona State's Levi Cooper, who was bounced from the winner's bracket Thursday. But Rey defeated Flores to win the 2011 title.

Friday will feature quarterfinals, semifinals and four rounds of wrestle-backs.

The tournament closes Saturday with wrestle-back semifinals in the morning followed by third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches. The 10 championships matches will start at 6:30 p.m.

Got some words of encouragement for Rey? Tell us in the comments.