Sports
Yildiz Takes Third in the State for Vikings
Ali Yildiz finished third in New Jersey at the state wrestling championships in Atlantic City on Sunday, with his only loss to the eventual state champion.
South Brunswick High School senior Ali Yildiz became the third Vikings wrestler in school history to finish third in the state championships.
Yildiz, suffered one loss over the weekend in Atlantic City to eventual state champion Johnny Sebastian, of Bergen Catholic, who won by a score of 19-7 in the semi-finals.
Yildiz would rebound from that loss with a pinfall victory over Brad Schawrze, of New Egypt, in the consolation round Sunday.
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Yildiz opened the tournament with a 7-3 tiebreaker win over Glenn Cross, of Matawan, and also recorded pinfall victories over Verona's Frank Greco and Jordan Fox, of St. Peter's Prep, over the weekend.
152-pound Regional Champion Jordan Pagano, came up short against Jimmy Schuitema, of Phillipsburg, 6-4 in the opening round. In the wrestlebacks, Pagano suffered a tough loss by the score of 2-1 in a tiebreaker against Eric Barbera of Hopewell Valley.
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SBHS wrestlers who have placed in the N.J.S.I.A.A. Wrestling Tournament since the program's inception (courtesy SBHS Sports Historian Jim Zinsmeister):
SBHS Wrestler Year Weight Class Finish Jonathan Star 1975 141 lbs. Third Place George Fears 1979 188 lbs. Third Place Mike Terry 1994 119 lbs. Fifth/Sixth Place Ricardo Romero 1996 171 lbs. Fifth/Sixth Place Kyle Nasdeo 2000 130 lbs. Seventh/Eight Place Kyle Nasdeo 2001 135 lbs. Fifth Place Kyle Nasdeo 2002 135 lbs. Sixth Place Ryan Smith 2008 152 lbs. Fifth Place David Amrhein 2008 215 lbs. Fifth Place Brendan Vercammen 2010 171 lbs. Fifth Place Ali Yildiz 2013 182 lbs. Third PlaceGet more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
