Holmdel High School wrestlers AJ Todisco and Alexander Reyes captured individual District 18 titles. This was the first time since 2017 that the Hornets have had multiple District champions crowned.
Todisco received the top seed in 150-pound competition and looked every bit the part while traversing the brackets. In the quarterfinal round, he pinned Daniel Keelen of Spotswood. He then pinned North Brunswick’s Jomar Mena in the semifinal. In the final, he was paired with 28-match winner Michael Kurilla of South River, the No. 2 seed. The junior clinched the title via a 7-1 decision.
“He is our team leader. He leads by example,” Head Coach Michael Oxley said of Todisco.
Reyes didn’t get much mat time at the District tournament. He dispatched East Brunswick’s Yisreal Thomas via the pin at just 54 seconds into the semifinal bout. The freshman claimed the 175-pound crown by pinning Sergey Zaulnik of Manalapan in 56 seconds. This was his second title of the season. On Dec. 28, he took gold at the Hunterdon Central Invitational.
“Alex is a hard worker,” Coach Oxley said. “He has put so much time in behind the scenes that people don’t see.”
Reyes went on to earn a silver medal at the Region 5 tournament which earned him a ticket to the NJSIAA State Championships in Atlantic City. At the states, he fell one win shy of becoming the second wrestler in the program’s history to earn a state medal.
The Hornets posted a 16-9 record this year. Second-year Head Coach Oxley’s is now at 24-23.
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