Trent Levash and his two Bridgewater-Raritan High School teammates, who started the day in Atlantic City, lived to wrestle another day under New Jersey's brightest lights.
Levash, the No. 7 seed at 285 pounds, extended his bid for a State tournament title by winning both of his bouts on Thursday, March 12, at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Meanwhile, junior Matt McCann, the No. 13 seed at 165 pounds, and senior Andrew Adell, the 28th seed at 113 pounds, will compete for Bridgewater-Raritan after being eliminated from state championship contention.
But McCann and Adell are still alive for a top-eight podium spot after splitting their two matches on Thursday, March 12. They will wrestle in the wrestleback consolations.
The second day of the State tournament will be held on Friday, March 13, when the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the wrestleback consolations are contested.
The State tournament will end on Saturday, March 14, when the champions and the top eight overall finishers in each weight class are determined.
Levash, a junior, opened up the day with a 9-5 decision over North Hunterdon Regional High School senior and 26th-seeded Anthony DeSimone, who has now been defeated by Levash in each of the District 14, Region 4, and State tournament bouts.
Levash then defeated 10th-seeded senior Gavin Mericle of High Point Regional High School in the pre-quarterfinal round by decision, 8-2, to punch his ticket to the quarterfinal round of the championship bracket.
Levash will next wrestle the No. 2 seed in Woodstown High School senior Mateo Vincciguerra, who pinned both of his first two opponents in a combined time of just 1:06. A trip to the semifinal round will be at stake for the winner on the second day of action, which will start at 9 a.m. Friday, March 13, with the second round of wrestlebacks.
Levash's bid to stand alone at the top of the podium will follow his two teammates' first elimination bouts of Friday morning.
McCann rallied to win his preliminary bout. 4-1, over Ramapo High School senior and 20th-seeded Gino Gorga, but was edged in a hard-fought match by fourth-seeded junior Josh Piparo of Saint Peter's Preparatory School, who won the Region 4 title.
McCann will launch his second day of action with a matchup against either 30th-seeded junior Gage Dembowski of Montville High School or 14th-seeded senior Ryan Will of Middletown High School South.
In a rematch of a December 13 season-opening loss by a pin to Middletown High School North's Ryan Blewett (No. 5 seed), who won the Mike Dessino Invitational in his bracket at Middlesex High School, Adell and Blewett made their state individual tournament debuts with the highest of stakes. Adell went the distance but lost by major decision, 9-0, to fall into the first round of wrestlebacks against Delbarton School sophomore Alex Rosciano, the No. 21 seed.
Although he was the underdog, Adell did not look like it with his Bridgewater-Raritan wrestling career on the line, as he rolled to an 18-3 upset victory by technical fall time of 5:56 to extend his final season to Friday morning, March 13.
Adell's next match will be in the second round of wrestlebacks against Bergen Catholic High School freshman and sixth-seeded Anthony Riotto, who was upset by technical fall, 15-0 in 4:28 against Christian Brothers Academy's 11th-seeded Shiloh Joyce in the pre-quarterfinals.