The Livingston High School wrestling team competed in the Essex County Tournament, held at Codey Arena on January 25 and 26. The Lancers had six wrestlers make it to day two, including Rory Subarsky (who placed fifth at 157 pounds); Chris Taddeo (sixth at 126 pounds); Alex Diorio (seventh at 144 pounds); and Joe Jean Marie (seventh at 175 pounds). Among the six wrestlers were also finalists Phenol Morlan (second at 150 pounds) and Jason Quirk (first at 138 pounds).
Morlan had an exceptional toumament, pinning his first two opponents and defeating Verona’s Jake Ferry by a major decision score of 19-8. The Lancer faced off against Caldwell’s Lorenzo Camaano in the finals and was winning before he was injured and had to default from the match. “It’s just one of those unfortunate situations,” explained Livingston head coach Dan Brill. “Phenol wanted to go back out and wrestle, he’s a tough competitor, but I saw how he landed and how he was moving and just couldn’t let him go back out there. He’s wrestling at a very high level, and we need to make sure we are healthy for the post-season.”
Jason Quirk began his tournament very similarly to Morlan, wrestling two matches that did not go the distance and then taking a 13-3 major decision over Glen Ridge’s Mac Davidson. In the finals, he met up against Seton Hall Prep’s Brandon Bauer, a familiar foe. These two had met up earlier in the season in the semi-finals of the Sam Cali Battle for the Belt. The final of that first meeting was 5-2 in favor of Bauer.
Quirk “flipped the script” at the County Tournament, securing two quick take-downs in the first period, finishing the period ahead, 4-2. Each wrestler went on to earn an escape point, ending the match at 5-3 with the Lancer earning the crown.
“He executed the game plan perfectly,” stated Brill. “We had talked about how Bauer is a funky wrestler and likes to scramble. In order to beat him, you need to finish your shots quickly and cleanly. Quirk did just that, and we are so proud of his efforts.”
As a senior, Quirk earns his first county championship and heads into the postseason wrestling “the best he has ever wrestled,” according to coach Brill. “The Lancer ‘Wrestling Nation’ is excited to see what he has in store for the rest of the season.”
