Blair and Lake Highland Prep Stage a Dual for the Ages with a Twist at the End

In a pre-internet throwback with no live results and one controversial finale, Blair Academy edged Florida powerhouse Lake Highland Prep in a nationally loaded quad that came down to bonus points — and a forfeit at 106

Barry Norman's return from injury and his 4-3 win over Lucas Boe, at 165, were key factors in Blair Academy's, 30-28, win over Lake Highland Prep. / Barry Norman

No. 4 Lake Highland Prep from Florida descended upon the campus of New Jersey’s No. 3 Blair Academy for a Saturday Quad match that included No. 18 St. Edward of Ohio and Virginia’s St. Christopher’s of Virginia.

A National Quad Wrapped in Secrecy

The main event was the last one on the card with a 4 P.M. start time. The dual, whose results were top secret, with online results non-existent, gave us a flashback to a simpler, pre-internet age, when results traveled by word of mouth. On Monday morning, High School on SI was able to secure a scorecard and went about deciphering the handwriting.

Bonus Points Make the Difference

It surely was a thriller in Blairstown, with the Wrestling Gods offering the cruel twist of ending the match at the 106-pound weight class. The weight with so much controversy following it in the pre-match hoopla.

Both contingencies claimed victory in half the matches. Both picked up unexpected wins. But the difference in the 30-28 tally that went Blair’s way was the five matches in which they achieved wins with bonus points compared to just three such outcomes for Lake Highland.

“We have a lot of fun as a team, and these guys are improving each week,” said Blair coach Ross Gitomer. “They love being around each other, and more importantly, they love Blair. Anytime you get to wrestle in front of your home crowd, it's meaningful. Teachers, staff members, students, and friends were all in attendance, and it was great to showcase the kids' work and preparation.”

Early Shock and Blair’s First Surge

Right out of the gate, Lake Highland’s Liam McGettigan (No. 5 in our National rankings that we will be referencing throughout), gave his comrades a jolt they couldn’t have been counting on.

McGettigan overcame an early 6-0 deficit to No. 3 Eric Bocanegra in the 113-pound opener, before turning the tide in his favor during the middle frame when he picked up all nine of his points on a reversal, takedown, and near-fall points in a 9-8 outcome.

Blair took the next three to go up 12-3. No. 1 Mikey Batista (120 pounds) put up a 9-1 major decision of No. 3 Liam Davis that was powered by two takedowns. No. 2 Finn O’Brien added a 9-3 decision to the board at 126 over Ethan Riley. Top-rated Vincenzo Anello overwhelmed Max Co at 132 pounds with a 17-2 technical fall where all the points were scored in the first period.

Lake Highland’s Mid-Match Run Flips the Script

The Highlanders went on a run next that placed them in the driver’s seat as the dual moved into its back half. Four wins in a row gave Lake Highland a 21-12 advantage after 157 pounds.

Yandel Morales (138 pounds), who moved up from 132 pounds, where he is ranked second, won a hard bout with No. 3 Ryan Rios. At 144, Tyler DeKraker, the No. 1 at 138, handled No. 2 Weston Borgers, 4-2.

Back-to-back pins invigorated Lake Highland and gave them hopes of going home as the victors. No. 1 Charlie DeSena was up 12-1 when he stuck No. 11 Ben Koch at 150 pounds. No. 1 Zeno Moore built a 10-3 edge before flattening his foe, No. 6 Joe Schinder.

In the beginning we mentioned both teams defying odds in a couple of matches.

The Turning Point: Barry Norman’s Return

Blair’s came at a pivotal moment as Lake Highland was on a roll and had a favored wrestler in the hole at 175 pounds So, when No. 3 Barry Norman trotted out at 165 pounds, making his return from an injury, to face No. 2 Lucas Boe, the hopes were to contain Boe, a National Prep Champ, as Norman worked to shake off the rust.

After a Boe escape in the second, Norman energized the Bucs’ fans with a takedown to take the lead. Norman earned an escape in the third for the last of his scoring, and we can only assume, Norman must have been hit for stalling or another technical violation down the stretch to end at 4-3.

Heavyweights Tighten the Margin

No. 1 Jackson Angelo slid up to 190 pounds at this affair, leaving Nadav Nafshi to man 175 pounds. Nafshi was shooting up the national rankings prior to the season, so even though he is not ranked, he was still considered the favorite in his encounter with Blair’s Ryan Meier. That proved out on the mat as Nafshi had little trouble with Meier registering a major decision (we cannot clearly read the scoring tabulation for this match).

The Highlanders were holding a 25-15 lead as the match entered the final four weight classes. A battle of number ones ensued at 190 pounds with Angelo facing off with Blair’s Salah Tsarni. Tsarni was simply too much for Angelo to manage as he fell by a 20-12 major decision.

With Nafshi’s entry into the lineup, Lake Highland shifted their upper weights up one class each, No. 6 at 190 pounds, Colton Bell went to 215 and No. 6 Grant Silverfield bumped up to heavyweight from 215 pounds.

Bell came out ahead of a 1-0 struggle with Blair’s postgraduate Connor Bercume out of Michigan. Bercume was a fixture in the national rankings his last two years in high school, so one could argue that this was another one that the Highlanders picked up out of the blue.

The other two could be measured because of their current rankings. Bell versus Bercume appeared to favor Bercume because of his prior history, but Bell, who is just a sophomore, is scripting the beginning of his tale, and his recent placements at Beast of the East and PowerAde suggest that Bell is a national level talent himself.

No matter what your perspective is. The undisputable fact is that Bell’s win pushed the Highlanders lead up to nine-points, 28-19, with two bouts left on the card.

A Controversial Ending at 106 Pounds

Silverfield was on the receiving end of a merciless 20-5 tech fall from No. 3 Cael Mielnik, leaving Blair down by two with one match to go…at 106 pounds.

We covered this extensively in our latest team ranking’s introduction, but the short of it is, Lake Highland planned to use middle school sensation Lucas Layne at this spot but was rebuffed by Blair. Since Blair is the host school, they were able to dictate the terms of the dual.

The National Prep Organization’s rules pertain to their tournament only. They have no say in the daily operations of the teams nor do they establish seasonal guidelines. That is up to the teams and athletic association some members belong to.

So, what was an incredibly exciting dual, had an anti-climatic ending as No. 2 Jack Anello ran out to receive a forfeit for the winning points of the 30-28 final.

“We prepare the same way each week, and Lake Highland as I've said before will be prepared and they will be ready to fight,” Gitomer continued. “The kids were excited, and it was a great dual. Barry Norman and Eric Bocanegra have been out since Ironman due to injury, so seeing them back for the first time was exciting. They both brought the fight, and Barry's win was important for the dual win.  You will see both of these guys continue to make jumps each week.” 

It is important to note that neither team was wrong in their view of how to handle Layne.

In Florida, Layne is allowed to compete and just won a title at the Ron Peters Tournament of Champions. Blair, either from the tournament guidelines (which only allow 8th and not 7th graders) or from an administrative decision, decided that a seventh grader could not compete on its soil. 

“I knew the match would be tight going in considering match ups and the more recent set of circumstances,” offered Lake Highland coach Mike Palazzo. “But regardless, I still felt we could come out on top but unfortunately, we ended up falling just a bit short. 

Respect, Perspective, and What Comes Next

“Overall, we definitely had some good performances and of course some not so much. We travel like no other team in the nation and are always willing to compete; for that I am always very proud of our guys regardless of what the final score looks like on the surface.” 

In earlier matches, Blair beat St. Edward, 50-16. Lake Highland took down St. Edward, 44-24. In the St. Edward match, Yandel Morales (honorable mention nationally) beat No. 2 Karson Brown, 8-6. Brown is an Ironman Champion and PowerAde runner-up.

St. Edward defeated St. Chrsitopher’s 59-9. Those are the only scores we received.

Blair Academy 30, Lake Highland Prep 28

(match started at 113 pounds)

113-Liam McGettigan (LHP) dec Eric Bocanegra, 9-8

120-Mike Batista (BA) maj-dec Liam Davis, 9-1

126-Finn O’Brien (BA) dec Ethan Riley, 9-3

132-Vincenzo Anello (BA) tech-fall Max Co, 17-2

138-Yandel Morales (LHP) dec Ryan Rios, 4-2

144-Tyler DeKraker dec Weston Borgers, 3-1

150-Charlie DeSena (LHP) fall Ben Koch

157-Zeno Moore (LHP) fall Joe Schinder

165-Barry Norman (BA) dec Lucas Boe, 4-3

175-Nadav Nafshi (LHP) maj-dec Ryan Meier

190-Salah Tsarni (BA) maj-dec Jackson Angelo, 20-12

215-Colton (LHP) dec Connor Bercume, 1-0

285-Cael Mielnik (BA) tech-fall Grant Silverfield, 20-5

106-Jack Andello (BA) won by forfeit