Pearson also reaches Region V
By Rudy Brandl, The Packet Group
Tommy O’Rourke used last weekend’s District 17 Wrestling Tournament as his own personal revenge tour.
Lawrence High’s sophomore 130-pounder avenged two recent losses on his way to capturing the district title Saturday afternoon at the Hunterdon Central Fieldhouse in Flemington. The fourth-seeded O’Rourke found himself in a bracket loaded with wrestlers who had beaten him this season. He didn’t let that stop him from winning his first major title as a high school wrestler.
O’Rourke (24-9) was dominant on top in his 4-0 championship victory over Notre Dame’s Jon Merritt, who had defeated him by one point in the consolation round of the Mercer County Tournament three weeks earlier. O’Rourke scored the first takedown early in the first period and added a reversal in the second for his points. He spent the rest of the bout, approximately five of the six minutes, working Merritt on the mat.
”I’m so excited,” O’Rourke said a few hours after becoming a district champ. “I really couldn’t believe it. It really didn’t hit me right away with all the adrenaline going.”
O’Rourke clearly was on a mission. He certainly wasn’t the favorite, but he used that to his advantage.
”I went out there as a No. 4 seed with nothing to lose,” he said. “That was pretty much my driving force. I also wanted to do better than last year when I lost in the first round.”
O’Rourke also was disappointed with his recent fifth-place finish at the Mercer County Tournament. He knew he couldn’t afford to finish worse than third in the district if he expected his season to continue. O’Rourke had one tough day in a quad at Hunterdon Central but has been unstoppable in the past few weeks.
”Ever since the county tournament, he’s come back strong,” Lawrence head coach Chris Lynne said. “He beat the county champ (Allentown’s Sam Shonk) in a dual meet and won a district title. He’s peaking at the right time. That’s what it’s all about.”
O’Rourke knew what he had to do against Merritt, who beat him on a takedown with a few seconds left in the county tournament bout.
”This time, I had to get the first takedown and win on my feet,” O’Rourke said. “Then I used my strength to ride him. I was pretty confident on top. I didn’t feel like he was going to turn me. I felt in control the entire match.”
O’Rourke reached the finals with an extremely satisfying 7-4 semifinal victory over top-ranked Vinny Peoni of Voorhees. Peoni blanked O’Rourke in an 8-0 major two weeks ago but the Lawrence sophomore won when it counted most.
”This time, I was trying to go after him more on my feet,” O’Rourke said. “I had a different attitude this time. I had to feel like I could beat him. My coaches kept telling me I had it in me and that I could do it.”
Peoni bolted to a 4-0 lead in the first period but O’Rourke responded with a huge second period. He chose the neutral position to start the second period and got back in the match with a takedown. O’Rourke took the lead with a tilt and added two more back points in the third period for a 7-4 triumph.
”He chose bottom trying to escape but I held him down,” O’Rourke said. “We had a couple of scrambles and I got him on his back for two more points.”
”Tommy didn’t let Peoni take the match to him; he took the match to Peoni,” Lynne said. “He was the aggressor.”
O’Rourke had to work extremely hard for all three victories, including Friday night’s 2-0 decision over Hopewell Valley’s fifth-seeded Christian Kalwa in the quarterfinals. In 18 minutes of wrestling, O’Rourke allowed only four points to Peoni and did not give up a point in eight of nine periods.
Lawrence senior 160-pounder Sean Pearson will join O’Rourke at the Region 5 Tournament, also at Hunterdon Central. Pearson came close to winning it all in a rugged 160-pound weight class but finished second after a grueling 6-3 loss to Mike Hafke of Voorhees.
Pearson (25-6), who won a district title last year, gave the top seed all he could handle in an entertaining final bout. Pearson, who gutted out another tough 3-2 win over Hopewell’s Travis Gerstacker in the semifinals, found himself in another war in his bid for a second straight crown.
Hafke scored the first point on a penalty point for an illegal hold in the first period. That point, although warranted, turned out to be pivotal later in the bout. Pearson reversed for a 2-1 lead in the second but Hafke escaped to tie the score entering the final period. Hafke reversed to move ahead but Pearson got out, setting the stage for a dramatic final minute.
Trailing 4-3, Pearson kept charging for the go-ahead takedown. Hafke took an injury timeout with 45 seconds left. Pearson did not give up and nearly made a dramatic winning move before Hafke countered and clinched his title in the final seconds.
”I was going after him,” Pearson said. “I was going for my duck under. I got behind but he wasn’t down yet. I went to trip him forward and threw my leg in front. He rebounded quicker than I did.”
”We all thought Sean was going in for the winning takedown,” Lynne said. “He was right there. He really wrestled his butt off. There’s nothing more I could ask from the kid.”
Pearson beat J.P. Stevens freshman Christopher Miehe Tuesday night with a second period pin to join O’Rourke in Friday night’s Region 5 quarterfinals. Wrestlers who win Friday advance to the semifinals, while those who lose must win three straight consolation bouts on Saturday’s second day of action to earn a trip to the NJSIAA Championships in Atlantic City.
”I just have to be smart,” said O’Rourke, the first sophomore ever to win a district title in Lynne’s 23 years at the helm. “In the end, it comes down to winning on my feet. I hope to keep going, I’ve already had some region competition. I’m excited and I’m looking forward to it.”

