By: Kyle Moylan Sports Editor
Bordentown High’s Brett Pedersen and Khalid Shakir both placed fifth in their weight class while competing in the Region 7 Wrestling Tournament, held this past Saturday at the host site of Robbinsville High School. Matt Bauer added a sixth at 189 pounds.
“The season didn’t quite end the way we wanted to, but I am proud of my kids and the effort that they put forth all season,” Bordentown Coach Joe Sprague said.
Pedersen had reached Saturday’s action by winning a 3-2 decision over Nottingham’s Jonathan Sanchez in a Region 7 Tournament preliminary round 152-pound match on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Pedersen was supposed to compete in the quarterfinals of the Region 7 tournament on Friday, but the snowstorm that hit the area pushed all the remaining matches to a very busy Saturday.
Pedersen was defeated in the quarterfinals by Burlington Township’s Codi Spatz, 13-4. Pedersen then won his first match in the wrestlebacks by a 7-5 decision over Haddonfield’s Ray Schlitt. The tournament for Pedersen was then ended by a 6-4 loss to Senaca’s Decian Deveney.
Pedersen finished his senior season with a record of 32-6.
“Brett exemplifies what our program is all about,” Sprague said. “He works hard all of the time and never complains. He sets a positive example for the younger members of our team. He had the deepest weight class in the tournament and came within a takedown of making it to the consolation finals. I could not be more proud of what he has done for me personally and this team. He has always been a pleasure to coach and I wish him nothing but success in all that he does.”
Khalid Shakir, a junior, also had a 2-2 mark in the Region 7 Tournament. Shakir finished the season with a record of 31-5.
In a Region 7 preliminary match on Feb. 23, Shakir pinned Robbinsville’s Andrew Reca in a 145-pound match. In the quarterfinals, Shakir managed a 13-2 win over Haddonfield’s Samuel Haley. Shakir was then defeated by Camden Catholic’s Taylor Walsh, 14-0. Shakir’s season was then ended when he was pinned by Sterling’s Ryan Badey.
“As for Khalid, there is no one more disappointed than him,” Sprague said. “He had big goals this year that he did not reach but as coaches we are proud of what he is doing in school and on the mat. He is determined to never have this feeling again and is going to commit himself to being the best wrestler he can be for the next year. I have all the confidence in him and fully expect he will return with a chip on his shoulder next year.”
While Shakir may have been disappointed, he was in probably the toughest weight class at Region 7. The top two spots were taken by Walsh and Eastern’s Anthony Baldosaro, both returning state champs (there was a shift in weight classes). Trenton’s Ray Bethea, the third-
place finisher, is 30-1. His lone loss came to Baldosaro in the Region 7 semifinals.
Matt Bauer, a junior, was Bordentown’s other wrestler in Region 7. He went 1-2 in the event and finished in a tie for the seventh/eighth slot in the 189-pound weight slot. Bauer ended the season with a record of 29-7.
Matt Bauer won a 7-3 decision against Haddon Height’s Padric Lynch in a Region 7 preliminary match on Feb. 26. Bauer lost both of his matches on Saturday, starting with a 5-1 loss to Cherry Hill East’s Brian Lussier. Bauer was then eliminated by a 13-10 loss to Audubon’s Brian Flacco.
“For Matt Bauer, this was a great opportunity for him to get to this tournament,” Sprague said. “I think after this year he realizes how good he is and how great he can become. He is turning into a wrestler and not just using his strength. He reminds me a lot of Thomas Lee at the end of his junior year and Thomas had quite a senior year. We will be expecting the same from Matt.”
BOYS HOOPS
The Bordentown High School boys basketball team was defeated by Northern Burlington, 53-30, on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Zach Mesday (10 points), Kartavin Youngblood (seven points) and Mike Ansong (five points) were the top scorers for Bordentown.
GIRLS HOOPS
The Bordentown High School girls basketball team was scheduled to open play in the Central Jersey Group II playoffs with a game against Snyder this past Tuesday. The winner of that game will play again today (Thursday) against the winner of the Summit/Delran game.
