Brick Memorial Rallies Past West Essex, Earns Spot in Group 3 Championship

photo & coverage by: Marco Morales

Behind a relentless performance across the lineup, Brick Memorial defeated West Essex to punch their ticket to the Group 3 finals at Rutgers University, marking a major milestone in the first season under head coach Steve Giannios.

From the opening weights through the back half of the lineup, Brick Memorial consistently created separation with strong decisions, major decisions, and a wave of falls that swung momentum firmly in the Mustangs’ favor.

After opening the contest down 14-0, Brewer Cosgrove set the tone with a gritty 4–3 decision, scoring a last second takedown to get Brick Memorial moving in the right direction. Moments later at heavyweight, Steven Gobraiel delivered a massive boost, scoring a pin late in the third period to swing momentum and energize the Mustangs’ bench.

At 106, Jack Mulligan dominated his matchup with an 8–0 major decision. That momentum continued at 113, where Michael Napolitano earned a 7–0 decision, followed by Paul DiMatteo securing a pin at 120 to further widen the gap.

The Mustangs kept stacking points at 132, as Henry Mulligan posted a commanding 13–1 major decision. Shortly after, Christopher Delaplain delivered one of the fastest falls of the night at 138, pinning his opponent in just 42 seconds.

Brick Memorial closed out its scoring surge in the upper-middle weights. At 144, Lucas Sei picked up a pin, and at 157, Jack Marotta secured another fall, officially sealing the deal and confirming Brick Memorial’s place in the Group 3 final.

The win sends Brick Memorial back to Rutgers for the Group 3 Championship and serves as a defining moment in Giannios’ first season at the helm.

“It feels great,” Giannios said. “This is a program with a rich history and a lot of tradition, and I’m honored to be in the position I’m in to help carry that forward. But this is all about the kids. They come in every day, work incredibly hard, trust the coaching staff, and trust each other. They showed up ready to wrestle tonight.

“All year long we’ve kind of been the underdogs,” he added. “Nobody expected us to be sectional champs, and not many expected us to be heading back to Rutgers. But these guys never doubted themselves. That belief is everything.”

With depth, balance, and confidence peaking at the right time, Brick Memorial now turns its attention to the Group 3 finals at Rutgers, where the Mustangs will have a chance at redemption against Delsea, the team that defeated them at the same stage a year ago.