Toms River East Wins First Sectional Title In Program Histroy

photo & coverage by: Marco Morales

With a commanding 43–19 victory over Northern Burlington in the South Group 4 final, Toms River East secured the first sectional championship in program history. For longtime coach Warren Reid, who has been coaching the Raiders since 1979 and now serves as an assistant, the win marked his first sectional title, a fitting reward for decades of commitment to building the program.

The Raiders set the tone early and steadily built separation throughout the lineup, winning key swing bouts and stacking bonus points to take control of the dual.

At 175 pounds, Joseph Totten sparked the momentum with a gritty 6–5 decision, followed by Christian Lynch’s dominant 17–1 technical fall at 190 that gave Toms River East an early boost. Kyle Ho kept the run going at 215 with walk off takedown securing an 8–1 sudden victory win, establishing a foundation that the Raiders would continue to build upon.

Carson Taylor opened the stretch for the lower weights with a 10–0 major decision at 106, and freshman Julius Feliciano followed with a poised 5–2 decision at 113. Moments later, Tristan Lenaghan delivered one of the night’s defining moments, pinning his opponent in 54 seconds at 120 to push the Raiders further out in front.

From there, Toms River East never slowed.

Ricky DeLorenzo recorded a crucial fall at 132, Jayce Cappello added an 11–3 major decision at 138, and Kevin Sickler secured a 5–0 decision at 144 as the Raiders continued to widen the gap. Francesco Edgar closed the dual at 157 and hyped up the crowd with a forfeit to seal the historic win.

For Feliciano, contributing in a championship environment as a freshman has been both challenging and rewarding.

“It feels great to be part of something like this,” Feliciano said. “Coach Mark Gray has helped me a lot, not just physically but mentally. Early in the season, cutting weight was tough for me, but he taught me that you can’t do this alone, you need your teammates, your family, and that support system. We’re not just friends on this team. We’re a family, and we’ve been battling through everything together.”

DeLorenzo, a returning state place winner who has been one of the team’s cornerstones all season, emphasized that the group’s vision extends well beyond a sectional title.

“It means everything,” DeLorenzo said. “But our goal is to become state champions. We’re not there yet. We’ve been working hard all year for this, and this is just another step.”

Feliciano echoed that same mindset when asked about the future.

“First, we have to take care of Friday and get that win,” he said. “Then hopefully make it to Sunday and win the championship. After that, we keep building. Hopefully we can have multiple guys winning states.”

For a program that had never reached this summit before, Wednesday night represented more than a banner, it represented belief. Built through years of steady growth and guided by coaches like Reid who laid the foundation long before this roster took shape, Toms River East has officially arrived.

And with history now behind them, the Raiders move forward, as they prepare to take on Colts Neck on Friday in the Group 4 semi-finals.