Lucas D’Elia wins at Districts, Now Eyes Upset at NJ's Wrestling Regionals

Photo Credits: High School Sports Elite

Lucas D’Elia, from Brick Township High School, placed second at 132 pounds after a strong run through a loaded bracket at the NJSIAA District Tournament.

In the quarterfinals, D’Elia defeated Russell Sage of Watchung Hills by decision, 4 to 1. He controlled position throughout the match and limited Sage’s offense to advance.

In the semifinals, Lucas D’Elia pulled away from Gavin Sramowicz of Passaic Valley with a 9 to 2 victory. He built an early lead and extended it late to punch his ticket to the finals.

On the other side of the bracket, Will Stapleton of Howell advanced with a major decision in the quarterfinals and a tiebreaker win over D. Havard of Manalapan in the semifinals.

That set up the 1st place match between Lucas D’Elia and Will Stapleton. Stapleton earned a 10 to 4 decision to take the title, while D’Elia finished runner up.

D’Elia went 3 and 1 on the day and proved he can compete with the top wrestlers in the 132 weight class as he advances into the Regional tournament on March 6th.

Regional Matchup Preview:

D'Elia has his work cut out for him as he is the 12 seed for this tournament. At 132 pounds, the 5 vs 12 regional matchup features senior Gage Grant(5) of Manalapan against junior Lucas D’Elia(12) of Brick Township.

Grant enters as the higher seed and brings senior experience into the bracket. As a senior from a strong Manalapan program, he has likely faced deep competition all season and understands how to manage high pressure matches.

D’Elia, a junior, comes in battle tested after last weekend's runner up finish at districts. He also brings postseason experience from last year, when he made a deep run in the tournament. That experience matters. He has wrestled under the lights before and knows the pace and intensity of a high level competition.

This matchup comes down to position and pace. If D’Elia score early and control ties, he will put pressure on the higher seed. With that, he could pull off the win and continue to wrestle for the quest of wrestling at States.

Expect a tight bout where composure and small scoring sequences decide the result.

Source Link: https://highschoolsports.nj.com/player/lucas-delia/wrestling/season/2025-2026

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