Cougars Rack Up Pins in 51–27 Wrestling Win Over Princeton
Nicholas Mistretta
MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent
SKILLMAN — Montgomery’s varsity wrestling team overpowered Princeton on Thursday night, piling up pins and technical falls in a 51–27 home victory that showcased dominance across the lineup, especially in the upper weights.
The Cougars improved to 3–1 on the season with the win, using six pins and three technical falls to seize control of the dual and never let it go.
Fast start in the lightweights
Montgomery opened the night with a strong tone-setter at 106 pounds, where Suchey Karna scored a pin over Sebastian Hunt of Princeton at 3:46. Karna’s fall gave the Cougars an early jolt and six team points.
At 113, an unfortunate turn shifted momentum briefly, as Evan Grant was forced to default due to injury against Silas Deutsch Hughes, giving Princeton six points and tying the team score.
Montgomery answered quickly at 120. Rishi Bagchi dominated his bout, finishing off Sawyer Zwick with a pin at 1:52 to restore the Cougars’ lead.
That was followed by one of the quickest wins of the night at 126, where Gavin Fong needed just 32 seconds to deck Lucas Li. His lightning-fast fall brought the home crowd to its feet and pushed Montgomery further in front.
Princeton stopped the run at 132, with Alex Wayne pinning Alex O’Dea at 1:49, keeping the Tigers within reach.
Middleweights trade blows
At 138 pounds, Derek Bravo delivered one of Montgomery’s most impressive technical wins of the night, rolling up points en route to a technical fall (16–1). His relentless offense added five more team points and widened the gap.
Princeton responded at 144, where Matthew Brophy scored a major decision over Mursal Maulenuly, 11–1, cutting into Montgomery’s advantage.
The Tigers tightened things further at 150. Colin Fitzgerald pinned Johnathin Swank at 1:33, giving Princeton another six points and briefly shifting the pressure back onto the Cougars.
But any thoughts of a Princeton comeback were quickly shut down.
Upper weights slam the door
Starting at 157 pounds, Montgomery took over the dual for good.
At 157, Elior Mezhericher overwhelmed Rehan Ahmed, securing a technical fall (18–3) and five more team points. Mezhericher’s work from neutral and on top swung momentum back to Montgomery’s side.
At 165, Aiden Shakirov matched that intensity, earning another technical fall (19–4) in a dominant performance that showcased his ability to control the pace and rack up scoring moves.
The Cougars’ upper-weight surge continued at 175 pounds, where Jahkee Carr flattened Guilherme Decotelli at 2:33, adding yet another six-point pin to the team total and putting the dual firmly in Montgomery’s hands.
Princeton grabbed one last bright spot at 190, where Dayron Ospina Posada secured a technical fall over Cayden Drumbor (20–5), but by then the Tigers were too far behind in the team score to threaten the outcome.
Montgomery closed the night in emphatic fashion.
At 215, Aryan Ahmad pinned Zyair Mackey-Wright in 2:40, and at 285, Jorge Orantes capped the meet with a fall over Amil Dhookie at 2:20, sending the Cougars off the mat with a decisive 24-point victory.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com