By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
ATLANTIC CITY — Delsea Regional High senior Greyson Pettit, the No. 21 seed, earned a stunning 4-3 upset over defending state champion and No. 1 seed Sammy Spaulding of Camden Catholic in the semifinal round of the 132-pound NJSIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on Friday.
Pettit missed the individual postseason last year, tearing his ACL and LCL just prior to the start of the district tournament. That, in turn, caused him to be seeded low in the 32-man bracket this time around.
He knocked off fifth-seeded Colton Hagerty of Washington Township, 4-2, in the pre-quarterfinal round and No. 4 Richard DeLorenzo II of Toms River East in the quarterfinal before grinding out the one-point decision over Spaulding to book his ticket to Saturday’s state final. All three opponents were former state medalists.
“I said it multiple times already: watching all these kids from the crowd that I beat place high and win, it was heartbreaking,” Pettit said of having to be a spectator last winter. “This is great. This is all I’ve ever wanted.”
Pettit dropped a 7-5 decision to Spaulding earlier this season in the prestigious Escape the Rocktournament and said he knew he could flip the script if given another opportunity.
“I just wrestle my style. I think people fear him. He’s just another human. He weighed in at 132 just like me,” said Pettit, who picked up an escape point early in the third period when he chose defense and Spaulding cut him loose, trying for the winning points on a takedown. Petit held him off the entire period to secure the win. “I wrestled him earlier in the season and it was close. I was one point away from him.”
Pettit will now take on No. 3 Anthony DiAndrea of Watchung Hills in the state final. Final bouts will start at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” Pettit said. “I told my parents weeks ago that I had dreams of winning states, but to do it in real time — you can talk about it by doing it.”
