On January 1, the Edison boys wrestling team competed in its first meet of the calendar year in a tri-match against Franklin High School and Union High School. With many notable performances from the entire team, Edison wrestling took a strong step forward into the 2026 half of their winter season.
Edison started with their first set of matches against Franklin, which they won by a score of 47–36. Franklin started strong, taking an early lead with four consecutive wins in the 190, 215, 265, and 106-pound weight classes. In sequence, Edison fought back, taking two wins by pin, setting the score at 12–24.
After losing another weight class to Franklin, Edison reached its lowest point, at a score of 12–30. Knowing that a comeback was essential, Edison switched gears and fought back.
Among the next set of wrestlers sent in by Edison was Jeremy Negron ‘26, the team’s captain. “My mindset going into my matches was that I had to do whatever I could to win and earn points for the team,” said Negron. “I was calm, collected, and knew that I had to pin my opponents.”
Following Negron’s win, Edison went on to win six consecutive weight classes, with only one loss at the end, securing the 47–36 victory over Franklin.
“A major performance of the meet that stood out to me was the teammates who had been struggling in practice and came back to win in the match after being down in the first and second period,” said Fernando Avellan ‘26.
After a close comeback, the next series of matches was against Union High School. Union took the first victory in the 109-pound weight class, securing the first six points, but the Eagles immediately replied with three straight wins, holding an 18–6 lead.
After the lead, EHS continued to widen the gap against, with Negron and Avellan winning back-to-back matches to Union’s single win.
“My mindset going into the match was it’s just another match and just another part of the season, nothing special to it really,” said Avellan. “I don’t think much during my matches. The only thing I would change is not having a stronger mindset on how I want to wrestle and control my opponent.“
At 28–9, Edison was fairly close to victory. However, Edison wrestlers in the heavier weight classes took hard-fought losses, and with Edison’s single win to Union’s six, the meet was narrowly lost by a score of 42–31.
Amidst both a win and a loss the wrestling team’s head coach, Mr. Scott Gerba, was proud of the team’s success in this tri-match and the season entirely.
“The team is really holding its own,” said Gerba. “We have defeated East Brunswick, Franklin, Woodbridge, and, for the first time in a decade, Sayreville—all big school rival teams. The team is heading for its fifth straight playoff berth, with players like Avellan, Negron, and Candi Northern leading. Many seniors are contributing greatly, with an especially great season from Ali Altairi. This team hopes to build on its success and have a great second half of the season, sending multiple competitors to the states.”
