Belleville Wrestlers Earn Praise From Coach After National Tourney

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A wrestling coach and former high school star in Belleville recently led his protegees to an inspiring showing at a national tournament.

Seven young athletes from Colòn Trained Wrestling School in Belleville competed in the recent Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association (MAWA) tournament at the Wicomic Civic Center in Maryland, with each of them placing.

They included:

• Jason Quirk (Livingston) champion
• Nicky Pallitto (Belleville) 3rd
• Abe Zaretsky (Elizabeth) 4th
• Jakob Ferrer (Belleville) 4th
• Beau Siljanoski (Nutley) 5th
• Lou Alajodo (Haabrouck Heights) 6th
• Jirrard Ferrer (Belleville) 8th

Coach Filiberto Colon, a former Belleville wrestling standout who competed under iconic Buccaneers coach Joseph Nisovoccia, said it was a massive achievement.

“The boys’ hard-work and dedication in the room and outside the room are rewarded continuously through their results on the mat,” Colon said. “It’s a great accomplishment as a team to bring seven competitors and have all seven of them become All Americans.”

Colon said it was great to see the bond the boys formed during the competition.

“They perform on a domino effect and feed off of each other,” Colon said. “I’m proud of their results.”

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