Escape the Rock wrestling tournament held at Council Rock South

Council Rock South head wrestling coach Brad Silimperi relished the moments. His school’s hosting of the annual Escape the Rock tournament was worth the effort.
“It is an incredible event,” boasted Silimperi. “There was national level competition right in our backyard. This is always one of the toughest tournaments in the country.”
The Golden Hawks hosted a 60-team field for the two-day tournament that began Jan. 15 and concluded the following day. Its roots trace back to 2005 when it initially began as a 10-team dual tournament and evolved into a 24-team individual tournament two years later.
This year, teams throughout Pennsylvania along with teams from Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Rhode Island and Virginia participated.
Malvern Prep took top team honors(224.5 points) followed by Bethlehem Catholic (156.5), St. Joseph’s Regional (138), Notre Dame-Green Pond (123), and Jesuit (Florida, 116.5).
The local teams had a handful of wrestlers who broke through the ultra-competitive field.
Council Rock South finished sixth overall with 103 points. Senior Matt Colajezzi lost in the finals at 160, and sophomore Bekhruz Sadriddinov was fifth at 152. Colajezzi (21-1) suffered his first defeat of the season.

Central Bucks East senior Quinn Collins captured the 189-pound championship with a fall. Collins is 19-1 with 12 pins this season. The Patriots were 19th overall with 57 points.
Quakertown was 16th overall (63 points) and senior 285-pounder Freddie Retter notched a fourth-place finish. Freshman Collin Raj was seventh at 138.
“As a team we are very happy with the results,” said Panthers head coach Kurt Handel. “This tournament exposed a lot of areas we can work on before the postseason. Finishing 16th as a team is something to be proud of.”
Faith Christian was on the Panthers’ heels in seventh place (62.5). Freshman 113-pounder Gauge Botero was fourth, and senior 285-pounder Leo Muzika was seventh.
Rounding out the local teams, Council Rock North was 30th with 39 points along with Central Bucks West, 31st, with 38 points, and Pennridge, 42nd, with 23 points.
“We did great in the tournament with a sixth-place finish,” added Silimperi. “We were the only public school in the top 10. That’s not bad at all.
“Tournament staff, boosters, and the wrestling community came together to pull this off. It is a massive undertaking.”

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