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Sports

Three Ocean City Wrestlers Continue Quest to Reach State Championships

Anthony DeSantis, Lucas Pearson and Jake Terry are set to take part in Region 8 Wrestling Tournament on Wednesday.

Ocean City High School's Anthony DeSantis, Jake Terry and Lucas Pearson did not win district titles, but their chances of reaching Atlantic City are still alive.

The goal is to make it to the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships at Boardwalk Hall, but first wrestlers need to get out of the Region 8 Tournament, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Egg Harbor Township.

The opening round of the Region 8 Tournament features second- and third-place finishers from the districts.

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Ocean City's Dan Pettit and Coley O'Brien, who captured District 32 crowns on Feb. 19, have a first-round bye and won't wrestle until Friday night.

The top three in each of the 14 weight classes will qualify for the state tournament, which begins on March 4.

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"I should place, we will see," said Pettit, the district 145-pound champion. "All I want to do is to make it to states. That's been my goal since last year."

O'Brien, who was named District 32's Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 125-pound title, is hoping to have similar success at regions.

"I just want to go in there and wrestle as tough as I can and do whatever it takes to hopefully win a region title," O'Brien said. "I never won one so that would be really nice, too."

DeSantis, who finished second in District 32 at 160 pounds, takes on Delsea's Robert Keener, who finished third at District 31.

Pearson, who was second at 215 at districts, is set to meet Delsea's William Porch, the District 31 third-place finisher.

Terry, who took third at districts at 171, meets Penns Grove's Nick Elmer, who took second at District 31.

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