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Schools

Keller Finishes Second at State Tournament

Brandon Keller falls to South Plainfield's Scott DelVecchio, 3-1, in the 132-pound championship.

When wrestler Brandon Keller returns to the mat next season for his senior year, he will do so as one of the top-regarded wrestlers in the state, regardless of weight. 

He will have the chance to push his career win total above 140 and can put the final touches on a legacy that could result in him being regarded as the greatest wrestler to ever come out of Timber Creek.

He will also return looking to accomplish a goal he came ever-so-close to achieving on Sunday: winning a state title.

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Keller saw his title hopes dashed Sunday afternoon as he was defeated by South Plainfield’s Scott DelVecchio, 3-1, in the 132-pound championship bout at the State Wrestling Tournament in Atlantic City.

Keller, who finished the season 35-6 and now has 106 wins in his career, took a 1-0 lead on DelVecchio (44-0, 119-10) late in second period when he managed an escape after starting the period on the bottom. Keller elected to cut DelVecchio loose to start the third period, tying the match at 1-1.

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The match remained deadlocked until DelVecchio scored the decisive takedown with 25 seconds left in the third period.  

As has been the case since the Region 8 Tournament, Keller had to deal with stoppage time during the match due to his bloodied nose. The nose bleed would not stop and left Keller with restricted breathing ability throughout the tournament.

You can watch the video of Keller's championship match at NJ.com.

Timber Creek senior Ricky Carter also suffered defeat Sunday. Carter, who won a series of wrestlebacks on Saturday, fell to Ocean Township’s Zack Heartlting, 3-2 in the third-place consolation match.

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