Was it worth the wait?
For Perth Amboy senior Ahsia Torres, the answer was obvious.
“Absolutely,” Torres said.
While some wrestlers claim they waited their whole life to say those two famous words, Torres legitimately had a wait unlike any other girl competing at the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedic State Championships.
Unlike the rest of the girls competing at the grand finale of the girls wrestling season, Torres did not get the chance to compete in last year’s state tournament after her school district shut down winter sports amid a surge of coronavirus cases.
Instead of sulking, Torres worked on bulking. She spent more time training, and the year away from scholastic competition may have ultimately made her championship moment that much more special on Sunday as she moved around the mat at Phillipsburg High School.
“I just feel like this is my ultimate goal, and I reached it,” Torres said after pinning Theresa Zeppetelli of Bogota/Ridgefield Park in the 107-pound final.
“I’m just so happy because my coaches keep telling me I keep making history,” Torres added. “I just feel so special right now. I just wanted to make everyone proud of me. I’m just happy. I’m so happy.”
And for Torres, timing mattered. Although she was a state title favorite a year ago, the extended wait felt like a blast of good fate from the wrestling world. Instead of winning last April, Torres’ championship moment came Sunday, exactly 30 years to the day that Ferman Crisco won the first and only state title in Perth Amboy history.
And after three decades, the wait for a second champion ended Sunday. It was a successful return to the postseason for Torre, who took fifth as a freshman and last missed year’s tournament due to circumstances outside her control.
“She’s worked so damn hard,” Perth Amboy coach Roberto Morales said. “She never put her head down. She’s been grinding since her last win in 2020. After she took fifth, she never stopped working.”
In her return Sunday, Torres pinned her way through the bracket. She pinned in the first period in the quarterfinals and semifinals before decking Zeppetelli in the final in 4:55. For a brief moment in the second period it looked as if Torres was in a dangerous position, but the Perth Amboy senior said she was just waiting for the right moment to strike offensively.
“I usually like to keep calm,” Torres said about nearly going to her back. “I was just waiting for her to reach up and roll her. That’s exactly what I did when I pinned her.”
After jumping into her coach’s arms in the corner of the mat, Torres headed to her family next. The Torres family, wearing nothing but Perth Amboy red, had hairstyles to match.
Torres went with red braids for the first time. Her father and brothers went with red hair spray and her mother had a red top shining brightly beside the mat.
“Trying to be bold,” Torres said as she brushed her long braids to the side afterwards.
And in her return to the state finals, her performance on the mat was just as bold.
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Patrick Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS and like his Facebook page.
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