As statement bouts go, it didn’t start well for Ecrin Haliloglu. She gave up a takedown and drew a warning for stalling before the 138-pound championship bout was even 20 seconds old. But as any good wrestling coach will tell you, it’s not about how you start; it’s how you finish.
Haliloglu finished the 54-team South Jersey Hall of Fame Wrestling Tournament at Williamstown High School as a champion. Not only that, she went through another champ to earn that status, overcoming that rough start to pin defending state champion Lamiah Berry of Absegami.
“It was a big battle out there,” Haliloglu said. “All I kept thinking about was getting out, picking my shot and wrestling my match; wrestle like I wrestled at practice and just keep taking my shots.”
One of those shots, near the line in the second minute, led to the combination that ended the match. “I went for the single, but you have to show her different looks if you want to get to different positions, because she’s a really good wrestler,” Haliloglu explained. “But when I went for the double, I went for the pin. And it worked.”
With the win, Haliloglu improved to 10-3 in her junior season. “It feels really good. She’s the 132-pound state champ, and for me to beat her is really an accomplishment,” Haliloglu said. “It did play in my head, but it doesn’t matter who you’re wrestling. You just have to go out there and do your thing.”
### Team Performances
Three teams—Rancocas Valley, Eastern, and Gloucester—each managed to move two wrestlers into the final round. Rancocas Valley won two weights, while Eastern and Gloucester both broke even.
“I’m just so proud of the kids,” Rancocas Valley coach Ryan Pope said. “A lot of hard work went into this. Javeah Turner, just pinning her way through everybody at 185, is a real force to be reckoned with. And Abbi Dudley, at 152, is just running through everybody.”
Dudley’s dedication was evident as she pinned four opponents at the tournament. Her longest bout lasted just 3:02, and she pinned Delsea’s third-seeded Elizabeth Ostoyic in 2:59 during the bracket final.
“The big thing for me was committing to shots,” Dudley said. “Chain wrestling is a big thing I’ve been working on in practices; not getting discouraged when the first shot doesn’t work. If I’m hitting the single and it doesn’t work, come out the back door. I was able to hit that in two different matches, so just committing to the shots and being confident worked for me.”
Dudley improved her season record to 7-2. Both losses came at The Queen of the East Tournament and were instructive, helping shape her approach for this event.
“I just wanted to stick to my game plan and not let anyone determine what I was going to do,” Dudley added. “I really focused on just staying calm and having mat awareness, and then when I was on top—not being a bully, but just putting the pressure on and making sure she knows that I’m on top of her.”
Turner, a runner-up at the Queen of the East, also racked up four pins. Her early matches seemed to anticipate a final-round rematch with Queen of the East champ Samantha Domask of Palmyra, but that chance was taken away when Domask fell to Maple Shade’s Denise Valencia in the semifinal round.
“I’ve just got to not get in my head,” Turner said. “Focus on whoever’s in the match.”
Turner attempted twice to throw Valencia, who was able to drop and spin out of her holds. Her third attempt went better. “I tightened it more and got her arm up,” Turner explained. “And I pinned her. I just thought about doing my moves and not getting in my head. I threw a headlock—boom!”
### Highlights from Other Weight Classes
One rematch did come off in the 165-pound final, where Clayton’s second-seeded Alexus Paden scored a pin against top-seeded Ella Johnson of Steinert in 3:46. Johnson had pinned Paden in their final at the Rebel Rumble at Howell a week earlier.
Eastern’s championship came from top-seeded sophomore Brooke Pettet at 107 pounds. Pettet scored two early pins and followed them up with dominant wrestling exhibitions, including an 18-1 victory over Paulsboro’s fourth-seeded Aleisha Santiago in just four minutes and a 17-1 win against Lily Cohen of Pinelands in 5:37.
Eastern’s other finalist was second-seeded Sofia Reyes at 114 pounds. She advanced to the final with three pins and a technical fall but ran into Audubon’s top-seeded Peyton Brining. Brining had scored four straight pins on the way to the final and won with a 15-0 technical fall in 1:52 to improve to 14-2 for the season.
Gloucester was represented in the final round by 132-pounder Ashley Willis and 235-pounder Kylie Ferry. Willis, a second seed, was pinned in 3:17 in the final by Shayna Cruz of Paulsboro. The 235-pound final ended better for the Lions, as Maldonado notched her fourth straight pin over Tatiyonna Crawford of Pennsville in a rematch of their Queen of the East final. Both pins came at exactly 3:37.
Williamstown’s top-seeded Adrianna DiGregorio represented the host school with a pin of Schalick’s Emma Cain at 4:25 in the 107-pound bout.
Top-seeded Samirah Duron of Egg Harbor won five times in the 126-pound bracket, including a 6-0 decision over Kimora Dawson of Pennsauken in the final.
At 145 pounds, Shea Aretz of Buena scored four straight pins, including a pin of Clearview’s Sarah Longo with 3:01 left in the final.
Bordentown’s Madison Blumenthal scored three pins and a technical fall to reach the 120-pound final. However, a double disqualification in the other semifinal bout cleared her path to the gold medal without a championship bout.
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The tournament showcased intense competition, hard work, and impressive skill across multiple weight classes. For wrestlers like Ecrin Haliloglu and Abbi Dudley, their performances marked significant milestones in their seasons, hinting at even greater success ahead.
https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2026/01/delrans-haliloglu-takes-138-pound-crown-at-south-jersey-hall-of-fame-tournament.html