Poalillo, Changaris win gold at states
SUSSEX. High Point sophomore Ella Poalillo repeats as state wrestling champion.
Sussex /
| 10 Mar 2025 | 04:03
High Point Regional High School sophomore Ella Poalillo went back-to-back as a state champion and freshman teammate Elle Changaris joined her atop the podium as both won gold at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state wrestling tournament.
Poalillo, who won the state title at 138 pounds as a freshman, won the 152-pound crown Saturday afternoon, March 8 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City when she pinned Middletown South’s Thea Rowland in 3:17. Rowland had won the 145-pound title last year.
Poalillo finished the season with a perfect 38-0 mark and is 70-3 for her career.
Changaris also defeated a defending state champion, winning a wild 19-14 decision over Howell’s Kylie Gudewitz, who won the 114-pound title last year. Changaris built a 14-0 lead against her opponent before Gudewitz mounted a comeback that fell short.
Changaris, who completed a 40-1 campaign, won the final 29 matches of her season.
The High Point boys were represented by a trio of wrestlers in Atlantic City as Carter Drouin (120 pounds), Nick Clayton (150) and Gavin Mericle (285) all competed but didn’t place.