VIDEO: Hansen, Adelizzi win Region 8 titles; three others from area also advance to state championships

Posted: March 3rd 2025

Junior Chase Hansen became Lower Cape May's first three-time Region 8 champion after winning the 138-pound weight class at the tournament over the weekend.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

The Lower Cape May Regional and Middle Township high school wrestling teams each produced a champion and combined to send five wrestlers through to the state championships at the Region 8 Tournament over the weekend at Williamstown High School.

Chase Hansen of Lower Cape May continued his historic career by capturing his third Region 8 championship, picking up the title at 138 pounds. Meanwhile, Max Adelizzi became Middle Township’s second region champion and first in 15 years when he picked up the title at 190 pounds.

Still just a junior, Hansen is the first three-time region champion in Lower Cape May history. His career record stands at 126-3, with each of his losses coming at the state tournament. He lost twice at states as a freshman en route to a seventh-place finish and just once at states as a sophomore when he finished third.

Hansen was barely challenged at Region 8. Seeded first, he had a first-round bye before posting first-period pins in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Hansen then won by 13-2 major decision in the title bout against seventh-seeded Zavier Stokes of Delsea.

Adelizzi was equally as dominant in the early rounds at 190. The Middle Township senior, seeded second, also had a first-round bye and took down his quarterfinal and semifinal opponents by fall in the first period. He recorded his pin in the semifinal match in just 23 seconds.

That set up what turned out to be a wild championship bout against top-seeded Amir Reason-Dallas of Timber Creek. Each wrestler took turns putting his opponent on his back without securing a pin and racked up points via numerous takedowns and near-fall points. With the score tied at 17-17, Adelizzi secured the championship with a pin 29 seconds into the third period.

Adelizzi (120-26 career), now Middle Township’s all-time wins leader, was given the Region 8 Outstanding Wrestler Award for his efforts. David Giulian, a 2022 Middle graduate, was the previous record holder with 117 career victories.

Three other wrestlers from Lower Cape May and Middle Township will join Hansen and Adelizzi at the state tournament.

Two Middle wrestlers picked up third-place finishes. After being knocked out in the quarterfinal round, eighth-seeded Calvin Parke won two wrestleback consolations to reach the third-place bout at 106 pounds, in which he scored a 3-1 decision over Liam Kisby of Absegami.

His Middle teammate, Shawn Watkins, had nearly an identical path at 215 pounds. Watkins, also seeded eighth, was knocked out in the quarterfinal round but won two consolation bouts to reach the third-place bout. He dominated those proceedings, scoring a 17-1 technical fall in just 2:07 over Aiden Milward of Pitman.

For Lower, Bryce Paley has advanced after a fourth-place finish at 120 pounds. The seventh seed in the weight class, Paley was knocked out of the championship bracket after a loss in the quarterfinal round but won two wrestleback matches to reach the consolation final, in which he lost a 7-4 decision to St. Augustine Prep’s Richie Wooten.

The state championships begin Thursday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

In Middle’s case, this marks the first time in program history that three wrestlers have qualified for the state championships in the same season.