Freshman Curtis Thomas was excited to reach one of his season goals last week when he captured the Eastern District Region 197-pound title at Lackawanna College in dominating fashion with three consecutive pins over three opponents.

That sterling performance by the former Delsea High wrestler earned him Most Valuable Wrestler honors for the Districts while also guaranteeing him a spot as a National Qualifier for the upcoming NJCAA Wrestling National Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa on March 6-7.

But despite his eye-opening matches at Districts, Thomas has made it clear he is not finished with his run toward a national championship.

"I definitely reached one of my goals today in winning the (District) title," said Thomas. "I did what I thought I was capable of doing.
"I'm confident and I'm feeling stronger with each match. I'm looking to go all the way."

That spirit and work ethic by Thomas played a big factor in the Runners winning the Eastern District team crown as well. Coach Dan Antonelli's Runners grabbed the title over runnerup Spartanburg Methodist, advancing all 10 wrestlers to the National Championship.

"Curtis has been amazing all year and he has a great work ethic," said Antonelli. "He has the potential to go deep in the National Tournament. It will definitely be much tougher at Nationals, but he is the type of kid who keeps working and never gives up."

Thomas said he is engaging in plenty of extra practice this week to prepare for the trip to Iowa.

"No doubt, I'll need to be ready for some tough matches -- these are the best kids in the country," he said. "We'll see how everything works out."