Red Bank Regional (RBR) senior Edison Quesada, 17 from Red Bank, decided last year to wrestle. He reveals that wrestling was something always in the back of him mind but his first two years of high school were spent nursing varies broken bones from a skateboard hobby. When he did finally take the mat in a sport that many kids practice from elementary school, he was a natural and placed 2nd in the NJSIAA District 18 Tournament, 3rd NJSIAA Region 5 Tournament, and qualified for NJSIAA State Tournament. Edison’s first year of wresting was his junior year. In his first year, he managed to win sixteen varsity matches; but lost in the first round of the NJSIAA District 18 Tournament. This is when Edison’s coach, Scott Ferris, believes a fire ignited under Edison as he discovered the potential he had for the sport. Coach Ferris comments, “Once the season ended, he hit the mat and worked out hard in the off season. He also joined a wrestling club in Manalapan, New Jersey, called Elite Wrestling Club.” Edison attended the wrestling club two times a week, which he initially reached on bicycle from his home of Red Bank. At one point in time, his RBR teammate, Nick Principe, joined the same club and they would share rides back and forth to Manalapan. Edison soon became a regular visitor in the Principe household in Millstone. Edison admits, “Wrestling became my life for the last one and one half years.” It also became a family affair with his parents, and in particular, his seven-year old sister Leslie cheering him on enthusiastically at every match they could attend. In all, he achieved an amazing record of 30 wins and 12 losses in his senior year at the 220 pound weight class. Throughout the season Edison’s persistence paid off as Edison finished first in the Patriot Invitational; second in the District 18 placers and third in the Buc Classic. He went to the regional tournament finishing third, qualifying him to advance to the State Championship in Atlantic City on March1, 2nd and 3rd. This marked the first time in over 15 years that an RBR wrestler made the state championship. The feat was last accomplished by Lamar Brown in 2005. Edison did not win his two matches in Atlantic City, but it was still one of the most awesome experiences of his life. Competing in the exciting Atlantic City Convention Center was magically. So was to realize that he was one of only 32 wrestlers to qualify for the State Tournament in his weight class in the state of New Jersey. Coach Ferris states of his star wrestler, “To have achieved what he did in the sport of wrestling in only two years of wrestling is outstanding and shows his drive and motivation.” He adds, “He has also been a great inspiration to the other wrestlers who now see what it is possible to do.” For his part, Edison was very happy he put down the skateboard and decided to compete in a regular high school sport stating, “Wrestling definitely affected my life for the better. I lost tons of weight as I became much more active. It taught me a lot about responsibility, building a strong foundation showing up every day, doing the hard work and just getting it done and being a man.” Edison is a bilingual honor roll student, a member of the Italian Honor Society, and the Dreamers' group as well as co-captain of his wrestling team. Coach Ferris is helping him explore college options where he can continue his wrestling career, as this bright, talented young man explores the next chapter in his life in further pursuit of his dreams.