Wrestling: Bound Brook's Glasgow caps career with state final loss

ATLANTIC CITY – Sean Glasgow, who was trying to make up for lost time during a promising high school career, needed to hold on for nine more seconds to keep alive his hopes for an elusive state title.

That's the number that remained on the clock in sudden victory when Delbarton's Joe Tavoso finally finished a single-leg takedown for a dramatic 6-4 overtime win against the Bound Brook senior in Sunday's 152-pound NJSIAA Wrestling Tournament final at Boardwalk Hall.

The incredibly athletic Glasgow was perched on one leg and fought off the takedown attempt for 28 seconds before Tavoso was able to trip him to the mat.

"I fought and tried my best," said Glasgow. "I wanted to win it all. I wanted to win a state title. I guess I came up short. It is what it is."

During those 28 seconds, Glasgow didn't exactly see his past flash before his eyes, but after walking off the mat as a state runner-up, he contemplated what might have been were it not for difficulty cutting weight as a sophomore and an injury-riddled junior season.

"Like you (reporters) said, I've had the potential since my freshman year," said Glasgow, who began his career at East Brunswick before transferring to Bound Brook as a junior. "I thought I should have built up and been a state finalist since my sophomore year, but I bloomed a little bit late."

Glasgow and his younger brother, Stephan, who reached the 145-pound final, became the first siblings to wrestle together in the NJSIAA Individual Championships since Mark (112) and Maurice (160) Worthy of Central Regional accomplished the feat 19 years ago.

"I never thought he would make it this far and look at him now," Glasgow said of his brother, noting he is glad Stephan is on the trajectory Sean once envisioned for himself.

Tavoso, who is headed to Princeton University, was selective about the shots he took against Glasgow, finishing both of them to account for his offensive scoring.

Tavoso posted the first two points of the bout on another single-leg takedown along the edge 30 seconds into the opening period. Glasgow escaped before the end of the first and at the start of the second, evening the score at 2-2. Illustrating his trademark quickness, Glasgow scored a takedown off the whistle for a 4-2 advantage with 51 seconds left in the second period. An escape by Tavoso made the score 4-3. Glasgow released Tavoso to start the third period, setting the stage for overtime.

"I just kept telling myself, you get this one, you are a state champion," Tavoso said about being in on the single in sudden victory. "I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by."

A two-time region champion and three-time district champion with a 109-19 career record, Glasgow will continue his wrestling career at Chadron State College, a Division II school in Nebraska which includes former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Don Bebe among its most notable alumni.

"He hasn't lost to anybody in his weight up until this match," Bound Brook coach Shaun Cleary said of Glasgow, who won 38 of 40 bouts this year. "He had a very good season. Last year he went through an injury and when you miss three-quarters of a season, it's kind of hard to get your bearings."

Glasgow started to make up for lost time during the offseason when he and his brother each won National High School Wrestling Coaches Association national titles in April with Stephan winning a freshman crown at 132 and Sean claiming a junior championship at 152.

Before this season, Glasgow hadn't placed in two previous trips to Atlantic City, losing medal-clinching bouts each of the past two years.

Glasgow was more philosophic about the clock winding down on his career than he was about defeat.

"This year I thought I would take it," he said of the elusive state crown. "You win some, you lose some."