Delbarton’s Vin Lee Wins State Title

It all came so suddenly – and Boardwalk Hall was left stunned.

The move … the winning takedown …the state championship … it all happened in the blink of an eye, totally unexpected.

But we are talking about Delbarton’s Vinny Lee, aren’t we?

He has become the master at pulling off one surprise after another.

When the curtain came up to begin the 2023-24 season, Lee – New Jersey’s brand new 215-pound state champion – wasn’t expected to pull it off. Not a chance.

But that didn’t stop the Duke-bound senior from getting a takedown just nine seconds into overtime to stun Rumson’s defending state champion Luke Skove and win the title, 3-1.

It was all so shocking – and it sums up Lee’s wild season perfectly.

Back in November, Lee wasn’t exactly dreaming of winning a state championship.

He was dreaming of just having a season … any season.

Period.

Last year, Lee injured his back. He forfeited in the Region 3 final due to the injury. He did wrestle in the States last year, but when this season began, he was sidelined because he re-injured his back in a car accident. 

He missed the first three weeks of practice. He wore a neck brace for a week. He had a concussion. 

Not exactly the way to go about kicking off your senior year.

But Lee rebounded magnificently – about as well as humanly possible.

Moments after overtime began in the state final, he used a hook/shrug to pull off the victory over Skove. It was the second time he’d beaten him in the last week after having surprised Skove in the Region 5 finals.

“I worked on it in wrestling practice and when it happened I knew I could score,” Lee said.

And just like that, it was over and Lee was a state champion.

Talk about perseverance.

“He’s had some health issues,” coach Bryan Stoll said. “He didn’t wrestle in the big tournaments because we wanted him coming back here.”

When his Delbarton teammates were competing at the Beast of the East in Delaware to open the season, Lee recuperated. Same goes for Powerade in Pennsylvania. 

But there he was when it mattered most, getting his hand raised at center mat at Boardwalk Hall.

“Talk about a never-say-die kid,” assistant coach Guy Russo said.

Lee wanted the chance to open things up against the defensive-minded Skove and went for it the moment he had his chance in overtime, right at the opening whistle.

It couldn’t have happened at a more opportune time. Center mat, state finals, Boardwalk Hall.

“I knew my gas tank was better and my motion was going to be better,” he said. “I wanted to wrestle with him and once that happens, I know I can score.”

Score he did, right when he needed to, right when you least expected it.

It is Vin Lee, after all. What did you expect?