Lodi’s Leeana Mercado becomes school’s first two-time state wrestling champion
Sean Farrell 
NorthJersey.com
ATLANTIC CITY – Leeana Mercado kept the promise to herself, but went off script with the celebration.
The Lodi senior became the second North Jersey girl to win two state titles by defeating Jasintai Mallqui (Pennsauken), 5-2, in the final at 107 pounds.
The emotions poured out after backing up her spot as the top seed. Mercado spiked her headgear, put her hand to her ear and then threw both her coaches to the mat. She got a big hug from her father, Edguardo, who has his daughter’s name tattooed across his left forearm.
“To be a two-time state champion, I kept a promise to myself and that’s what I’m going to keep doing moving forward the rest of my career,” Mercado said. “I’m never going to be in AC ever again, but at least I left my mark here and I hope to be an inspiration for anyone else wanting to wrestle or just wanting to get better.”
Lodi’s Leeana Mercado celebrates after defeating Pennsauken’s Jasintai Mallqui during the 107 lb. bout of the championship round of the NJSIAA girls individual wrestling tournament held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday, March 2, 2024.
On the mat, Mercado made things look easy this season. Blessed with good speed and a killer mentality, Mercado went 21-1 and repeated as a county, region and state champion. But after finishing her high school career on top, Mercado opened up on the mental challenges that come with being the hunted. She was in a bit of a preseason funk before having a heart-to-heart conversation with Lodi coach Jeff Rodriguez and club coach Omar Feliciano.
“At first, I felt a little pressure,” Mercado said. “But then I reminded myself that I am who I am. I didn’t go through that hard year, literally one of the hardest years of my life, just to lose or get that in my head.
“That’s why I focus so much on breathing and relaxing and staying calm. I’m staying calm in matches and getting my mind right because your mind is a powerful thing. It did almost get to me, but I just had amazing people around me.
For Mercado, the championship bout on Saturday started like so many others. There was some aggressive hand-fighting in the first period, but no scoring and no desire to make a mistake. After going down 1-0 on an escape, Mercado went for a throw in the second period, re-calibrated and then circled around Mallqui for a go-ahead takedown.
Mercado went up 3-1 in the third on an escape, then spun around her opponent again for another takedown.
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Mercado goes down as the fourth state champion in Lodi’s long wrestling history and the first to win multiple times. She joins Anthony Lascari (1944), Jerry Rinaldi (2003) and Keith Dobish (2006) in the school’s record book.
“It’s always something she dreamed of,” Rodriguez said. “As a freshman, she looked up and would see Jerry Rinaldi and Keith Dobish’s name up there. She would also say ‘My name is going to be up there J-Rod’ And now she put it up there twice back-to-back.”
Lodi’s Leeana Mercado defeats Gloucester City’s Kloi Tighe in their 107 lbs. bout. Girls semifinal round on Friday at the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City on March 01, 2024
Mercado entered the bracket as the prohibitive favorite, displaying strength and skill from the start. She earned a 14-5 major decision in the quarterfinals over Isabella Bonilla (St. Thomas Aquinas), then handled Kloi Tighe (Gloucester City) 9-3 in the semifinals.
Mercado capped a storybook career by throwing Rodriguez and assistant Mike Scaravilli to the mat.
“It was in the moment,” Mercado said. “We planned something completely different and I completely forgot about it. I was like, ‘I’m going to throw you however I can.’ So that’s exactly what I did.”
