New Jersey Wrestler Who Was Asked To Cut Locs Makes High School Tournament

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Andrew Johnson, the N.J. high school wrestler who made headlines after a referee gave him an ultimatum to either cut his locs or be disqualified during a match, has made his high school tournament.

Wrestler asked to cut locs wins tournament

Johnson placed 3rd in his district, qualifying him for the regional championship.

He is one step closer to making the New Jersey state championship. 

Controversial hair incident

On December 19th, reports say that referee Alan Maloney asked Johnson to cut his locs.

When the 16-year-old junior asked Maloney to let him wear a cap under his headgear, the referee rejected the covering because he said Andrew’s hair “wasn’t in its natural state” and referred to the locs as “braids”.

Johnson reluctantly agreed to cut his hair but he was visibly upset. Johnson would go on to win the match.

Video of wrestler asked to cut locs

The video of the incident went viral. Due to the media attention, Johnson sat out the next wrestling match but eventually got back in the game securing 3rd place at the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics District 29 tournament in New Jersey over in the 120-pound division.

After the district tournament, Andrew told NJ.com, “I tried to block everything out and just wrestle.”

A family affair

It’s also a family affair as Andrew’s younger brother Nate, a freshman, finished 2nd in the tournament and will also advance to the regionals.

“We’re both moving on, so we’re ready,” Andrew said.

Their mom, Rosa Johnson, told NJ.com, “Our family has just rallied around them and kept them focused.”

“We’ve tried to protect them. They’ve worked really hard for this and wanted to keep them focused.”

Alan Maloney has not officiated since the incident and NJSIAA is still investigating his case.