Here are some thoughts and highlights from Tuesday's John Goles Invitational and the Cougar Classic at Kittatinny.
I was in attendance at Warren Hills for the 54th annual Goles, which showcased some really good individual talent in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area.
Delaware Valley claimed the team championship with 162 points, while North Hunterdon edged Warren Hills by a half-point, 152 1/2 to 152, for second place.
The Terriers crowned four champions, Matt Gilmore (120), Mike Pongracz (126), Derek Zehnbauer (138) and Forrest Wooden (285). Gilmore, a junior who placed fourth in District 17 last season, looked really good in claiming his first Goles championship, while Pongracz rolled through his weight class for a second straight title while earning the OW award.
Personally, my OW vote went to Newton's Steven Churchill, a two-time Goles champ who dominated the 132-pound class. Churchill beat 2010 runner-up Mike Ciavarro of North Hunterdon, 8-1, in the finals, avenging a 6-4 OT loss to Ciavarro in last year's opening round.
Churchill, whose brother, Kevin, was a state placewinner for the Braves, is now healthy after battling some past shoulder problems and is looking real tough early on. I expect him to return to Atlantic City in March and possibly make some noise. Steven Churchill (8-0) is now 84-19 in his career, making the Churchill brothers a combined 235-37. Kevin holds the school record with 151 wins.
Liam Korbul of North Hunterdon took home a pair of awards after winning his first Goles title at 182. His three pins in a total time of 6:27 earned him the prestigious Ryan M. Storm Memorial Award for most falls in the fastest total time by a tournament champion. Korbul also won the award for most team points scored by an individual, joining Wooden, who also scored the maximum of 26.
Warren Hills heayweight Tyler Bridygham posted the fastest pin of the tournament (17 seconds).
Freshmen Max Nauta of Warren Hills and Ryan Pomrinca of North Hunterdon, at 106 and 113, respectively, won their first titles and look to one day join a select list of four-time Goles winners.
Both wrestlers impressed me.
Nauta defeated the top three seeds en route to the championship, beating North Hunterdon region qualifier Matt Moncourtois, 1-0, as a second-period escape was the difference. Pomrinca, a big and solid 113-pounder, scored a 4-2 decision over West Morris freshman David Migliaccio in the finals.
There have only been six -- Warren Hills' Steve Kasza (who won three titles at Belvidere and one for the Streaks in 1984), Edison's Joe Duhigg (1986-89), Warren Hills' Ryan Kanewski (1993-96), Delaware Valley's Dan Hutchins (1998-2001), Edison's Mike Franco-Bandiero (2005-08) and Newton's Kevin Churchill (2006-09) -- to win four individual titles in the tourney's long history.
For all the historical information on the Goles, visit http://www.warrenhills.org/Page/246.
Cougars tough in their den
Host Kittatinny claimed the team title for the fourth straight year and was led by 138-pound champion Nick Romyns, one of six Cougars in the championship round. Freshman Tom Murphy (132), Clarke Moynihan (152), Kieran Gerrity (160), Dylan Wunder (195) and Jacob Drelich (220) all finished second.
Romyns received a forfeit win in the finals over Pequannock's R.J. DeGeorge, who has been hampered by an ankle sprain. Question is, why was DeGeorge even entered with a bum ankle?
Moynihan fell, 4-1, to Roxbury sophomore Dillon Artigliere in a battle of Region 1 stars. Gerrity, a tough sophomore, lost 3-1 in overtime to Mendham's Kevin Button.
Belvidere ace Dylan Thorsen claimed the 132-pound title with a gritty 4-3 win over rookie sensation Murphy. In the quarterfinals, Thorsen reached the 100-win mark for his fine career. Younger brother, Jesse, posted a 4-2 win over Mendham's Eric Freidman in the 126-pound final.
Juniors Evan Bray and J.B. Lawson won titles at 182 and 220 pounds, respectively, as Belvidere finished fifth in the team race.
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