Delaware Valley also dealing with skin issues

Delaware Valley's wrestling team became the second Hunterdon County squad to shut down with skin disease. Terriers coach Andy Fitz on Monday confirmed that two of his wrestlers have skin issues, and that all dual meets scheduled for this week have either been postponed or cancelled.

"We're dealing with it," said Fitz, whose team was scheduled to wrestle Manville this evening. "We hope to be practicing again by Thursday. We have no competitions at all this week."

Del Val (6-3) was also scheduled to host Ridge on Wednesday before traveling to Warren Hills on Friday for a big Skyland Conference Raritan Division showdown. The Terriers were to close out the week with a quad meet at Kittatinny that also included Timber Creek and Hackettsown. That will now be a tri-meet, minus Del Val.

Fitz said the tentative schedule for next week has his team hosting Ridge and Somerville on Monday; at Warren Hills either Tuesday or Wednesday; home against North Warren on Thursday and the Region 5 Duals as originally scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 4. Del Val has not been on the mat since a 41-12 loss at Phillipsburg this past Wednesday.

"If Warren Hills is hosting a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex basketball game on Wednesday [Feb. 1], the match will be on Tuesday. If not, we will wrestle on Wednesday," Fitz said. "We've lost a total of nine dual meets right now with the [Saturday] snow and [skin]."

North Hunterdon's wrestling team also is on hiatus as three unnamed wrestlers and one assistant coach contracted a skin disease this past week. The Lions competed in last weekend's Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament and have not taken the mat since a 38-26 loss to rival Voorhees last Wednesday.

Coach Tim Flynn confirmed that his team is dealing with skin issues, but does not know where or how his wrestlers may have gotten it. He hopes to have his team back on the mat by next weekend.

North Hunterdon (10-2) was already scheduled to be off until Friday against Montgomery, a Skyland Conference Delaware Division match for both schools.

All three counties recently participated in the HWS Tournament at Hunterdon Central. So far, only Del Val and North Hunterdon have reported skin issues. Fitz said it was unclear where all of this may have originated.

"Where we got it from doesn't matter, we're dealing with it," Fitz said. "Hopefully we'll have everyone back for sectionals and districts."

Del Val is currently the No. 1 seed in the Central Jersey, Group 2 sectional playoffs that begin on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The cutoff date to qualify is this Saturday. The Terriers will be locked in with their current point total as a result of no matches this week.