Five thoughts on High Point's win over Kittatinny

Here are my thoughts and observations from High Point's 32-21 victory on Thursday:

1. Predictably, High Point is getting better and better with each match. Coach John Gardner and his staff are doing a great job with a very young squad (eight freshmen or sophomores in Thursday's lineup) and the 'Cats are primed for a run at the Group 2 title. A match with Raritan on Saturday could be a potential preview of that state final on Feb. 12 in Toms River. The only bad news for High Point is that promising 220-pound sophomore Bobby McDonnell is lost for the season with a knee injury. I said before the season that High Point would win the Group 2 title and I'm even more confident after Thursday.

2. Winning the close ones is key in a big match and High Point got them all on Thursday. Decisions at 132, 138, 170, 182 and 106 were all in favor of the 'Cats and all by four points or fewer including one-point wins by Jason Gaccione and Kevin Pettinger. Gaccione is now 2-0 against the Cougars, beating Nick Romyns, 3-2, in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament quarterfinals.

3. The atmosphere at High Point was electric and a packed house was a great sight to see. This rivalry is one of the best in New Jersey and always gets both sets of fans talking weeks ahead of time. "I never saw crowds like this as a freshman," said High Point senior 170-pounder Kevin Pettinger, who didn't wrestle the last two seasons after going 10-3 as a ninth-grader. Pettinger's 4-3 win over Jake Brook was one of the night's key victories.

4. Seven is the magic number in this rivalry. High Point has now reeled off seven straight wins (2006-12) after a seven-match run by Kittatinny (1999-2005). The Cougars' 39-18 victory in 2005 was the last time a High Point team lost a conference match or to a team in Sussex County. Neither team has won more than seven straight in a series that began in 1976. 'Cats coach John Gardner is now 7-7 as a coach and 3-1 as a former High Point star wrestler against the Cougars. Kittatinny coach John Gill is 10-21-1 against the 'Cats.

5. Kittatinny may have bit too much off this week from a scheduling standpoint. After wins over Lenape Valley on Tuesday and West Essex on Wednesday, the Cougars took the mat against their archrivals for a third match in as many days. Matches with state power Timber Creek and Hackettstown still await on Saturday in a tri-meet that was originally a quad, but Delaware Valley had to withdraw due to skin issues. Kittatinny can wrap up the NJAC Freedom Division title with a win over Hackettstown.