The idea of a tri-county wrestling tournament that involves three of the top wrestling counties in New Jersey seems like a great idea in theory. Wrestlers love the idea of competing against top-flight competition, while fans drool over the prospect of two potential state placewinners locking horns in the championship round.
But the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament is no hit with a lot of the coaches I've spoken to over the years. The complaints are numerous, anything from travel, length of tournament time, match limits, and on and on and on. The coaches in Hunterdon and Warren seem the most critical and some just don't want this event ... period. Or at least the way it's currently constructed.
"We all see each other too many times in a short period of time," said Warren Hills coach Jarrett Hosbach, who favors a dual-meet format as opposed to an individual tournament. "[John] Goles [hosted by Warren Hills], dual meets, and this in a span of three weeks. This is the time of year when we should be building camaraderie and preparing our kids for sectionals."
Others, like veteran Kittatinny coach John Gill, love the tournament and believe it could be a premier event if showcased the proper way.
"It is such a good tournament," said Gill, following his team's win over Newton on Tuesday. "[Freshman or senior] you can really make a name for yourself."
This Saturday, the third annual installment, wrestling will be jammed into one day -- unlike last year's two-day extravaganza at Hopatcong -- on six mats for the most part. The best wrestling, semifinals and finals, will be conducted on four mats and two mats, respectively. Needless to say, fans who pay an entrance fee of around $12, will be hard-pressed to see some of the great action at Hunterdon Central Field House, which has poor sight lines at the far end of a massive building.
"When you get to the finals you get the opportunity to showcase it a little bit," said High Point coach John Gardner, who is happy to return with his team after missing last year's tournament due to a scheduling conflict. "On two mats, no one gets to see you. That's an unfortunate thing."
Gill is saddened that such great wrestling will be treated in such a manner. Service Electric's Channel 10 and Mugs Media in Sussex County was planning on taping the finals, as it did last year at Hopatcong, but with two mats it makes broadcasting a nightmare from a logistical standpoint.
"It's really dishonoring the sport," he said. "You have to respect teams like Phillipsburg, High Point, North Hunterdon, Delaware Valley ... ."
One of the chief knocks, aside from seeing the same opponents too many times in the course of the season, is having weaker wrestlers face stronger opponents in the early rounds. Delaware Valley coach Andy Fitz, also a big proponent of a dual tournament, says it's a "wasted weekend" for those inferior wrestlers.
"It's great for guys like [Mike] Pongracz and [Derek Zehnbauer]," Fitz said of his two top wrestlers who are the No. 1 seeds at 126 and 138, respectively. "I'm trying to have fun with it. The complaint I have is that it hurts the average kid, and they are the guys that help you win dual meets."
Gardner take the opposite stance. He believes it helps those kids to see tougher competition. Despite graduating every star, including four state champions, off last year's Group 3 championship team, Gardner kept a brutal schedule in tact. Included were trips to the King of the Mountain and Mustang Classic tournaments, both recognized as premier events in and out of state.
"To be able to get matches against top-tier kids, I think is very important," Gardner said. "I think a lot of people underestimate the impact of those [below average] kids on their team. We're looking, in our situation, to get kids good quality matches. That's what it's all about."
Travel also is never an issue for the Wantage-based school, that other than Vernon, has the farthest ride to Flemington.
"We've been [traveling] for a long time." Gardner said. "It's a nice event for the kids and we're happy to be back. It's the type of event that, if you do it well, it's going to be that much better."
I will have more later this weekend on some ideas to make this tournament better for next year. For now, a one-day rush job -- like two years ago -- is not the way to go. But until some of the coaches get on board with this event, it will continue to be a shadow of what it could be -- something special.
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