Thoughts from Super Sunday at Toms River

Here are five thoughts and observations from a great Sunday of wrestling in Toms River.

High Point lost, 31-18, to Raritan in the Group 2 semfinals, while Kittatinny fell, 34-32, to Bound Brook in the Group 1 semis.

1. Expect High Point and Kittatinny -- both are young squads -- to make another run to Toms River next season. The Wildcats put five seniors, six sophomore and three freshmen on the mat against a good Raritan team that went on to beat Delsea for the title. Kittatinny featured seven sophomores two juniors and one freshman in its loss to eventual champion Bound Brook. After watching both matches, it was clear to me that these were essentially the championship matches in each Group.

2. High Point freshmen Dom Gallo and Jason Gaccione were very impressive in their victories. How about Gallo, an undersized, yet talented 106-pounder, gutting out a 3-2 win in the ultimate tie breaker? After not being able to hold down Dylan Seidenberg in the second period and the second rideout session, Gallo found a way to hold his opponent down for 30 seconds in the final 30 seconds. Gaccione, who I think is better than his brother, Joe, at this stage of their careers, earned a 3-2 win over Jason Bohal at 132 -- securing an important first-period takedown.

3. Kittatinny lost a heartbreaker that came down to the final bout. The Cougars got every matchup they wanted, but couldn't pull what many would have considered a big upset. Back-to-back pins at 285 and 106 in the final two bouts ended the Sussex County school's bid for a ninth state title. Coach John Gill and his top-notch crew of assistants, opted to bump early at 113 and 120 and later at 132 and 138. Smart strategy in theory, but in key bouts at 120 and 145, it seemed the Kittatinny wrestlers lost steam by the third period. That helped the Crusaders, who appeared fresher in the later stages of those bout. Sophomore Garrett Armstrong delivered a huge pin at 195 as did Jake Drelich at 220 that kept Kittatinny in the match. Clarke Moynihan (152), Kieran Gerrity (160) and James Elphick (120) also delivered bonus-point wins. The match was a 7-7 split, but four Bound Brook pins were the difference.

4. High Point also played the juggling game against Raritan and it didn't pan out for coach John Gardner, who needed to make some moves without senior Jason Snider (personal reasons) in the lineup. Snider earned a major decision at 145 in the team's two-point loss to Raritan on Jan. 28. This time, the 'Cats got pinned at 145, a 10-point swing right there. Kevin Pettenger (170) and Kyle Stoll (182) started High Point of with decisions in the first two bouts, but Gardner was expecting a 9-0 lead, instead of 6-0, at that point. Flipping Chris Epperly (220) and Gunther Wassong (285) was also smart. Last time, Wassong was pinned at 220 and Epperly won a close decision at 285. This move was designed to gain three team points for High Point, but Wassong gave up an escape and a takedown in the closing seconds to lose, 3-2. It was that kind of day for the 'Cats, who improved greatly during the season. "I'm excited about what we have [coming back]," Gardner said after the loss. "It was a great experience for these younger guys."

5. In a tremendous Group 4 final, a huge victory in the first bout at 120 pounds kind of got lost in the shuffle after Zach Fisher sealed Phillipsburg's 29-27 win over Brick Memorial and the Warren County school's 17th state championship. Junior Andrew Kaluzny hit a Konkrete Special for a four-pointer in the final few seconds to beat Sean Stephenson, 6-4. That win started the ball rolling toward a 14-0 lead and instilled a ton of confidence in in his fellow 'Liners. "Andrew has a fantastic Special, but he's been afraid to use it," coach Dave Post said. "I told him to 'Let it fly. Don't be scared. This is the state final, you don't get it back.' In fact. that was the theme of Post's message to his team before taking on the Mustangs. "You can't leave wrestling on the mat," said the coach who won two Group titles as a P'burg wrestler in four trips to the finals. "Our kids know the history of Phillipsburg wrestling -- 32 out of 33 sectional titles and now 17 state titles. When we win they say 'put another one up on the shelf.'"