Wrestling: Region 1 individual rankings

Note: This is the final set of rankings before the district tournaments (Feb. 22-23).

106 pounds

1. Fr. Brandon Paetzell, Phillipsburg

2. So. Dom Gallo, High Point

3. Fr. Garrett O’Shea, Morris Knolls

4. Sr. Stephen Caserta, Roxbury

5. So. William Kui, DePaul

Notes: Paetzell (24-5) is on an absolute tear with 15 straight wins – including two pins, five technical falls and five major decisions. The takedown machine dominated a good opponent in South Plainfield’s Ryan Walsh, winning by technical fall, last Wednesday at The Pit. For comparison’s sake, O’Shea (27-2) beat Walsh, 10-0, earlier in the year and 7-4 in the rematch on Jan. 5. Gallo has been getting a break from this weight and hasn’t missed a beat – winning six of his last nine at 113. Kui (23-5) dropped a 3-1 decision to Passaic Valley’s Anthony Cruz on Thursday in a rematch of their Passaic County Tournament final – won by Kui, 6-4, on Jan. 26. Caserta decked Cruz earlier this season.

113 pounds

1. So. Max Nauta, Warren Hills

2. Jr. Bryan Damon, Jefferson

3. Sr. Zach Fisher, Phillipsburg

4. So. A.J. Vindici, Randolph

5. Jr. Christian Silva, Kittatinny

Notes: Fisher scored a nice 6-3 win over South Plainfield’s Daniel Hedden on Wednesday. Vindici (25-3) had two pins last week, while Damon (29-1) decked Hackensack’s Anthony Romero, as the Falcons prep for the North 1, Group 2 sectionals and a potential semifinal date with High Point. Silva and the Cougars are ready for another run at the North 1, Group 1 title.

120 pounds

1. Fr. Jared Kobis, High Point

2. Sr. Cory Fleming, West Morris

3. Jr. Tyler Hrycak, Wayne Valley

4. So. Peter Lipari, Lenape Valley

5. So. Steve Friedman, Phillipsburg

Notes: Kobis (29-1) capped his first regular season with a 10-9 win over Fleming – leading 7-0 at one point – to solidify his top billing. Hrycak (25-3) has won 17 in a row since his only loss in New Jersey – 8-7 to Delbarton’s Nick Farro. Friedman gave South Plainfield’s Raymond Jazikoff all he wanted in a 7-5 loss on Wednesday.  

126 pounds

1. So. David McFadden, DePaul

2. Sr. Joe Kratochvil, Warren Hills

3. So. Ian Burke, Sparta

4. Fr. Austin Scrivani, Kittatinny

5. So. David Migliaccio, West Morris

Notes: McFadden (28-1) has pinned in his last six bouts and looks to help DePaul claim the North Jersey Parochial B title this week. Kratochvil could meet up with either Kevin Hernandez or Jake Legotte if Roxbury can reach the North 2, Group 3 semifinals on Wednesday in Washington. It appears as if Phillipsburg sophomore Corey Zinsmeister may be done for the season, so he’s out here until he can return to the mat. West Morris’ David Migliaccio appeared at 126 on Saturday, beating High Point’s Connor McHugh, 3-2. McHugh also lost to Scrivani and Montville’s Anthony Fano, but beat Hernandez. Fano lost to Hernandez. Round and round they go. Migliaccio gets the nod with a win over Lenape Valley’s Glenn Haines and a loss to Kratochvil in sudden victory.

132 pounds

1. Sr. Sam Tareky, Wayne Valley

2. Sr. Anthony Johnson, Phillipsburg

3. Jr. Jake Legotte, Roxbury

4. So. Glenn Haines, Lenape Valley

5. Sr. Brandon Rothman, Hackettstown

Notes: Haines looks to be coming on with two majors and a technical fall win in his last outing over Randolph’s Jake Federico on Thursday. Legotte (25-4) is looking to lead the Gaels to the North 2, Group 3 final this week. Johnson had a tough week – a 5-1 loss to Somerville ace Nick Wahba before getting decked by South Plainfield state champ Scott DelVecchio on Wednesday.

138 pounds

1. Sr. Nick Matthews, West Morris

2. Sr. Matt Benvenuto, Lenape Valley

3. So. Tom Murphy, Kittatinny

4. So. Max Elling, Phillipsburg

5. Sr. Kevin Bundschuh, Warren Hills

Notes: Matthews (27-1) closed the week with a 10-6 win over High Point’s Chris Auer on Saturday. Benvenuto (25-5) and the Patriots have an excellent chance to reach the North 1, Group 1 final this week. He could face Wallkill Valley senior Jim Lodema, who lost 7-1 in an earlier meeting this season, in the first round on Monday. Elling got a reversal on three-time state champ Anthony Ashnault, who prevailed by technical fall in South Plainfield’s win on Wednesday.  

145 pounds

1. Sr. Jesse Thorsen, Belvidere

2. Sr. Andrew Kaluzny, Phillipsburg

3. Sr. Tyler Kozimor, Hackettstown

4. So. Jason Gaccione, High Point

5. Jr. Nick Romyns, Kittatinny

Notes: Gaccione prevailed in a wild 7-6 win in a rideout against unranked Brandon Carcuffe of West Morris. I have no reason to drop Romyns out, though I don’t think he’s wrestled to his capabilities of late. Carcuffe is right there with these guys in what I feel is the toughest weight class in the region this year. Thorsen (25-2) dropped a 3-1 decision to Bound Brook’s Emmanuel Soto last Monday.

152 pounds

1. So. Jimmy Schuitema, Phillipsburg

2. So. Luke Bohn, Jefferson

3. Fr. Dean Drugac, Morris Knolls

4. Jr. Tommy Hooker, High Point

5. Jr. Evan Butka, Warren Hills

Notes: An anticipated showdown between Schuitema and South Plainfield’s Dylan Painton on Wednesday never materialized as Painton bumped to 160. Drugac beat Lenape Valley’s Joe LaBell, 9-3, at 160 on Tuesday. Hooker enters the week riding a six-match win streak and has been wrestling well of late. We could see Butka against Roxbury's Stephen Satmaria if the Gaels advance to Wednesday's North 2, Group 3 semifinals. Randolph's Sean Rodgers, who beat Satmaria, 3-1, has been on the bubble here due to a pair of losses to Hunterdon Central's Dylan Cote, who lost to Butka in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament.

160 pounds

1. Jr. Dillon Artigliere, Roxbury

2. Jr. Sam Button, Mendham

3. Jr. Jake Kocsis, Phillipsburg

4. Sr. John Sickles, West Morris

5. Jr. Nick Carey, DePaul

Notes: Artigliere (29-0) improved to 100-8 for his career with a forfeit win against Chatham on Wednesday. Not an ideal way to reach the century mark. Sickles (23-5) nipped High Point’s Moses Yasin, 5-4, on Saturday. Sickles is one of three West Morris wrestlers to earn their 100^th wins this season – joining Nick Matthews and Brandon Carcuffe. They are the only ones in school history to do so. Kocsis, a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex champ, moves up one spot. He’s really coming on of late and has a better track record against common opponents with Sickles.

170 pounds

1. Sr. Parker Meytrott, Montville

2. Jr. Kieran Gerrity, Kittatinny

3. Jr. Broderick Bupivi, Phillipsburg

4. Sr. Adam Kratch, West Morris

5. So. D.J. Barrett, Lenape Valley

Notes: Gerrity (26-3) looked like an absolute beast with his first-period pin of Delaware Valley’s Luke Zehnbauer, a Region 5 qualifier. He also decked Bupivi the previous week. Kratch scored an 8-4 win over High Point’s Antonio Porraspita on Saturday. Meytrott (29-1) teched Kratch earlier this season.   

182 pounds

1. So. Nick DePalma, DePaul

2. Sr. Michael Burns, Morris Knolls

3. Sr. Josh Sibblies, Newton

4. Sr. Jake Brook, Kittatinny

5. Sr. Evan Bray, Belvidere

Notes: A potential Sibblies-Bray encounter was wiped out by snow on Friday. It will be interesting to see if Brook and or Bray stay here or go at a not-as-deep 195 class for the postseason. Bray dropped a 6-3 decision to Bound Brook’s Isaiah Soto last Monday. Burns was up at 195 for his last four bouts, including a 3-2 win over Lenape Valley’s Kristian Barrett on Tuesday.

195 pounds

1. Jr. Kyle Stoll, High Point

2. Jr. Anthony Landberg, Wayne Valley

3. Jr. Dylan Wunder, Kittatinny

4. Sr. Kristian Barrett, Lenape Valley

5. Jr. Jesse Windt, West Morris

Notes: Stoll had a strong week with wins over Newton’s Gus Protogeropoulos (7-1 on Wednesday) and Windt (8-4 on Saturday). Barrett dropped a 3-2 decision to Morris Knolls’ Michael Burns on Tuesday, so that doesn’t hurt him here.

220 pounds

1. Sr. J.B. Lawson, Belvidere

2. Jr. Garrett Armstrong, Kittatinny

3. Sr. Robert Levine, Wayne Hills

4. Jr. Bobby McDonnell, High Point

5. Sr. Pete Andrich, Mount Olive

Notes: Lawson decked Bound Brook’s Dante Washington in 29 seconds last Monday is his only action of the week. Armstrong had an even less eventful week with a forfeit win against Delaware Valley. Still no word on the status of Levine, who has not wrestled since Jan. 21. McDonnell rolling with 10 straight wins – eight pins – since the second of two losses to Armstrong.

285 pounds

1. Sr. Ryan Appleby, Belvidere

2. So. Andrew Pacheco, Warren Hills

3. Sr. Jarrett Williams, Phillipsburg

4. Sr. William Wenzel, West Milford

5. Jr. Noa Merritt, Pope John

  

Notes: Appleby lost to Bound Brook’s Stephen Johnson, 3-2, in overtime on Monday. Pacheco and the Blue Streaks had the week off, while Williams majored South Plainfield’s Tyler Calderone on Wednesday.