What promised to be a wide open and wild Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament has not disappointed through two rounds. The fourth annual event has the quarterfinals on tap for Saturday and we'll have a full preview and predictions for all four games later in the week.
The home teams have ruled so far, going 9-3 overall, with No. 3 North Warren and No. 4 seeds Hackettstown and Lenape Valley as the top four seeds on either side to be eliminated.
North Warren's 7-3 loss to No. 6 Vernon was the most stunning result from last Saturday's first-round slate of games. It was only the second HWS win in five attempts for the Vikings (5-7), who are suddenly a team to watch having won three of their last four entering this week. Starter Ryan Duvall struck out five to beat the Patriots. First baseman John Lipari is one of the area's best hitters.
Hunterdon Central squeaked by High Point, 5-4, to reach its fourth straight quarterfinal. The Red Devils have won a tournament-best 11 games and reached the title game in the three previous events -- winning the first HWS title in 2010.
Delaware Valley, the No. 5 seed in the Hunterdon-Warren bracket, defeated No. 4 Lenape Valley, 9-6, for the Hunterdon County school's first tournament win in four attempts. Coach Marty White's club has been tough to figure this season, but outstanding first baseman/pitcher Scott Skripko went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, while earning the win on the mound.
We're guaranteed to have at least two Sussex County semifinalists, as Newton hosts Vernon and Sparta hosts Wallkill Valley in the quarters. Del Val travels to North Hunterdon, while Pope John visits Hunterdon Central in the other matchups. Pope John beat Central, 8-1, for the 2011 championship.
On to this week's rankings:
1. North Hunterdon (10-4) -- Lions went 4-1 overall last week, reeling off four in a row after Monday's 5-1 independent loss to Manalapan. Coach Mike Kane's team defeated Phillipsburg (10-0 on Tuesday), Bridgewater-Raritan (8-1 on Thursday), Memorial (14-0 on Friday) and Kittatinny (14-4 on Saturday). Junior shortstop Marc Monks had a nice week, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI against P'burg and logging an RBI double against Manalapan. Sophomore catcher Andrew Meiners went a combined 4-for-7 with a double and four RBIs in the wins over P'burg and Kittatinny.
Up next: Hunterdon Central at home on Tuesday; Randolph at home on Wednesday; Montgomery at home on Thursday; Delaware Valley at home in HWS quarterfinals on Saturday.
2. Newton (10-2) -- Braves move up a spot in the rankings after a 3-1 week, coupled with No. 3 Sparta's loss to Jefferson last week. Coach John Selitto's squad beat Wallkill Valley (11-1 on Monday), Hackettstown (9-8 on Thursday) and Warren Hills (11-1 on Saturday). Newton lost its second game, 4-1, to a good West Orange team on Friday. Center fielder Ben Cramer, who leads the Sussex County school with a .400 batting average, went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and RBIs against Wallkill Valley. Catcher Charlie Grotyohann had a monster week with six RBIs and two-hit games against Wallkill Valley and Warren Hills. He has 12 RBIs for the season, second only to first baseman Anthony Morro (15). Lefty Nick Grant (3-0) got the win against Wallkill. He has 16 K's in 19 innings and a team-best 1.47 ERA.
Up next: at Vernon on Monday; at Lenape Valley on Tuesday; at Blair Academy on Friday; Vernon at home in HWS quarterfinals on Saturday.
3. Sparta (9-5-1) -- Spartans went 3-2 last week, starting with a 4-3 win over Mount Olive on Monday in an NJAC American Division showdown. Coach Sam Slobodzian's team, sitting in first place in the division, also beat Vernon, 6-3, on Thursday in a division game. Sparta, which lost to Jefferson (7-6 on Tuesday) and Columbia (8-0 on Friday) closed the week with a 10-3 thumping of Voorhees in an HWS first-round clash. Ace Kevin Foulds struck out 11 for the win. Sparta, the 2010 runner-up, is 6-3 all-time in HWS games and has reached the quarters in all four tournaments.
Up next: at Morris Hills on Tuesday; at Morris Catholic on Wednesday; Wallkill Valley at home in HWS quarterfinals on Saturday.
4. Hunterdon Central (8-7) -- Red Devils went 3-2 last week and have won six of their last eight since a 2-5 start. Coach Mike Raymond's club beat Rutgers Prep (4-2 on Monday), Edison (10-5 on Friday) and High Point (5-4 in the HWS on Saturday), while losing a pair of Skyland Conference Delaware Division games against Bridgewater-Raritan (1-0 on Tuesday) and Watchung Hills (5-1 on Thursday). Senior outfielder John Icaza went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Rutgers Prep victory, while sophomore infielder Brett McManus went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs against High Point. McManus is second on the team with a .381 batting average his 11 RBIs trail only Jeremy Ake (13) for first in that category
Up next: Peddie at home on Monday; at North Hunterdon on Tuesday; Immaculata at home on Thursday; Pope John at home in HWS quarterfinals on Saturday.
5. Pope John (9-7) -- Lions went 2-1 last week and have won three of their last four, including an 11-3 win over Phillipsburg on Saturday in an HWS first-round contest in Sparta. The victory avenged a 6-5 loss in 12 innings to the Stateliners in last year's quarterfinals. Interestingly, the schools have now taken turns eliminating each other back-to-back as the tourney's defending champion. P'burg won the 2012 championship, while Pope John captured the 2011 crown. Sophomore catcher Zach Leach went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while senior first baseman Rob Sanders was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Sophomore Matt Piwko went a combined 5-for-8 with a double and four RBIs in the wins over Morris Hills (10-0 on Thursday) and P'burg. Pitcher Dan Cunico (2-1) struck out six to beat Morris Hills.
Up next: at Montville on Tuesday; Delbarton at home on Wednesday; at Hunterdon Central in HWS quarterfinals on Saturday.
6. Vernon (5-7) -- Here come the Vikings, who enter the rankings for the first time this season. Coach Scott Berge's team pulled off a stunner on Saturday with a 7-3 win over North Warren in the HWS Tournament. Winning pitcher Ryan Duvall struck out five, while junior Chris Pontus and Mike Harboy had RBIs to help the Sussex County school reach the quarterfinals for the first time in program history. The Vikes opened the week with a 5-4 win over Morris Knolls in an NJAC American Division showdown before a 6-3 loss to Sparta on Thursday.
Up next: Newton at home on Monday; High Point at home on Tuesday; West Milford at home on Thursday; at Newton in HWS quarterfinals on Saturday.
7. High Point (4-8) -- Wildcats are making strides having won three of their last four and taking No. 4 Hunterdon Central to the limit in a 5-4 loss on Saturday in the HWS Tournament. Coach Mickey Thomas' team, which started 0-4, ran off three straight wins before that defeat -- beating Pope John (4-3 on Monday), Belvidere (12-6 on Wednesday) and Morris Knolls (2-0 on Thursday). The win over Knolls was an NJAC American Division clash in Wantage, as senior outfielder Mike Ragnetti went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Shortstop Kyle Adams, who is having a fine season, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs against Belvidere, while Ragnetti was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Up next: at Vernon on Tuesday; Kittatinny at home on Wednesday; at Wallkill Valley on Thursday.
8. North Warren (7-5) -- Patriots stumbled to a 1-2 mark last week and fall two spots in the rankings as a result. After a 5-1 loss to Jefferson on Monday, coach Jim Haupt's team beat Lenape Valley, 11-10 in eight innings, on Thursday to keep its NJAC Freedom Division title hopes alive. Junior outfielder Cam Esposito doubled and had five RBIs, while junior first baseman Nick Meyer hit a solo homer in the win. Ace Alex Hladik (1-3) took his third loss on Saturday, as the Pats fell to Vernon, 7-3, in an HWS first-round clash.
Up next: at Warren Hills on Monday; at Kittatinny on Tuesday; Phillipsburg at home on Friday.
9. Wallkill Valley (5-5) -- Rangers are back on track following consecutive wins over Kittatinny (13-3 on Thursday) and Hackettstown (4-3 on Saturday). Coach Kevin Lukich's team snapped a four-game skid with the win over Kittatinny, as junior outfielder Brandon Grabkowski continued one of the most prolific offensive seasons in school history by going 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. He finished the week with a 3-for-4 day against Hackettstown in an HWS first-round game to move the Rangers into their first-ever tri-county quarterfinal. Grabkowski enters the week batting .600 (21-for-35) with six doubles and a team-high nine RBIs. Senior ace Casey Jervis, who was 3-for-3 with an RBI against the Cougars, struck out seven Tigers on Saturday for his second win.
Up next: at Morris Hills on Monday; at Hopatcong on Tuesday; at Sparta in HWS quarterfinals on Saturday.
10. Hackettstown (6-7) -- Tigers went 1-2 last week, beating Hopatcong, 11-3 at home before a 9-8 loss to NJAC Freedom Division frontrunner Newton on Thursday. Coach Gary Poyer's team was eliminated from the HWS Tournament with a 4-3 loss to Wallkill Valley. Senior outfielder/pitcher Owen Gavin continued his torrid pace with the bat, going 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBIs against Hopatcong and logging two hits against Newton. He struck out five in the loss to Wallkill. Junior first baseman/pitcher Justin Nicholls went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI against Newton.
Up next: Mount Olive at home on Monday; Jefferson at home on Tuesday; at Warren Hills on Wednesday.
On the bubble: Delaware Valley (5-8); Lenape Valley (5-7); Warren Hills (5-10).
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