The 'Cats are 1-15 all-time in the series, getting their first win in the last meeting in 2009 -- 30-22 on Jan. 31 at The Pit. We will take a closer look at this matchup later in the week, but P'burg certainly rates as the favorite, even more so with sophomore 126-pounder Jared Kobis out for High Point after breaking his hand at the Cheesehead Invitational on Jan. 3.
On Wednesday, North Hunterdon travels to Voorhees for the annual renewal of that great rivalry, while Phillipsburg travels to Hunterdon Central on Thursday. The 'Liners will be looking to avenge a pair of losses to the Red Devils last season -- 34-30 at The Pit and 30-29 in the North 2, Group 4 final at the Field House. The latter was just the second time that a P'burg team lost a sectional final, as the 'Liners have competed in every title match since the tournament began in 1980. Central has won four of the last seven meetings in a series dating to 1962.
Delaware Valley visits Warren Hills for a Friday night clash -- the 45th meeting in the series -- that is sure to have them rocking in Washington. Terriers coach Andy Fitz reached a special milestone last week with his 107th victory, passing Paul Petro (106) for second place on the school's all-time list. Fitz, who enters the week at 107-38 in seven seasons, joins his father, Vince, as the two winningest coaches in program history. Vince Fitz (284-60-3) built the school into a state powerhouse -- capturing seven of the program's 14 sectional titles and six of the seven Group 2 titles in his 19 seasons from 1972-90. Petro's 1998-99 team won the only other Group 2 title.
Now onto this week's rankings:
Now onto this week's rankings:
Up next: at Somerville on Wednesday; at Hunterdon Central on Thursday; at High Point on Saturday.
2. High Point (3-0) -- Wildcats finally got their dual meet season underway last week with lopsided wins over NJAC rivals Pope John (49-15) and Newton (58-10). Coach John Gardner's split-squad finished eighth at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday, as several starters, including Chase Babus (106), Dom Gallo (120), Jared Kobis (126), Jason Gaccione (145), Chris Auer (152) and Tommy Hooker (160) did not compete due to injury or concern over match limits. Senior Kyle Stoll (195) claimed his second county title, while Mike Derin (132) and Bobby McDonnell (220) were runners-up.
Up next: at Morris Knolls on Tuesday; at Vernon on Thursday; Phillipsburg at home on Saturday.
3. Kittatinny (4-0) -- Cougars rolled past Lenape Valley (58-15) in their only dual action last Wednesday before finishing second behind P'burg in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday. Coach John Gill's squad had eight wrestlers finish in the top six at their respective weight classes, including lone champion Nick Klinger (120), who is just the second at the Sussex County school to win a county championship (Garrett Scrivani won at 135 in 2011). Kieran Gerrity (170), Dylan Wunder (182) and Garrett Armstrong (195) all finished second, with thirds from Christian Silva (126), Austin Scrivani (132) and Andrew Simpson (220).
Up next: at Wallkill Valley on Tuesday; North Warren at home on Thursday; at North Bergen quad on Saturday.
4. Delaware Valley (6-2) -- Terriers rolled past Voorhees, 43-12, on Friday in their lone dual last week before finishing a strong third at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday. Del Val had never finished higher than fifth in the four previous tri-county events. Senior Kody Eichlin claimed the 182-pound title and appears to be fully recovered from a nasty forearm injury sustained in the fall. Luke Zehnbauer was second at 160, while Marek Tomanek (285) finished third. Matt Kolonia (113) and Nour Mays (170) took fourths. Big showdown on tap on Friday night at Warren Hills. Terriers have won four straight -- 43-18 last season at home -- and 12 of the last 13 meetings since 2000.
Up next: Bridgewater-Raritan at home on Tuesday; at Lawrence on Thursday; at Warren Hills on Friday; at Perth Amboy quad on Saturday.
5. North Hunterdon (4-2) -- Lions scored a big 28-27 win over Hunterdon Central last Tuesday in a very entertaining match before a raucous at the Field House before a tough 42-13 loss at Phillipsburg on Thursday. North is now 2-27-1 all-time at The Pit. Senior Joe Guzzo sealed the win over Central with a 4-3 victory over Nestor Crespo at 182 pounds. Guzzo finished third at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday, as junior Ryan Pomrinca (126) repeated as champion. In all, North had a tournament-best 10 wrestlers place among the top six, including runner-up finishes by Paul Robinson (106) and Mike Ciavarro (152).
Up next: at Voorhees on Wednesday; at Lawrence tri-meet with Steinert on Saturday.
6. Hunterdon Central (4-1) -- Red Devils rebounded from a tough 28-27 loss to North Hunterdon last Tuesday to post a 43-9 victory over Hillsborough on Wednesday. Coach Steve Gibble's team finished sixth in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday. Seniors Dylan Nace (132) and Gary Dinmore (152) won their second county titles, while Collin Boylan finished second at 145. Nace is the first four-time finalist in the event's five-year history and recorded his 100th career win in the quarterfinals. Boylan took his first loss of the season -- 1-0 to Phillipsburg's Jimmy Schuitema.
Up next: at Watchung Hills on Wednesday; Phillipsburg at home on Thursday; at Southern quad on Saturday.
7. Voorhees (7-2) -- Vikings are piling up the dual meet wins, earning a 40-20 win over West Morris on Tuesday before a tough 43-12 loss at Delaware Valley last Friday in Alexandria Township. Coach Eric Hall committed to bumping his lineup from 145-220 in a match that necessitated making moves in order to give the Vikes a shot at an upset. Del Val won at but one bout from the starting weight of 145 through 285. On Saturday, 113-pound champion Kyle DiNapoli helped Voorhees finish seventh at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. Cody Ihling (120) and Christian Okulicz (145) finished third.
Up next: North Hunterdon at home on Wednesday; at Montgomery on Friday; Franklin and Ridge at home on Saturday.
8. Warren Hills (2-3) -- Blue Streaks were idle on the dual meet scene last week, as coach Jarrett Hosbach's squad finished fifth at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday. Junior Max Nauta, a three-time finalist, became the school's first two-time champion with his pin of Sparta's Ian Burke in the 138-pound final. It also was career win No. 72 for Nauta, who thrilled the crowd with his pin of Phillipsburg's Corey Zinsmeister in the semis, trailing 6-3 at the time and about to get turned with a cradle. Junior Andrew Pacheco came up short in his bid to repeat, dropping a 5-2 decision in the 285-pound final. More bad news for the Streaks as senior 132-pounder Tai Adetula is out for the rest of season due to a knee injury sustained on Dec. 20.
Up next: at Montgomery on Wednesday; Delaware Valley at home on Friday; West Morris, North Warren at Hackettstown quad on Saturday.
9. Sparta (4-3) -- Spartans dropped a pair of close NJAC dual meets last week -- 42-36 to Jefferson and 35-29 to Mount Olive -- before finishing 13th in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday. Junior Ian Burke became the school's first county finalist with his runner-up finish at 138. Gavin Lally (195) and Walker Schmitzer (145) finished fourth and fifth, respectively for coach Frank Battaglia's squad.
Up next: Vernon at home on Tuesday; at Morris Hills on Thursday; Wayne Valley at home on Saturday.
10. Lenape Valley (0-3) -- Patriots were blitzed by a strong Kittatinny squad -- 58-15 on Wednesday -- before finishing a respectable ninth in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday without the services of junior Glenn Haines, who would've been the No. 2 seed at 138. Haines' status is up in the air as he's dealing with a shoulder injury. He has not competed since reaching the finals of the Dover Tournament on Dec. 20. Coach Doug Vetter's squad has been hit hard by injuries early on, as D.J. Barrett (182) placed third with fourths from Dominic LaBell (152) and Joey LaBell (160) at HWS.
Up next: at North Warren on Tuesday; Newton at home on Thursday; at Nutley Tournament on Friday and Saturday.
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