Three of the state's top teams will chase a championship in the 13th annual Henry Boresch Duals on Saturday at Newton High School. Action gets underway at 9 a.m.
Four-time winner Newton is the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 Caldwell in the second round.
South Plainfield, which has won four of the past six events, including titles in 2016 and '17, is the No. 3 seed and will face No. 6 West Orange in the opening round. The eight-team field also includes Paulsboro and Hanover Park.
"It should be fun," Newton coach Eric Bollette said. "It's right up there [with the best set of Boresch Duals we've had]. "We've had some good teams in the past."
Newton (2-1), which has one of its best teams in recent years, dropped a tough 38-29 decision at Group 4 favorite Phillipsburg on Dec. 23 and captured the program's first John Goles Invitational team title since 2008 on Wednesday at Warren Hills.
The Braves are led by junior state qualifier Wyatt McCarthy (8-0 at 152), who is closing in on 70 career wins and senior Jonathon Borgognoni (8-0 at 160). Senior Joseph DeLuca (8-2 at 182) and junior Luke Fischer (7-1 at 195) anchor the upper weights, which figure to receive a boost this week with the return of senior Devin Mager, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury, at 195.
Paulsboro (2-0), the perennial Group 1 champion, is a new addition to this event. The Red Raiders feature a balanced and strong lineup -- bolstered by the additions of former Collingswood wrestlers Gabe and Riley Onorato. Gabe (1-0) was a fourth-place finisher in Region 7 at 132 pounds as a freshman, while Riley, a senior, is 7-2 at 160.
Georgio Mazzeo (5-2 at 113) and Jacob Perez (7-1 at 126), both sophomores, are returning state qualifiers, while junior Santo Morina (9-0 at 182) finished eighth in the state at 160 pounds as a sophomore. Junior George Worthy (6-1 at 152) and sophomore Brandon Green (6-2 at 170) also qualified for the state tournament last season.
Paulsboro, one of the most storied programs in the nation and in its 75th season, is 1,135-88-12 overall, while longtime coach Paul Morina is 658-42-4 in 32 seasons.
Hanover Park (2-0), which won its only Boresch Duals title in 2014, is the No. 2 seed. The Hornets, now coached by former assistant and Kittatinny graduate Tyler Branham, won the Group 2 title in 2015 and were runners-up in '17.
Junior Nick Raimo (6-0), a two-time state finalist and last season's 126-pound champion, is off to a strong start at 132, while junior Domenic DiFrancescantonio (4-2 at 126), and seniors Sean Conley (2-2 at 145) and Matthew Liberato (6-3 at 160) are returning state qualifiers.
South Plainfield (6-1), last season's Group 3 champion, has been a regular in this event -- also winning championships in 2012 and '13, while making the finals in '15.
Senior Joe Heilmann (10-0 at 126), third at 120 last season, and junior Zach DelVecchio (9-0), fourth at 220, are two-time state medal winners for South Plainfield, while juniors Alex Amato (4-4 at 138), Joe Sacco (9-1 at 145) and Luke Niemayer (9-0 at 195) advanced to Atlantic City last season.
Also returning from previous tournaments are No. 4 seed Caldwell (4-0) -- featuring three-time state qualifier Gerald Jones (9-2 at 152) -- while No. 7 Northern Highlands (1-1) and No. 8 Morris Hills (5-1) round out the field.
"Paulsboro is the favorite, but there are a lot of good teams in the bottom bracket," said Bollette, whose youngest brother, Brian, a former standout at Kittatinny, is the head coach at Morris Hills.
Cost is $8 for adults and $5 for students.
Here is the schedule (All times approximate as a new round will begin following the completion of the previous session.):
Quarterfinals, 9 a.m.
3-South Plainfield vs. 6-West Orange
2-Hanover Park vs. 7-Northern Highlands
Quarterfinals, 10:30 a.m.
1-Paulsboro vs. 8-Morris Hills
4-Caldwell vs. 5-Newton
Wrestleback semifinals, noon
South Plainfield-West Orange loser vs. Hanover Park-Northern Highlands loser
Paulsboro-Morris Hills loser vs. Caldwell-Newton-loser
Semifinals, 1:30 p.m.
South Plainfield-West Orange winner vs. Hanover Park-Northern Highlands winner
Paulsboro-Morris Hills winner vs. Caldwell-Newton winner
Consolation round, 3 p.m.
Fifth- and seventh-place matches.
Championship round, 4:30 p.m.
First- and third-place matches.
Memory lane of champions
2006 -- Don Bosco 50, Haddonfield 24
2007 -- Newton 54, Pequannock 9
2008 -- Newton 36, Haddonfield 31
2009 -- Newton 43, Haddonfield 18
2010 -- Newton 34, Don Bosco 32
2011 -- Raritan 41, Newton 24
2012 -- South Plainfield 47, Raritan 18
2013 -- South Plainfield 62, Raritan 8
2014 -- Hanover Park 35, Raritan 29
2015 -- Howell 40, South Plainfield 15
2016 -- South Plainfield 45, Howell 20
2017 -- South Plainfield 43, Hanover Park 23
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