The Lions (8-0) are gearing up for a crucial showdown against No. 12 Phillipsburg at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Lopatcong Township. The first of what figures to be two meetings between these Skyland Conference Raritan Division rivals will likely have conference title and home-gym advantage implications for next month's North 2, Group 4 sectional tournament. It will also be the home dual opener for the Stateliners. Should the teams meet again in the postseason, that one would have even bigger meaning with a trip to the Group 4 championships on the line."You never go into any dual meet looking to lose," said third-year Lions coach Chris Hrunka, whose team will be looking to snap the program's 17-match skid in the series and pick up its first win over P'burg since 2007. "That's not how we're wired."
North Hunterdon will also square off against No. 17 Brick Memorial on Saturday in a quad-meet at Highland in a match that could be a preview of a state tournament match on Feb. 16 in the Group 4 championships at RWJBarnebas Health Arena on the campus of Toms River North.
P'burg (4-0), which finished in third place behind second-place Pope John, ranked No. 11, at the HWS Tournament, is gearing for a huge week that also includes independent matches against No. 9 Toms River North at home on Thursday and No. 10 High Point on Saturday at The Pit. Both matches are also slated for 7 p.m.
"This is a big week," said P'burg junior Logan Maczko, who finished fourth at 126 pounds in the HWS Tournament, following his team's 40-18 win at Kittatinny last Thursday. "I think we're going to start getting something more exciting, especially since they are all home matches."
The Stateliners may feature a new-look lineup when the two-pound allowance kicks in on Wednesday as Maczko has already said he plans to make the drop to 120 (122), which in turn may see sophomore Joey Innamorato, a runner-up at 132 in the HWS Tournament, down to 126, and junior Jason Tino at 132. That could create room for freshman Hunter Cleaver to get into the lineup at 138. Senior Jacob Wicks and sophomore David Pierson already weigh-in at 182 -- giving coach Dave Post, now in his 10th season and 13-0 all-time vs. North Hunterdon, even more flexibility.
High Point (1-1), which finished eighth at the HWS Tournament, needs to get healthy in a hurry as the 'Cats have competed without several key starters, including sophomores Clayton Utter (113) and Brian Soldano (160), who has been out of action due to illness. Coach John Gardner is hoping to get both back this week, along with junior Josh Gervey (132), who missed the HWS Tournament with a neck issue, though freshman Shane Woolf (145) is likely to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Freshman Roman Citro made the drop to 106 on Saturday to help bolster the lower weights and junior Nick Douma (132-138) is also expected back at some point to help in the middle.
Howell’s 37-36 win over then sixth-ranked High Point on criteria (most first points, 11-10) on Jan. 7 resulted in three Shore Conference teams -- Southern, Howell and Toms River North -- moving up in the NJWWA Top 20 Poll for the second straight week.
Defending Group 5 champion Southern moved up one spot to No. 6 off its impressive 41-23 win over No. 17 Brick Memorial on Thursday.
Toms River North, which recorded an impressive 40-17 victory over unranked Jackson Memorial last Wednesday, will be a major player in a big dual-meet week around the state.
The Mariners will wrestle at Southern on Tuesday night in a match that could be a preview of a Group 5 match next month. Two nights later, Toms River North will take on P'burg.
The Jack Welch Duals, which will take place on Friday and Saturday at Moorestown High School, could see a match between No. 2 Delbarton and Howell. Locally, Newton and Warren Hills are also among the 16-team field.
Others receiving votes: Montville
NJWWA voting members listed in alphabetical order: Donald J. Brower (GardenStateHSWrestling.com); Frank D’Esposito (theshoreconference.com; Steven Falk (Asbury Park Press and APP.com); Sean Farrell (The Record of Hackensack and NorthJersey.com); Jane Havsy (Daily Record and DailyRecord.com); “Screwy” Louie Lazzari (New Jersey wrestling historian); John Lewis (Burlington County Times and phillyburbs.com); Ron Mazzola (NJWWA president and Region V ranking chairman); Tom McGurk (Courier Post of Cherry Hill); Andy Mendlowitz (Courier News and MyCentralJersey.com); Greg Tufaro (Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com); Michael Weilamann (Open Mike).
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