Wrestling: NH perfect; HC hits 1,000 (HWS rankings)

High Point and North Hunterdon represented the area in championship fashion in Toms River, as the Wildcats prevailed in Group 2 for their sixth title -- all under head coach John Gardner -- while the Lions claimed their first championship in 18 years by taking home the Group 4 title.

With the district tournaments on tap for Saturday, let's take a look at the final Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex team rankings.

1. North Hunterdon (23-0) -- Lions, who finished as the top public school at No. 4 in the final New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20, secured the program's first unbeaten season and its first state title since 2002 with a 34-22 win over Kingsway in the Group 4 final after they knocked off Mount Olive, 40-19, in the semifinals. Coach Chris Hrunka's team also made school history as the first to defeat Phillipsburg twice in a season with a 37-21 victory in the North 2, Group 4 sectional final. Junior Frank DiEsso (26-4 at 120) and senior Nate Fossett (27-2 at 182-195) will look to repeat as district champions.

Up next: District 20 Tournament at Red Bank Regional High School on Saturday.

2. Phillipsburg (15-3) -- Stateliners, who will enter next season with 990 wins, came up short in their bid for a seventh consecutive sectional championship and the program's Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex-leading 39th overall with a 37-21 loss at North Hunterdon in the North 2, Group 4 final. P'burg, now 38-3 in finals in the tournament's 41-year history, remarkably did not win a conference or sectional title for the first time since the 1989-90 season. Junior Logan Maczko (19-7 at 120), who has a team-best 70 career wins, seeks a third straight district title on Saturday.

Up next: District 13 Tournament at home on Saturday.

High Point's Group 2 trophy.

3. High Point (15-4) -- Wildcats cruised to their fourth straight sectional title in North 1, Group 2 and captured their second Group 2 championship in two seasons with a 38-28 win against West Deptford after a 51-15 win over Caldwell in the semifinals. Senior Billy Talmadge (34-0 at 138-145) looks to become the fourth in program history to win four district titles. At 134-26 overall, he passed Joe Gaccione (132-31 from 2007-11), who was in attendance in Toms River, for fifth place on the school's all-time wins list. Next up are current assistant coach Billy Smith and former state champ Ethan Orr (138).

Up next: District 1 Tournament at Fair Lawn High School on Saturday.

4. Pope John (11-8) -- Lions cruised to their third straight Non-Public North B sectional title before they dropped a 51-15 decision to Camden Catholic in the B final -- their second straight loss to the Irish in the state title match -- at Toms River. Junior Shane Percelay (28-5 at 120) and seniors Eddie Ventresca (29-3 at 126) and Kaya Sement (25-4 at 145) are all leading contenders for district titles. Ventresca, who ranks second on the school's wins list at 146-15, will look to become the fifth in program history to win four district championships.

Up next: District 2 Tournament at River Dell High School on Saturday.

5. Warren Hills (20-7) -- Blue Streaks' postseason run ended with a 34-31 loss to West Essex, the Group 3 runner-up, in the North 2, Group 3 sectional final. The Streaks, who set the school's single-season wins record, are now 0-5 in title matches since their last championship in 2007, and 31-21 all-time in sectional matchups since winning the first of five titles overall in 1982. Seniors Greg Slivka (25-8 at 113-20) and Logan Nauta (25-7 at 132) seek their first district titles.

Up next: District 12 Tournament at Becton Regional High School on Saturday.

6. Delaware Valley (19-8) -- Terriers captured their second straight North 2, Group 1 sectional title (the Hunterdon County school's 19th overall) with a 42-31 win over Bound Brook and advanced to the program's first Group 1 final with a 37-31 victory against Point Pleasant Beach (No. 794) in the Group 1 semifinals before a 50-9 loss to Paulsboro in the title match. Senior Gage Crater (29-6 at 126), a two-time runner-up, seeks his first district title.

Up next: District 19 Tournament at Middletown South High School on Saturday.

7. Hunterdon Central (15-11) -- Red Devils' bid for back-to-back sectional titles and the program's 23rd overall ended with a 38-19 loss to Manalapan in the Central Jersey, Group 5 final. Coach Jon Cantagallo-Rohm's team hit the road the following morning and went 2-1 at a quad in South Jersey --picking up wins over Mainland (No. 999) and Washington Township as Central became just the fourth school to notch 1,000 wins and third in New Jersey along with Paulsboro and Roselle Park.

Up next: District 18 Tournament at Hillsborough High School on Saturday.

8. Kittatinny (14-6) -- Cougars, who have won 22 sectional titles (all under coach John Gill) came up short in pursuit of back-to-back North 1, Group 1 championships with a 36-28 loss to Emerson-Park Ridge following a 38-28 victory over North Warren in the semifinals. Junior Jackson Crawn (28-1), a state medal contender at 220 with 81 career wins, seeks his first district title.

Up next: District 3 Tournament at home on Saturday.

9. Sparta (17-10) -- Spartans recorded a 43-27 win over Old Tappan in the opening round before falling to runner-up River Dell, 49-20, in the North 1, Group 3 sectional semifinals. Senior Garrett Stewart (33-1 at 138), who is the school's all-time wins leader at 138-24, will look to become the program's first three-time district champion since Todd Sheaffer won four (1978-81), while junior Spencer Stewart (34-0 at 132) seeks back-to-back titles.

Up next: District 4 Tournament at home on Saturday.

10. Newton (12-10) -- Braves scored a 34-30 win over Lakeland before their run in North 1, Group 2 ended with a 37-28 loss to Westwood in the sectional semifinals. Juniors Nathan Fitt (28-4 at 120), three shy of 80 wins, and JoJo Lotruglio (27-5 at 138), along with senior Julian Sibblies (26-6 at 182), should be in the hunt for their first district titles.

Up next: District 2 Tournament at River Dell High School on Saturday.

On the bubble

Hackettstown (15-7) and North Warren (18-9) -- The Tigers advanced to the North 2, Group 2 final, falling 29-26 to Caldwell in the title match, while the Patriots came up short in a 38-28 loss to Kittatinny in the North 1, Group 1 semifinals.