Wrestling: HWS Tournament information, stats, picks

What: 16th Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament.

Where: Phillipsburg High School, Lopatcong Township.

When: Saturday's schedule (approximate times): Preliminaries and pre-quarterfinals (four mats), 9:30 a.m.; pre-quarterfinal losers and second wrestlebacks (four mats), 10:30 a.m.; quarterfinals and third wrestlebacks (four mats), 11:30 a.m.; championship semifinals and wrestleback semis (4 mats), 1 p.m.; championships, third-place and fifth-place consolation finals (3 mats) to follow.

Teams (18): Belvidere, Delaware Valley, Hackettstown, High Point, Hopatcong-Lenape Valley, Hunterdon Central, Kittatinny, Newton, North Hunterdon, North Warren, Phillipsburg, Pope John, South Hunterdon, Sparta, Vernon, Voorhees, Wallkill Valley, Warren Hills.

Returning champions (6, this season's weights): Jr. Joseph Rowinski, Hackettstown (first-2025, third-2024, 120); Sr. Augie Szamreta, Warren Hills (first-2025, second-2024, second-2023, 126); Sr. Dalton Weber, Pope John (first-2025, first-2024, third-2023, 132); Sr. Cole Dunham, Pope John (first-2025, 175); Sr. Kevin Buonocore, Phillipsburg (first-2025, 190); Sr. Gavin Mericle, High Point (first-2025, fifth-2024, 285). 

Returning placewinners (38, this season's weights): Jr. Cayden Wadle, North Hunterdon (second-2025, 106); Jr. Steven Vidal, Hackettstown (sixth-2025, 106); So. Zack Swingle, Phillipsburg (third-2025, 113); So. Cole Dahl, Voorhees (fifth-2025, 113); So. Owen Fol, North Hunterdon (fifth-2025, 113); Jr. Nicholas Delcalzo, Wallkill Valley (sixth-2025, 113); Jr. Anthony Pettinelli, Phillipsburg (second-2025, fifth-2024, 120); Sr. Reid Buzby, North Hunterdon (second-126); So. Logan Takach, High Point (fourth-2025, 126); Sr. Conor Hallowich, North Warren (fourth-2025, fourth-2024, 126); So. Giovanni Gutierrez, Hackettstown (sixth-2025, 126); Jr. Aidan Yarussi, North Hunterdon (second-2025, third-2024, 132); Sr. Davey Rhinehart, Warren Hills (fourth-2025, fifth-2024, sixth-2023, 132); So. Matthew Velez, Phillipsburg (fifth-2025, 132); Jr. Bryan Dougherty, Hackettstown (third-2025, 138); Sr. Massimo Gonzalez, Phillipsburg (third-2025, third-2024, 138); Jr. Kieran Raley, North Hunterdon (sixth-2025, 138); Sr. Ryan Hrenenko, Sparta (third-2025, third-2024, 144); Sr. Michael Hasson, Delaware Valley (fifth-2025, 144); Sr. Christian Bollette, Voorhees (sixth-2025, sixth-2024, sixth-2023, 144); Jr. Owen Garriques, Phillipsburg (fourth-2025, fifth-2024, 150); Jr. Cole Castles, North Warren (fourth-2025, sixth-2024, 150); Sr. Sebastian Dobak, Delaware Valley (fifth-2025, sixth-2024, 150); Jr. Daniel Arroyo, Pope John (sixth-2025, 150); Sr. Jayden Ruplall, High Point (fourth-2025, fourth-2024, 165); Jr. Lukas Kastigiannis, Pope John (fifth-2025, 165); Sr. Gavin Geleta, Phillipsburg (third-2025, fourth-2024, sixth-2023, 175); Sr. Olivier Paul, Delaware Valley (third-2025, 175); Sr. Jack Kithcart, High Point (second-2025, 190); Sr. True DiGiuseppe, Vernon (fourth-2025, third-2024, fourth-2023, 190); Sr. Owen Dandeo, North Hunterdon (fourth-2025, fourth-2024, 190); Jr. Matthew Sutton, Pope John (sixth-2025, 190); Sr. Liam Hassloch, Sparta (second-2025, 215); Sr. Ben Ellis, Phillipsburg (second-2025, 285); Jr. Trevor Greenwood, Kittatinny (third-2025, 285); Sr. Declan Joyce, Hunterdon Central (fourth-2025, 285); Sr. Luken Alberdi, Delaware Valley (fifth-2025, 285); Sr. Pedro Isaque Dos Santos, Belvidere (sixth-2025, 285).

Previous placewinners (2, this season's weights): Sr. Tristan Fawthrop, Delaware Valley (sixth-2024, 120); Sr. Tyler Morodan, Newton (sixth-2024, 157).

Notes: Pairings were not released on Friday evening as expected (not a huge surprise) due to technical errors and misinformation. But as has been the case in recent years, several former placewinners are absent from this year's event due to injuries. It should be a three-way battle for the overall team championship between North Hunterdon, Pope John and host Phillipsburg. Pope John may be without two returning medalists in Braydan Lombreglia and returning champion David Thomson, who had to injury default in his team's dual meet against Morris Hills on Wednesday. ... Weber (16-3), who is 111-21 overall, is looking to become only the 11th wrestler in tournament history to win at least three titles and the fifth at his school, which has produced three four-time winners including current assistant coach JoJo Aragona (2016-19), who was the first of only four to do so in this event. Eddie Ventresca (2017-20), Carson Walsh (2022-25) and Jake Rotunda (2016-18) are the only other Lions to win three or more. Only 39 wrestlers have won two or more titles in HWS history, while there have only been five

Phillipsburg leads the field with nine team titles (2011-15, '19, '22, '23, '25).

wrestlers to make four championship finals appearances -- Hunterdon Central's Dylan Nace (2011-14) and Phillipsburg's Gavin Hawk (2022-25), along with Aragona, Ventresca and Walsh. Pope John has had at least one winner since 2016 (no finalists in '15). ... P'burg has produced a record 40 individual champions and at least one every year since missing in 2010, followed by Pope John (30), North Hunterdon (24) Hunterdon Central (22), Kittatinny (14), Delaware Valley and Warren Hills (12), which has produced a finalist in all but one of the previous 15 tournaments (2011), and High Point (10). No other school boasts double-digit winners. Reigning Group 4 champion North Hunterdon did not produce a champion in the previous two tournaments. ... Vernon is the only school without a champion, but that could change this season as DiGiuseppe, whose promising junior campaign was cut short due to injury, is primed for a title run at 190 pounds. He's also looking to become the second to win at least 100 career bouts for the Vikings, joining former state medalist Brian Hoyt (114-31 from 2003-07). ... Newton has produced at least one finalist in 11 of the previous 15 tournaments, missing only in 2016, '23, '24 and '25. There was no tournament in 2021 due to the pandemic, while there were no fifth-place consolations contested under a shortened format in '22. ... Two wrestlers are closing in on the century mark for wins -- Bollette (99) and Rhinehart (96) -- as they bid for their first HWS titles. Bollette recently became the winningest wrestler in his wrestling-rich family. His father, J.P. is a former state placewinner for Kittatinny, along with uncle, Eric, who is the head coach at Newton. Another uncle, Brian, who is the head coach at Morris Hills, logged 98 career wins for the Cougars, while Eric amassed 81 under legendary coach John Gill. ... Kittatinny is looking to extend its streak of 15 straight HWS Tournaments with at least one finalist. ... Hrenenko, who recently joined his older brother, Logan, in Sparta's 100-wins club at 104-25 overall, seeks the first title in his family after Logan's runner-up finish at 138 pounds in 2025. ... There are several up-and-coming freshmen to keep an eye on, including Hunterdon Central's James Fearon (126) and High Point's Luke Tompkins (157), who should be in the title hunt.

Championship picks

106 -- Cayden Wadle, North Hunterdon
113 -- Owen Fol, North Hunterdon
120 -- Anthony Pettinelli, Phillipsburg
126 -- Reid Buzby, North Hunterdon
132 -- Dalton Weber, Pope John
138 -- Massimo Gonzalez, Phillipsburg
144 -- Ryan Hrenenko, Sparta
150 -- Owen Garriques, Phillipsburg
157 -- Luke Tompkins, High Point
165 -- Lukas Kastigiannis, Pope John
175 -- Cole Dunham, Pope John
190 -- True DiGiuseppe, Vernon
215 -- Liam Hassloch, Sparta
285 -- Gavin Mericle, High Point

Team champion: Phillipsburg.