Phillipsburg ended a four-match skid in their annual border war against Easton (Pa.) with last Thursday's 36-20 victory at Shawnee Middle School. The Stateliners, who improved to 15-62 all-time in the series, are now 6-1 when scoring at least 30 points against the Red Rovers. It was the Warren County school's second-largest margin of victory since a 34-8 win in 1970 -- the next-to-last victory during a run of nine straight wins in the series from 1963-71.
High Point improved to 25-12-1 in its rivalry with Kittatinny -- a stunning 48-18 blowout on Friday in Wantage. The Wildcats were coming off a 52-13 pounding against Phillipsburg at home and still steaming over that loss six days later. Going by those results, you'd figure the 'Liners to be heavy favorites against Kittatinny this Friday, but the matchups may dictate a much closer result. More on this showdown later in the week, but a 7-7 split would not be out of the question.
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| John Gill receives a 500th win plaque from AD Chris Carroll. (Christine Silva). |
Speaking of Kittatinny, longtime coach John Gill added to his legacy on Monday with his 500th coaching victory in the team's 48-21 win over Jefferson. Only five coaches -- Stan Woods of Emerson-Park Ridge (652 from 1967-present), Dennis Smith of Delran (605 from 1976-2013), Ralph Ross of Highland (601 from 1964-2000), Paul Morina of Paulsboro (568 from 1985-present) and Gene Barber of Absegami (507 from 1977-2010) -- have more victories than Gill on New Jersey's all-time list.
On Monday, Gill couldn't let the momentous occasion pass without remembering his longtime assistant coach and friend, Linn Crawn, who died just a few months before the 2012-13 season.
"He was with me for 32 of my 34 years -- I had 19 wins last year and 14 this year, so he was there for 467 of those wins," Gill said. "He was a special man and I miss him everyday, more so during wrestling season. He was always proud to be called the brains of the operation. If he were here, he'd probably tell me it would have taken another two years [to reach 500] without him. I must have at least 25 more wins because of his [lineup] juggling ability."
Now onto this week's rankings:
1. Phillipsburg (8-0) -- Stateliners scored huge wins over Easton (Pa.), 36-20, last Thursday and No. 13 Howell (33-15) at The Pit on Saturday. The win over the Red Rovers was just the 15th in 77 meetings and P'burg's first in an Easton gym since 1988. The series, which began in 1947, switched from home-and-home to a neutral site at Lafayette College (1989-2003). A very big week on tap with matches against No. 4 Delaware Valley on Wednesday and No. 3 Kittatinny on Friday before a clash against Paulsboro on Saturday. Junior Jimmy Schuitema (14-3) enters the week two wins shy of 80 for his career.
Up next: West Morris at home on Tuesday; Delaware Valley at home on Wednesday; at Kittatinny on Friday; Paulsboro at home on Saturday.
2. High Point (7-3) -- Wildcats rolled to wins over Sparta (49-19) and No. 11 Kittatinny (48-18) before dropping two on Saturday against two of New Jersey's top-ranked teams in Bergen Catholic (55-12) and Bound Brook (41-24), ranked Nos. 1 and 3 in the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Top 20. Coach John Gardner's team, which posted a 53-7 win over Montville in an NJAC American Division clash, is hoping to be at full strength by the weekend as sophomore 126-pounder Jared Kobis (broken hand) is targeting a Saturday return. Also good news was the return of junior 132-pounder Mike Derin to the lineup on Monday after sitting out Saturday. He appeared to sustain a rib injury in the win over Kittatinny.
Up next: at Mount Olive on Wednesday; Warren Hills, St. Joseph-Montvale, Wayne Valley on Saturday.
3. Kittatinny (14-1) -- Cougars knocked off Hopatcong (72-10) last Thursday before losing to No. 9 High Point, 48-18, on Friday. Coach John Gill's team rebounded with three wins on Saturday against West Morris (48-21), Westfield (59-16) and No. 17 Delaware Valley (35-27) in a quad. Of course the big news was Monday's win over Jefferson that gave Gill his 500th career victory in 34 seasons. Senior 126-pounder Christian Silva (17-10) had a big win on Saturday -- 5-4 over West Morris' Dylan Luciano. Senior 152-pounder Nick Romyns (95-33) is closing in on the century mark for wins.
Up next: at Newton on Wednesday; Phillipsburg at home on Friday.
4. Delaware Valley (15-3) -- Terriers enjoyed a busy week with wins over Montgomery (50-18), West Morris (44-23) and Westfield (47-16) before a 35-27 loss to No. 3 Kittatinny as the nightcap of a Saturday quad in Alexandria Township. Unfortunately, it appears that Del Val will be short-handed in matches with No. 1 Phillipsburg and No. 5 North Hunterdon this week. Senior Luke Zehnbauer (7-4) has not competed since the Terriers' win over Warren Hills on Jan. 17 and coach Andy Fitz declined comment on the wrestler's status moving forward. Senior 182-pounder Kody Eichlin (16-0) enters the week unbeaten and searching for his 80th career win.
Up next: at Phillipsburg on Wednesday; at North Hunterdon on Thursday; Pope John, Paramus at Lenape Valley quad on Saturday.
5. North Hunterdon (10-2) -- Lions earned three wins this past week over Watchung Hills (43-21), Franklin (64-9) and Hillsborough (52-6) on Saturday. Big match with No. 4 Del Val on Thursday -- originally scheduled for last week -- as coach Tim Flynn's squad goes for a sweep of the Hunterdon County opponents after previous wins over Hunterdon Central (28-27 on Jan. 7) and Voorhees (24-22 on Jan. 15). Junior 126-pounder Ryan Pomrinca (97-11) is closing in on 100 career victories, while senior 152-pounder Mike Ciavarro recorded his 90th win on Saturday.
Up next: Montgomery at home on Wednesday; Delaware Valley at home on Thursday; Warren Hills at home on Friday.
6. Hunterdon Central (10-4) -- Red Devils went 3-1 in finishing second at the Jack Welch Duals in Moorestown last weekend, with wins over Camden Catholic (47-21), Cherokee (47-15) and Buena (44-26) before a 30-20 loss to Long Branch in the championship match. Senior Gary Dinmore (21-0) matched Ken Hall for third place on the school's all-time wins list with 116. Pat Strizki (137) and Brian Bistis (134) are Nos. 1 and 2. Coach Steve Gibble's squad will host No. 7 Voorhees on Saturday as part of a quad with Kingsway and Moorestown. Once again, sad that a good Hunterdon County rivalry is lumped in with other matches and not a featured dual meet.
Up next: Franklin at home on Wednesday; Voorhees, Kingsway, Moorestown at home on Saturday.
7. Voorhees (14-3) -- Vikings knocked off previous No. 10 Lenape Valley, 49-16 and host Belvidere, 45-18, on Saturday before a 40-19 win over Somerville on Monday. Coach Eric Hall's team has won seven in a row since a 24-22 loss to North Hunterdon at home on Jan. 15. Senior 145-pounder Christian Okulicz notched his 80th career win and Thomas Beishke got No. 60 on Saturday. Big county showdown with No. 6 Central on Saturday as Voorhees looks to lock down the No. 3 seed for the upcoming North 2, Group 2 sectionals.
Up next: Bridgewater-Raritan at home on Thursday; Kingsway, Moorestown at Hunterdon Central quad on Saturday.
8. Warren Hills (7-6) -- Blue Streaks went 1-2 on Saturday in a quad at Ramsey -- beating the host, 52-12, while dropping decisions to Paramus, 40-25, and Roselle Park, 34-32. Coach Jarrett Hosbach's squad has a big week on tap with matches against No. 5 North Hunterdon and a quad at No. 2 High Point on Saturday. Streaks will be looking to atone for last season's 34-15 loss to North at home, its second straight to the Hunterdon County school, and are 21-34 in all-time series dating to 1957. Hills also fell, 38-24, to the Wildcats at home last season.
Up next: Somerville at home on Wednesday; at North Hunterdon on Friday; St. Joseph-Montvale, Wayne Valley at High Point quad on Saturday.
9. Sparta (9-5) -- Spartans opened with week with a 49-19 loss at No. 2 High Point on Thursday before rebounding with three wins on Saturday -- 61-18 over Wallkill Valley, 57-10 against Dover and 57-15 vs. Hopatcong. Coach Frank Battaglia's team is bidding for its first sectional appearance since the early 2000s, and enters the week seventh in North 1, Group 3. To their credit, High Point nearly used its full varsity lineup vs. the Spartans, a measure of how far Battaglia's program has come in recent years.
Up next: Pompton Lakes at home on Wednesday; at Newton on Friday.
10. Belvidere (10-3) -- County Seaters enter the rankings for the first time this season following Saturday's 37-27 win over Lenape Valley and despite a stunning 39-33 loss to North Warren (2-9) last Wednesday. Lenape Valley defeated North Warren, 54-23, on Jan. 14. Coach Dan McIntyre's team opened this week with a 39-25 win over Skyland Conference Valley Division rival Manville. Seaters feature just two senior starters, as juniors David Harris (16-4 at 160) and Kevin Merle (16-5 at 170) are having nice seasons.
Up next: at Bound Brook on Wednesday; at Hackettstown on Friday; at St. Benedict's Prep on Saturday.
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