P'burg (6-0), ranked No. 4 by the New Jersey Wrestling writers, won 11 bouts and recorded five pins, as No. 7 High Point (5-1) managed just two decisions and a forfeit victory. The 'Liners dominated in every phase, winning the takedown battle by a 20-6 margin.
"We really came to wrestle," said fourth-year P'burg coach Dave Post, whose team jumped out to a 37-3 lead, winning eight of the first nine and six in a row until Kyle Stoll's 8-0 major of Tim Hinkle at 195 stopped the Stateliners' run. "I've been a coach on that end [when it starts to snowball] and it's hard to turn it around when it goes in that direction. It's like sharks smelling blood in the water. [High Point] is a tough team, but we're really clicking on all cylinders."
To be fair, High Point was without two of its starters -- sophomore Jared Kobis at 120 pounds (broken hand) and junior Dom Gallo (undisclosed injury). And in the irony or ironies, the first two bouts of the night were 120 and 126. But make no mistake, their presence would not have made a difference in the outcome.
Let's take a closer look at where P'burg -- now 16-1 all-time vs. High Point -- won this highly anticipated matchup and where it went wrong for the hosts.
1. Every big match usually has a hero or two and that man was P'burg senior 145-pounder Garrett Wolfinger. His 13-7 win over senior Chris Auer, a Region 1 qualifier last year, in a highly entertaining bout was a bit surprising, but not out of the realm for those who have seen Wolfinger this season. Pretty much a career JV wrestler, Wolfinger (6-2 this season and 10-4 career) is getting time with the varsity as the 'Liners continue to shift their lineup in duals to help cover for the lack of a legitimate heavyweight. Wolfinger led 2-1 after one period, before opening things up in the second with a reversal and three back points off a cradle, and getting another reversal and two back points late to take an 11-4 lead. Auer had just gotten a takedown with 18 seconds left before giving up the four-pointer. In a wild third period, Auer had Wolfinger on his back for three and nearly had him decked before Wolfinger got another reversal to seal it.
2. You'd have to say junior Jimmy Schuitema is 1B on the hero list to Wolfinger's 1A as Schuitema stood the place on its ear with a thrilling 5-3 win over High Point's Jason Gaccione at 152 in a truly great battle between Region 1 champions. Schuitema, known as a tremendous mat wrestler, got the winning and only takedown of the bout with two seconds left to win. Down 2-1, Gaccione, who weighed in at 145 and bumped up, got a reversal with 55 seconds left in the match to take the lead, but Schuitema escaped with 13 seconds remaining to tie it. A wrestler of few words, Schuitema took the win in stride. "I treat every match the same. I just go out and try to wrestle my match," he said. "I wanted that takedown. I didn't want to go into overtime." Wolfinger's big win certainly helped take the edge off, but Schuitema was more impressed with the team's effort. "[Wolfinger's victory] got some pressure off my back. I'm really proud of our team. It was a big match and we wanted to go out and show we were the best team."
3. Post continued to preach the importance of getting bonus points and not giving them up following Thursday's 41-18 win over Hunterdon Central. It certainly held true again for this one, as the Stateliners racked up five pins and a major, while yielding one major decision. Each team traded forfeits near the end -- more on that later. "It's the same philosophy, we've got to get bonus points where we can and don't give them up. High Point is a quality team with three state placewinners and we only gave up one bonus point [the major at 195]." DJ Wissing (120), Tylor Petchonka (126), Max Elling (160), Broderick Bupivi (170) and Tyler Agans (113) had the Stateliners' pins. Senior Jake Kocsis (182) had the major in a 10-2 rout of Antonio Porraspita. Schuitema, Elling, Bupivi, Kocsis and Joe Maso (220) all weighed in up one class.
4. It would be hard to believe that High Point has endured a more lopsided loss on its home mat -- at least in recent years. You'd likely have to go back to 1998, when P'burg made its last trip to Wantage and came away with a 62-6 win in a regular-season matchup. This one may very well have had a much different tone early on had Kobis and Gallo been in the lineup with junior Mike Derin right behind them with a 7-4 win over Steve Friedman at 132. Kobis' absence was no surprise, but Gallo didn't take the mat after weighing-in and going through per-match intros. "That was a shock to us," Post said. "We thought they were bumping him up to beat Friedman and Derin to 138 to wrestle [Corey] Zinsmeister." Nonetheless, it wasn't to be as the 'Liners jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back. Derin, a Region 1 champ who finished eighth in the state at 132 last season, had his hands full with Friedman -- collecting three of the 'Cats' six takedowns on the night. The losses by Auer and Gaccione officially ended High Point's chances, but the outcome at 160 typified the evening, as P'burg junior Elling decked Tommy Hooker, who was ahead 6-5 at the time. Why Hooker insisted on staying on the mat with a dangerous mat wrestler -- whose big move just happens to be the chin whip that secured the pin -- is a mystery, considering Hooker had the only takedown of the bout in the second period. Also troubling was the win by Stoll -- a sixth-place state medalist last season -- who needed two stall points to get a major against 3-6 Tim Hinkle and Bobby McDonnell's 3-2 loss to Maso. McDonnell, a Region 1 runner-up last season, weighed in at 219 and 31 pounds heavier than his opponent. If there was a bright side, High Point won the coin toss and we got to see the matchup at 152.
5. It was sad to see the forfeits at the end of the match. Post, with the match in hand, said he didn't think it was fair to send freshman Drew Horun out at 285 -- spotting 55 pounds to Christian Campbell. Visibly frustrated by that move, High Point coach John Gardner waved to the officials and gave one back to Stateliners sophomore Brandon Paetzell, a state title contender at 106. I don't know what the answer is and I can certainly understand coaches trying to protect their wrestlers from injury, but if you have guys weighed in, then they should wrestle. It only hurts the sport when forfeits are awarded, especially in big matches. And these are two programs that traditionally frown on such practices. Anyway, Phillipsburg is certainly establishing itself as the favorite in the Group 4 title picture, while High Point, despite the lopsided loss, is still the team to beat in Group 2 after winning it all last season. The 'Cats have little time to dwell on this one with archrival Kittatinny coming to town on Friday. And believe me, they'd much rather win that one if given the choice. And speaking of rivalry matches, P'burg travels to Easton (Pa.) on Thursday for its annual showdown with the Red Rovers, who hold a 62-14 advantage in the all-time series.
PHILLIPSBURG 52, HIGH POINT 13
120 -- So. DJ Wissing (13-6), P, p. Fr. Aric Wingle (4-6), 2:59.
126 -- Sr. Tylor Petchonka (8-7), P, p. So. Garrett Fenlon (0-7), 1:22.
132 -- Jr. Mike Derin (15-6), HP, d. Jr. Steve Friedman (9-8), 7-4.
138 -- Jr. Corey Zinsmeister (13-3), P, d. Jr. Ryan Cullen (8-5), 7-2.
145 -- Sr. Garrett Wolfinger (6-2), P, d. Sr. Chris Auer (10-8), 13-7.
152 -- Jr. Jimmy Schuitema (12-3), P, d. Jr. Jason Gaccione (15-4), 5-3.
160 -- Jr. Max Elling (17-4), P, p. Sr. Tommy Hooker (11-8), 5:37.
170 -- Sr. Broderick Bupivi (15-7), P, p. Sr. Colby Brands (8-10), 3:00.
182 -- Sr. Jake Kocsis (19-2), P, md. Sr. Antonio Porraspita (12-7), 10-2.
195 -- Sr. Kyle Stoll (16-5), HP, md. Jr. Tim Hinkle (3-6), 8-0.
220 -- Jr. Joe Maso (11-4), P, d. Sr. Bobby McDonnell (13-8), 3-2.
285 -- Sr. Christian Campbell (6-8), HP, forfeit.
106 -- So. Brandon Paetzell (18-1), P, forfeit.
113 -- So. Tyler Agans (4-9), P, p. Sr. Michael Garrity (4-12), 3:05.
Records -- Phillipsburg 6-0; High Point 5-1.
Officials -- Frank Leitner and Doug Fisher.
113 -- So. Tyler Agans (4-9), P, p. Sr. Michael Garrity (4-12), 3:05.
Records -- Phillipsburg 6-0; High Point 5-1.
Officials -- Frank Leitner and Doug Fisher.
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