WANTAGE TWP. -- How's that for playing the flip side?
After getting run out of its home gym six days earlier, High Point's wrestling team seized the early momentum and rode the wave to a stunningly lopsided 48-18 win over archrival Kittatinny on Friday night in the 39th installment of the backyard brawl.
The Wildcats (7-1), who trailed 9-0 after two bouts, reeled off six straight wins -- highlighted by senior Bobby McDonnell's 2-1 win over Garrett Armstrong at 220. McDonnell (15-8) turned the tables in their series after losing three meetings with Armstrong (19-4) last season, including an 8-0 major in the District 3 finals, along with decisions of 2-0 and 2-1.
High Point, which won 10 of 14 bouts, needed no extra motivation for this one after a 52-13 loss to Phillipsburg last Saturday night. Additionally, coach John Gardner's 'Cats, ranked No. 9 in the state by the New Jersey Wrestling Writers, wanted to atone for a 35-18 loss last season at No. 11 Kittatinny (10-1) in which they won just four bouts. The victory also denied Cougars coach John Gill of career win No. 497. With three wins at Delaware Valley on Saturday, Gill would go for his 500th vs. Jefferson at home on Monday. Gill is now 11-22-1 vs. High Point.
Let's take a closer look at how High Point stretched its series lead to 26-12-1 dating to 1976 vs. Kittatinny:
1. Unlike the match against P'burg, High Point had several wrestlers step up and provide match-turning moments, starting with McDonnell. Trailing 1-0 after two periods, McDonnell, in the defensive position to start the third, stood up near the one-minute mark and inside tripped Armstrong to his back for a reversal -- his first offensive points in their four meetings dating to last season -- and nearly back points. With a weight advantage of 30 pounds, McDonnell was able to keep his advantage on top until the buzzer. "I think losing to him three times last year really helped me for this one," said McDonnell, who finished second in Region 1 to earn a trip to Atlantic City last season, while Armstrong lost in the wrestleback semifinals. Both wrestlers like to work off the tie-ups and Armstrong was better at it in their previous meetings. Armstrong dropped a 5-1 decision to High Point senior Kyle Stoll in the 195-pound Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex final, prompting Kittatinny to make the move, as McDonnell decked Andrew Simpson, the Cougars' 220-pounder who was bumped out of the lineup for this match, in the HWS.
2. Gardner, now 8-8 in this series as a head coach and 3-1 vs. Kittatinny as a High Point wrestler from 1987-90, has been playing musical heavyweights this season as seniors Christian Campbell (8-8) and Gunny Wassong (7-4), a District 3 runner-up, have split the duty. In an interesting move, Campbell was sent out to face Kittatinny senior Tom Smith in this one, despite the fact that Wassong knocked off Smith, 4-0, at HWS. The move paid off in a big way as Campbell decked Smith off a reversal in the third overtime. Campbell weighed in at 256, while Wassong tips the scale at 226. With Smith checking in at 250, maybe Gardner wanted to match up according to size. In any event, there was no doubt that Campbell was the fresher wrestler as his bout with Smith entered overtime. "I think conditioning was a big factor," Campbell said. As for who goes at 285 for the 'Cats in the future, Campbell is fine either way. "I think it's good for me and Gunny to get matches." A tough early-season schedule, including a trip to the prestigious Cheesehead Invitational, seems to be paying dividends for the 'Cats, who had just two wrestlers with fewer than five losses win matches on Friday. "Records at this point don't matter much," Gardner said. "It's all about wrestling tough competition and improving as the season goes on."
3. The things that jumped up and bit High Point against P'burg were the catalysts for the 'Cats in this big victory. Getting and not giving up points at the end of periods was huge, but High Point really took it to Kittatinny from the neutral position -- winning the takedown battle, 18-9. Kieran Gerrity and Dylan Wunder combined for six of the Cougars' takedowns in the first two bouts of the night at 170 and 182, respectively -- meaning an 18-3 edge for the hosts over the final 12 bouts. Only Christian Silva at 126 and Nick Romyns at 152, who had two in an 8-2 win over Chris Auer for his 91st career victory, had the others for the visitors. In one of the biggest and most anticipated bouts, High Point junior Dom Gallo recorded two takedowns in a 5-2 win over HWS champion Nick Klinger -- one each in the second and third periods with under a minute remaining. After giving up five pins to P'burg, High Point struck for six of a surprisingly-high total of eight falls in this one. Freshman Aric Wingle decked Kittatinny freshman Kasey Hotz at 113 in a bout that figured to be a tossup. Wingle, who has been at 120 most of the season, may be able to fill a void at that weight class. Gardner has been confident all year that Wingle (5-6) could be good once he dropped from 120. This was the first evidence of that belief.
4. The news wasn't all good for High Point as junior Mike Derin sustained what appeared to be a rib injury in his impressive 16-9 win over Austin Scrivani -- two District 3 champions last season -- at 132. Derin appeared to injure himself -- after getting the opening takedown in the first period -- when he was reversed to his back in a four-point move. To his credit, Derin rallied from a 4-2 deficit with two takedowns and a two-point nearfall in the second before pulling away in the third with two more takedowns and his own reversal for a four-pointer. Needless to say, the 'Cats can ill-afford to lose Derin, who finished eighth in the state tournament at 132 last season, for any extended length of time. Sophomore 126-pounder Jared Kobis (broken hand) is targeting his return for next Saturday when High Point hosts a quad involving Warren Hills, Wayne Valley and St. Joseph-Montvale.
5. After trading seven-match win streaks in the series, the longtime rivals have split the last two meetings. It's been an intriguing series in that neither school has been dominant at the same time. High Point won seven of the first nine showdowns from 1976-84 before a 27-27 tie in '85. The 'Cats then won 11 of the next 13 before Kittatinny's seven-match win streak from 1999 to 2005. High Point ended that run in 2006 to start its own seven-match streak before dropping a 35-18 decision on the road last season. Neither school has won eight in a row in this rivalry. It will be interesting to see how things shake out starting next season, as the teams featured a combined 15 seniors in this one. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see a fourth career meeting between junior Jason Gaccione and Romyns. With the match in hand, Gardner opted to send out his nephew at 145, rather than bumping him to 152. In last year's District 3 final, Romyns stunned Gaccione by tossing him for five en route to an 11-6 win before Gaccione turned the tables with a 6-5 win in the Region 1 final. Two years ago, Gaccione scored a 3-2 win in the HWS quarterfinals.
Here's the full boxscore:
HIGH POINT 48, KITTATINNY 18
170 -- Sr. Kieran Gerrity (20-3), K, p. Sr. Colby Brands (8-12), 3:04.
182 -- Sr. Dylan Wunder (17-6), K, d. Sr. Antonio Porraspita (13-8), 6-0.
195 -- Sr. Kyle Stoll (18-5), HP, p. Jr. Peter Block (1-1), :33.
220 -- Sr. Bobby McDonnell (15-8), HP, d. Sr. Garrett Armstrong (19-4), 2-1.
285 -- Sr. Christian Campbell (8-8), HP, p. Sr. Tom Smith (16-6), 7:51 OT3.
106 -- Fr. Chase Babus (8-11), HP, d. So. Taylor Molfetto (13-9), 6-4.
113 -- Fr. Aric Wingle (5-6), HP, p. Fr. Kasey Hotz (13-9), 1:43.
120 -- Jr. Dom Gallo (16-3), HP, d. So. Nick Klinger (20-4), 5-2.
126 -- Sr. Christian Silva (14-8), K, p. So. Garrett Fenlon (0-9), 1:15.
132 -- Jr. Mike Derin (17-6), HP, d. So. Austin Scrivani (17-5), 16-9.
138 -- Jr. Ryan Cullen (9-6), HP, p. Sr. Nick West (6-12), 4:42.
145 -- Jr. Jason Gaccione (17-4), HP, p. Jr. Trevor Schutte (0-4), 4:42.
152 -- Sr. Nick Romyns (9-3), K, d. Sr. Chris Auer (11-9), 8-2.
160 -- Sr. Tommy Hooker (13-8), HP, p. Sr. Tyler Parkyn (5-10), 3:37.
Records -- Kittatinny 9-1; High Point 7-1.
Officials -- Gary Kessel and Gary Szucs.
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