If you're reading this blog, you, like me, love high school wrestling.
But the sport is in serious trouble, at least from a team standpoint, something Open Mike has been documenting for years, and something needs to be done ... soon. And it's not going to be an easy fix. Instead of worrying about uniforms and tape on the headgear, it's long overdue for the National Federation and the NJSIAA to get real and start addressing the real problems.
Forfeits and more forfeits. Where do we start? This nothing new, but take a look at the box scores on Track Wrestling on any given evening and just try to find more than one or two on each page that has contested bouts at all 14 weights. Good luck.
Locally, Newton traveled to Vernon on Wednesday night for a mandatory Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division match, which lasted approximately 15 minutes. The match started at 6 p.m., and the Braves were back on the bus and heading home by around 6:45. Vernon, which has been struggling with low numbers for several years, forfeited nine weights.
And it isn't limited to the struggling programs. How about this result on Wednesday night at Phillipsburg, which received five forfeit wins and won 13 bouts in a 66-6 rout of Voorhees in the Skyland Conference Raritan Division finale for both teams. The Stateliners (11-2, 5-1 division), now 26-0 all-time in this series dating to 1981, also locked up second place in the division. It's highly likely to be the last dual, at least for the foreseeable future, between these teams, which will be in different divisions next season when the new two-year conference realignment kicks in.
220 -- Jr. Sam Huff (21-6), V, p. Fr. Gage Horvath (0-3), 2:38.
285 -- Sr. Patrick Sharpe (15-12), P, forfeit.
106 -- Fr. Logan Maczko (13-11), P, md. So. Josh Rich (12-15), 9-0.
113 -- Sr. Cullen Day (20-7), P, p. Sr. Colby Koshinski (16-11), 1:35.
120 -- Fr. Jason Tino (3-0), P, forfeit.
126 -- Jr. Travis Jones (25-4), P, forfeit.
132 -- Jr. Thomas Abode (3-6), P, d. Jr. Hunter Rinehart (17-7), 5-3.
138 -- Jr. Kyle Tino (14-7), P, tf. So. Joe Swiston (8-19), 17-2, 5:26.
145 -- Jr. Cody Harrison (21-2), P, tf. So. Garrett Loescher (7-20), 21-6, 4:35.
152 -- Jr. Jayson Zinsmeister (14-9), P, md. Jr. Jacob Baytoff (9-18), 12-0.
160 -- Sr. Brian Meyer (23-2), P, p. Sr. Brad Kalinchak (13-14), 1:06.
170 -- Sr. Lance Wissing (26-3), P, forfeit.
182 -- Jr. Austin Roth (13-8), P, forfeit.
195 -- Sr. Shamyr Brodders (10-12), P, d. Jr. Charlie Eberle (7-11), 11-8.
According to Stateliner Sports Network's Mike Moore, Vikings coach Eric Hall sat three of his best wrestlers -- junior Aidan Taylor (18-9 at 120), senior Scott Fernandes (24-3 at 195) and junior Lewis Fernandes (27-0 at 220/285) -- due to 30-match limits. Hall also weighed in just 10 wrestlers total. Voorhees (16-8, 2-4) will host Hasbrouck Heights on Friday night and will wrestle its final two regular-season matches at the Red Devil Duals on Saturday at Hunterdon Central's Field House.
The major problem is too many weight classes. This ridiculous experiment of 14 needs to end. It's three too many for me. Make it 11, and then you eliminate the criteria to break dual-meet ties. Also, there are too many upper weights. How may times have fans and media members lamented not seeing the premiere individual matchups? Coaches need to make sure they win the dual meets first, but the lack of depth leaves little margin for error, necessitating the need to bump or forfeit in order to get favorable matchups.
Do yourself a favor and review the minutes from last year's NJSIAA rules committee meeting to see what are the chief concerns in this state. Some are valid, but others seem to be out of left field. Here are some of the highlights:
No third-place bouts in districts or team titles
Paulsboro coach Paul Morina submitted this and another to allow three additional wrestlers per team to be entered into the district tournaments. Not sure I see the need for any of these changes. Why not wrestle to third place? In any event, all of these changes were unanimously not approved.
Team sectionals as advancement
State rules interpreter Roy Dragon offered a proposal to run the sectionals as an advancement tournament, which would require wrestlers to weigh in at the same weight class each day of the event. I remember there was a lot of talk about this around this time in 2017. Most of the people I spoke with, mostly coaches, thought it was a bad idea. After all, it takes away the strategy element if coaches can't weigh in their wrestlers at a different class if need be. It was unanimous to keep that flexibility.
What they need to do is eliminate Group 5. As we predicted in 2014, it's been terrible for the sport, and it's ruined what used to be a smooth-running and highly competitive day in Toms River. Now, we're lucky if we get one or two finals with any juice. Group 2 will be fun this season.
Two sessions on Friday in AC
This one sounded like a good idea. Last year, the tournament started earlier and proved to be a long day with no breaks. The proposal called for the first round to be held from 12:30 to 4 p.m., and then a two-hour break. The evening round would run from 6:30 to 8:30. But former NJSIAA executive director Steve Timko cited the additional cost as a reason not go with two sessions, taking ticket prices into account as well since they've been capped by the state. The cost factor was to be reviewed by the committee, so this change has not been ruled out for 2019 and beyond.
Power points
This one has actually come up in conversations over the years. What will the NJSIAA do to calculate power points without Larry McMillan at the helm? Apparently, McMillan uses an old DOS program that no one else has access to or knowledge of how to run it. You can't make this up, folks. So the committee advised that Track Wrestling be involved in the process for this season on a trial basis to see if the site can accurately produce the numbers. We all know that Track is generally missing information and a majority of coaches don't know how to use it properly or quite simply don't care to learn. It will be interesting to see where this one goes.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Wrestling: HWS draws 4 No. 1 seeds for sectionals
Here are the official pairings for the upcoming sectional tournaments that begin on Monday, Feb. 5.
The semifinals will be contested on Wednesday, Feb. 7, with the sectional finals slated for Friday, Feb. 9. The five public school and four Non-Public winners advance to the Group championships to be contested on Sunday, Feb. 11 on the campus of Toms River North High School.
In all, 15 of the 18 teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area have qualified, with Sparta (North 1, Group 3), High Point (North 1, Group 2), Hunterdon Central (Central Jersey, Group 5) and Pope John (Non-Public North B) earning No. 1 seeds.
Newton (North 1, Group 2), Phillipsburg (North 2, Group 4), Voorhees (North 2, Group 3) drew No. 2 seeds, while North Hunterdon (North 2, Group 4), Warren Hills (North 2, Group 3) and Hackettstown (North 2, Group 2) are No. 3 seeds.
P'burg (10-2), which has won 36 of a possible 38 sectional titles, did not earn a No. 1 seed for just the sixth time overall since 1990 and for the first time since 2013. The Stateliners' only losses in title matches were 34-30 to Warren Hills in the 1990 North 2, Group 3 final and 30-29 to Hunterdon Central in the 2013 North 2, Group 4 final -- both on the road.
Middletown North (12-6), which has dropped the past two sectional finals to Phillipsburg, drew the top seed in North 2, Group 4. North Hunterdon, which is the No. 3 seed, suffered a 41-15 loss to the 'Liners on Jan. 24.
High Point (19-1), which is looking to add to its Sussex County-best 25 sectional titles, is the heavy favorite in North 1, Group 2. Coach John Gardner's Wildcats, who have claimed 12 titles since 2001, could potentially face rival Kittatinny -- keeping their series continuous since it began in 1976, after not meeting in the regular season for just the second time -- in the semifinals, provided the Cougars can avenge a 39-33 loss on Saturday to No. 4 Westwood in the opening round.
Sparta (13-5) is seeking back-to-back sectional titles for the first time in program history and its fourth overall since 1983.
Pope John (11-1), ranked No. 4 in the New Jersey Writers Top 20, is seeking the program's first sectional title since 1994. In fact, all seven of the Lions' championships have been in North B.
North Warren (North 1, Group 1), Lenape Valley (North 2, Group 2), Belvidere (North 2, Group 1) and Delaware Valley (Central Jersey, Group 2) are the other area teams to qualify.
North Warren (8-4), which originally missed the cut as the ninth-ranked team, jumped Cresskill for the No. 8 seed based on a head-to-head win -- 45-30 on Jan. 6 -- giving the Patriots their first postseason berth since 2012.
Note: Appeals can be made until noon on Thursday.
NORTH 1
Group 5
8-Bloomfield (3-14, 21.50) at 1-North Bergen (11-2, 28.00); 5-Clifton (10-5, 26.30) at 4-Passaic Tech (9-5, 26.30); 6-Montclair (7-6, 24.40) at 3-Livingston (13-3, 26.50); 7-Hackensack (6-6, 23.40) at 2-West Orange (9-3, 26.60).
Group 4
8-Old Tappan (13-8, 27.50) at 1-West Morris (11-2, 33.30); 5-Mendham (10-4, 29.50) at 4-Wayne Valley (13-5, 29.90); 6-Mount Olive (11-4, 29.50) at 3-Fair Lawn (13-2, 31.80); 7-Passaic Valley (11-6, 27.90) at 2-Roxbury (9-8, 32.80).
Group 3
8-Ramapo (6-15, 24.60) at 1-Sparta (13-5, 30.00); 5-Garfield (9-9, 27.00) at 4-River Dell (15-4, 28.00); 6-West Milford (10-7, 26.90) at 3-Montville (10-4, 28.10); 7-Paramus (9-5, 26.80) at 2-Pascack Valley (17-4, 30.00).
Group 2
8-Pascack Hills (14-4, 26.30) at 1-High Point (19-1, 35.10); 5-Kittatinny (10-10, 32.30) at 4-Westwood (14-5, 31.10); 6-Glen Rock (15-4, 27.60) at 3-Jefferson (15-4, 31.80); 7-Hawthorne (11-6, 27.50); at 2-Newton (14-5, 34.00).
Group 1
8-North Warren (8-4, 25.10) at 1-Emerson-Park Ridge (22-0, 36.20); 5-Cedar Grove (8-10, 27.00) at 4-Butler (10-4, 27.60); 6-Kinnelon (11-8, 26.60) at 3-Saddle Brook (14-4, 27.80); 7-Bogota-Weehawken (11-7, 25.90) at 2-Pompton Lakes (15-3, 28.40).
NORTH 2
Group 5
8-Columbia (8-6, 25.30) at 1-Watchung Hills (18-1, 33.90); 5-Ridge (8-9, 26.10) at 4-Elizabeth (10-4, 26.50); 6-Perth Amboy (10-6, 25.90) at 3-Westfield (8-7, 27.10); 7-Bayonne (10-11, 25.90) at 2-Piscataway (9-7, 28.20).
Group 4
8-Linden (9-5, 25.90) at 1-Middletown North (12-6, 34.90); 5-Sayreville (14-4, 27.50) at 4-Scotch Plains-Fanwood (16-6, 27.70); 6-Kearny (13-7, 27.10) at 3-North Hunterdon (11-4, 31.80); 7-Colonia (8-5, 25.90) at 2-Phillipsburg (10-2, 33.80).
Group 3
8-Leonia-Palisades Park (8-12, 25.30) at 1-Cranford (12-4, 29.70); 5-Governor Livingston (9-8, 26.30) at 4-West Essex (6-7, 26.30); 6-Morris Hills (10-9, 26.10) at 3-Warren Hills (4-11, 26.50);
7-Lyndhurst-North Arlington (9-6, 25.80) at 2-Voorhees (16-7, 28.50).
Group 2
8-Parsippany (5-8, 24.20) at 1-Hanover Park (11-2, 32.30); 5-Lodi (11-6, 26.20) at 4-Elmwood Park (13-10, 26.40); 6-Dumont (8-10, 25.90) at 3-Hackettstown (9-10, 27.30); 7-Lenape Valley (3-11, 24.80) at 2-Caldwell (10-4, 27.50).
Group 1
8-Becton-Wallington (3-7, 21.00) at 1-Roselle Park (19-1, 30.30); 5-Verona (8-7, 26.50) at 4-Belvidere (8-6, 26.60); 6-Secaucus (9-12, 25.70) at 3-Manville (12-3, 26.70); 7-Whippany Park (3-13, 21.70) at 2-Bound Brook (9-8, 27.10).
CENTRAL
Group 5
8-Freehold Township (9-6, 26.20) at 1-Hunterdon Central (17-1, 37.60); 5-Old Bridge (9-9, 28.10) at 4-Monroe Township (12-3, 29.60); 6-Trenton Central (14-4, 27.20) at 3-Manalapan (16-2, 31.50);
7-Hillsborough (7-12, 26.40) at 2-Howell (24-0, 36.00).
Group 4
8-Burlington Township (11-9, 26.60) at 1-Long Branch (17-3, 34.40); 5-Northern Burlington (9-10, 27.50) at 4-Colts Neck (12-3, 28.70); 6-Middletown South (13-6, 27.30) at 3-Brick Memorial (17-2, 32.20); 7-Hightstown (13-6, 27.40) at 2-Jackson Memorial (9-7, 30.00).
Group 3
8-Ewing (11-9, 26.60) at 1-South Plainfield (14-6, 32.30); 5-Allentown (17-8, 29.20) at 4-Bordentown-Florence (10-10, 28.40); 6-Rahway (12-2, 27.80) at 3-Hopewell Valley (15-4, 30.90); 7-Somerville (12-4, 26.80) at 2-Ocean Township (12-6, 31.10).
Group 2
8-Brearley-Dayton (4-16, 22.80) at 1-Raritan (18-2, 35.70); 5-Delaware Valley (7-9, 26.90) at 4-Bernards (14-4, 27.20); 6-Middlesex-Dunellen (12-8, 26.10) at 3-Robbinsville (16-3, 28.10); 7-Monmouth (3-15, 23.50) at 2-Holmdel (18-5, 28.30).
Group 1
8-Keansburg (6-8, 22.20) at 1-Point Pleasant Beach (20-1, 29.20); 5-Spotswood (8-5, 25.90) at 4-South River (8-5, 25.60); 6-Maple Shade (5-10, 23.50) at 3-New Egypt (10-3, 25.90); 7-Riverside (7-17, 24.90) at 2-Shore Regional (15-4, 27.50).
SOUTH
Group 5
8-Egg Harbor Township (12-7, 27.00) at 1-Southern (14-2, 35.80); 5-Rancocas Valley (20-3, 30.50) at 4-Williamstown (19-1, 31.20); 6-Cherokee (14-6, 30.10) at 3-Toms River North (12-4, 31.20); 7-Eastern (11-4, 29.10) at 2-Kingsway (14-5, 34.10).
Group 4
8-Moorestown (5-12, 25.20) at 1-Cherry Hill West (18-3, 29.00); 5-Pennsauken (10-13, 26.90) at 4-Toms River East (5-8, 26.90); 6-Hammonton (9-11, 26.70) at 3-Highland (10-6, 27.80); 7-Shawnee (8-11, 26.20) at 2-Clearview (7-8, 28.40).
Group 3
8-Timber Creek (6-12, 25.20) at 1-Delsea (10-6, 31.60); 5-Seneca (11-7, 26.20) at 4-Jackson Liberty (9-10, 26.60); 6-Pemberton (9-12, 25.80) at 3-Gateway-Woodbury (15-7, 28.60); 7-Lakewood (9-11, 25.70) at 2-Lacey Township (10-5, 29.40).
Group 2
8-Barnegat (10-8, 26.60) at 1-Point Pleasant Boro (15-1, 32.70); 5-Oakcrest (16-4, 27.90) at 4-Delran (14-7, 28.90); 6-West Deptford (13-11, 27.30) at 3-Cinnaminson (13-4, 28.90); 7-Sterling (11-5, 27.10) at 2-Haddonfield (17-3, 29.80).
Group 1
8-Pitman (12-11, 26.00) at 1-Paulsboro (14-0, 33.70); 5-Collingswood (9-6, 27.50) at 4-Buena (16-4, 28.50); 6-Schalick (15-5, 26.30) at 3-Woodstown (15-8, 29.00); 7-Gloucester City (14-3, 26.20) at 2-Pennsville (17-1, 28.70).
NON-PUBLIC
North A
5-Don Bosco Prep (5-5, 26.20) at 4-Bergen Catholic (7-0, 28.50), winner to meet 1-Delbarton (12-2, 34.30); 6-Paramus Catholic (9-5, 26.00) at 3-St. Peter's Prep (9-4, 31.50), winner to meet 2-Seton Hall Prep (16-0, 33.60).
North B
4-Bishop Ahr (3-13, 23.30) at 1-Pope John (11-1, 33.00); 3-Pingry (4-8, 23.70) at 2-DePaul (6-3, 26.44).
South A
5-Red Bank Catholic (5-8, 23.30) at 4-Paul VI-Haddonfield (8-9, 24.90), winner to meet 1-Camden Catholic (19-2, 31.00); 6-Notre Dame (3-13, 23.80) at 3-St. John Vianney (11-1, 29.30); 7-Christian Brothers Academy (5-12, 22.90) at 2-St. Augustine (13-3, 30.40).
South B
5-St. Rose (0-16, 15.70) at 4-St. Joseph-Hammonton (1-16, 16.50), winner to meet 1-Donovan Catholic (11-8, 26.90); 3-Holy Cross (1-20, 21.30) at 2-Holy Spirit (5-10, 25.10).
The semifinals will be contested on Wednesday, Feb. 7, with the sectional finals slated for Friday, Feb. 9. The five public school and four Non-Public winners advance to the Group championships to be contested on Sunday, Feb. 11 on the campus of Toms River North High School.
In all, 15 of the 18 teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area have qualified, with Sparta (North 1, Group 3), High Point (North 1, Group 2), Hunterdon Central (Central Jersey, Group 5) and Pope John (Non-Public North B) earning No. 1 seeds.
Newton (North 1, Group 2), Phillipsburg (North 2, Group 4), Voorhees (North 2, Group 3) drew No. 2 seeds, while North Hunterdon (North 2, Group 4), Warren Hills (North 2, Group 3) and Hackettstown (North 2, Group 2) are No. 3 seeds.
P'burg (10-2), which has won 36 of a possible 38 sectional titles, did not earn a No. 1 seed for just the sixth time overall since 1990 and for the first time since 2013. The Stateliners' only losses in title matches were 34-30 to Warren Hills in the 1990 North 2, Group 3 final and 30-29 to Hunterdon Central in the 2013 North 2, Group 4 final -- both on the road.
Middletown North (12-6), which has dropped the past two sectional finals to Phillipsburg, drew the top seed in North 2, Group 4. North Hunterdon, which is the No. 3 seed, suffered a 41-15 loss to the 'Liners on Jan. 24.
 |
| High Point seeks its 26th sectional title. (HP Wrestling) |
Sparta (13-5) is seeking back-to-back sectional titles for the first time in program history and its fourth overall since 1983.
Pope John (11-1), ranked No. 4 in the New Jersey Writers Top 20, is seeking the program's first sectional title since 1994. In fact, all seven of the Lions' championships have been in North B.
North Warren (North 1, Group 1), Lenape Valley (North 2, Group 2), Belvidere (North 2, Group 1) and Delaware Valley (Central Jersey, Group 2) are the other area teams to qualify.
North Warren (8-4), which originally missed the cut as the ninth-ranked team, jumped Cresskill for the No. 8 seed based on a head-to-head win -- 45-30 on Jan. 6 -- giving the Patriots their first postseason berth since 2012.
Note: Appeals can be made until noon on Thursday.
NORTH 1
Group 5
8-Bloomfield (3-14, 21.50) at 1-North Bergen (11-2, 28.00); 5-Clifton (10-5, 26.30) at 4-Passaic Tech (9-5, 26.30); 6-Montclair (7-6, 24.40) at 3-Livingston (13-3, 26.50); 7-Hackensack (6-6, 23.40) at 2-West Orange (9-3, 26.60).
Group 4
8-Old Tappan (13-8, 27.50) at 1-West Morris (11-2, 33.30); 5-Mendham (10-4, 29.50) at 4-Wayne Valley (13-5, 29.90); 6-Mount Olive (11-4, 29.50) at 3-Fair Lawn (13-2, 31.80); 7-Passaic Valley (11-6, 27.90) at 2-Roxbury (9-8, 32.80).
Group 3
8-Ramapo (6-15, 24.60) at 1-Sparta (13-5, 30.00); 5-Garfield (9-9, 27.00) at 4-River Dell (15-4, 28.00); 6-West Milford (10-7, 26.90) at 3-Montville (10-4, 28.10); 7-Paramus (9-5, 26.80) at 2-Pascack Valley (17-4, 30.00).
Group 2
8-Pascack Hills (14-4, 26.30) at 1-High Point (19-1, 35.10); 5-Kittatinny (10-10, 32.30) at 4-Westwood (14-5, 31.10); 6-Glen Rock (15-4, 27.60) at 3-Jefferson (15-4, 31.80); 7-Hawthorne (11-6, 27.50); at 2-Newton (14-5, 34.00).
Group 1
8-North Warren (8-4, 25.10) at 1-Emerson-Park Ridge (22-0, 36.20); 5-Cedar Grove (8-10, 27.00) at 4-Butler (10-4, 27.60); 6-Kinnelon (11-8, 26.60) at 3-Saddle Brook (14-4, 27.80); 7-Bogota-Weehawken (11-7, 25.90) at 2-Pompton Lakes (15-3, 28.40).
NORTH 2
Group 5
8-Columbia (8-6, 25.30) at 1-Watchung Hills (18-1, 33.90); 5-Ridge (8-9, 26.10) at 4-Elizabeth (10-4, 26.50); 6-Perth Amboy (10-6, 25.90) at 3-Westfield (8-7, 27.10); 7-Bayonne (10-11, 25.90) at 2-Piscataway (9-7, 28.20).
Group 4
8-Linden (9-5, 25.90) at 1-Middletown North (12-6, 34.90); 5-Sayreville (14-4, 27.50) at 4-Scotch Plains-Fanwood (16-6, 27.70); 6-Kearny (13-7, 27.10) at 3-North Hunterdon (11-4, 31.80); 7-Colonia (8-5, 25.90) at 2-Phillipsburg (10-2, 33.80).
Group 3
8-Leonia-Palisades Park (8-12, 25.30) at 1-Cranford (12-4, 29.70); 5-Governor Livingston (9-8, 26.30) at 4-West Essex (6-7, 26.30); 6-Morris Hills (10-9, 26.10) at 3-Warren Hills (4-11, 26.50);
7-Lyndhurst-North Arlington (9-6, 25.80) at 2-Voorhees (16-7, 28.50).
Group 2
8-Parsippany (5-8, 24.20) at 1-Hanover Park (11-2, 32.30); 5-Lodi (11-6, 26.20) at 4-Elmwood Park (13-10, 26.40); 6-Dumont (8-10, 25.90) at 3-Hackettstown (9-10, 27.30); 7-Lenape Valley (3-11, 24.80) at 2-Caldwell (10-4, 27.50).
Group 1
8-Becton-Wallington (3-7, 21.00) at 1-Roselle Park (19-1, 30.30); 5-Verona (8-7, 26.50) at 4-Belvidere (8-6, 26.60); 6-Secaucus (9-12, 25.70) at 3-Manville (12-3, 26.70); 7-Whippany Park (3-13, 21.70) at 2-Bound Brook (9-8, 27.10).
Group 5
8-Freehold Township (9-6, 26.20) at 1-Hunterdon Central (17-1, 37.60); 5-Old Bridge (9-9, 28.10) at 4-Monroe Township (12-3, 29.60); 6-Trenton Central (14-4, 27.20) at 3-Manalapan (16-2, 31.50);
7-Hillsborough (7-12, 26.40) at 2-Howell (24-0, 36.00).
Group 4
8-Burlington Township (11-9, 26.60) at 1-Long Branch (17-3, 34.40); 5-Northern Burlington (9-10, 27.50) at 4-Colts Neck (12-3, 28.70); 6-Middletown South (13-6, 27.30) at 3-Brick Memorial (17-2, 32.20); 7-Hightstown (13-6, 27.40) at 2-Jackson Memorial (9-7, 30.00).
Group 3
8-Ewing (11-9, 26.60) at 1-South Plainfield (14-6, 32.30); 5-Allentown (17-8, 29.20) at 4-Bordentown-Florence (10-10, 28.40); 6-Rahway (12-2, 27.80) at 3-Hopewell Valley (15-4, 30.90); 7-Somerville (12-4, 26.80) at 2-Ocean Township (12-6, 31.10).
Group 2
8-Brearley-Dayton (4-16, 22.80) at 1-Raritan (18-2, 35.70); 5-Delaware Valley (7-9, 26.90) at 4-Bernards (14-4, 27.20); 6-Middlesex-Dunellen (12-8, 26.10) at 3-Robbinsville (16-3, 28.10); 7-Monmouth (3-15, 23.50) at 2-Holmdel (18-5, 28.30).
Group 1
8-Keansburg (6-8, 22.20) at 1-Point Pleasant Beach (20-1, 29.20); 5-Spotswood (8-5, 25.90) at 4-South River (8-5, 25.60); 6-Maple Shade (5-10, 23.50) at 3-New Egypt (10-3, 25.90); 7-Riverside (7-17, 24.90) at 2-Shore Regional (15-4, 27.50).
SOUTH
Group 5
8-Egg Harbor Township (12-7, 27.00) at 1-Southern (14-2, 35.80); 5-Rancocas Valley (20-3, 30.50) at 4-Williamstown (19-1, 31.20); 6-Cherokee (14-6, 30.10) at 3-Toms River North (12-4, 31.20); 7-Eastern (11-4, 29.10) at 2-Kingsway (14-5, 34.10).
Group 4
8-Moorestown (5-12, 25.20) at 1-Cherry Hill West (18-3, 29.00); 5-Pennsauken (10-13, 26.90) at 4-Toms River East (5-8, 26.90); 6-Hammonton (9-11, 26.70) at 3-Highland (10-6, 27.80); 7-Shawnee (8-11, 26.20) at 2-Clearview (7-8, 28.40).
Group 3
8-Timber Creek (6-12, 25.20) at 1-Delsea (10-6, 31.60); 5-Seneca (11-7, 26.20) at 4-Jackson Liberty (9-10, 26.60); 6-Pemberton (9-12, 25.80) at 3-Gateway-Woodbury (15-7, 28.60); 7-Lakewood (9-11, 25.70) at 2-Lacey Township (10-5, 29.40).
Group 2
8-Barnegat (10-8, 26.60) at 1-Point Pleasant Boro (15-1, 32.70); 5-Oakcrest (16-4, 27.90) at 4-Delran (14-7, 28.90); 6-West Deptford (13-11, 27.30) at 3-Cinnaminson (13-4, 28.90); 7-Sterling (11-5, 27.10) at 2-Haddonfield (17-3, 29.80).
Group 1
8-Pitman (12-11, 26.00) at 1-Paulsboro (14-0, 33.70); 5-Collingswood (9-6, 27.50) at 4-Buena (16-4, 28.50); 6-Schalick (15-5, 26.30) at 3-Woodstown (15-8, 29.00); 7-Gloucester City (14-3, 26.20) at 2-Pennsville (17-1, 28.70).
NON-PUBLIC
North A
5-Don Bosco Prep (5-5, 26.20) at 4-Bergen Catholic (7-0, 28.50), winner to meet 1-Delbarton (12-2, 34.30); 6-Paramus Catholic (9-5, 26.00) at 3-St. Peter's Prep (9-4, 31.50), winner to meet 2-Seton Hall Prep (16-0, 33.60).
North B
4-Bishop Ahr (3-13, 23.30) at 1-Pope John (11-1, 33.00); 3-Pingry (4-8, 23.70) at 2-DePaul (6-3, 26.44).
South A
5-Red Bank Catholic (5-8, 23.30) at 4-Paul VI-Haddonfield (8-9, 24.90), winner to meet 1-Camden Catholic (19-2, 31.00); 6-Notre Dame (3-13, 23.80) at 3-St. John Vianney (11-1, 29.30); 7-Christian Brothers Academy (5-12, 22.90) at 2-St. Augustine (13-3, 30.40).
South B
5-St. Rose (0-16, 15.70) at 4-St. Joseph-Hammonton (1-16, 16.50), winner to meet 1-Donovan Catholic (11-8, 26.90); 3-Holy Cross (1-20, 21.30) at 2-Holy Spirit (5-10, 25.10).
Monday, January 29, 2018
Wrestling: New Jersey Writers Association Top 20
Four teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area are still holding strong in this week's New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20.
Pope John (11-1), which rolled to a 52-18 victory over previously ranked St. Peter's Prep in its only action last week, moves up one spot to No. 4. Coach Mark Piotrowsky's Lions will be the top seed as they seek the program's first championship since 1994 in Non-Public North B.
Hunterdon Central (17-1) stays in the No. 7 spot, as coach Jon Cantagallo-Rohm's Red Devils, who are the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey, Group 5, capped a 5-0 week with a 55-12 victory over No. 18 Kingsway on Saturday.
Phillipsburg (10-2) holds steady at No. 8 following a 29-25 win over No. 12 Southern on Saturday -- victory No. 950 overall for the Stateliners, who will be the No. 2 seed as they bid for the program's 37th sectional title as the No. 2 seed in North 2, Group 4.
High Point (19-1), which is still unbeaten against New Jersey competition this season, rounds out the local teams at No. 11. Coach John Gardner's Wildcats clinched the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division title last week and will be the No. 1 seed for the North 1, Group 2 sectional tournament.
Newton (14-5) just missed the cut after its impressive 33-25 win over Kittatinny on Friday. Coach Eric Bollette's Braves will be the No. 2 seed in North 1, Group 2 as they seek the program's third sectional title and first since winning back-to-back North 1, Group 1 championships in 2009-10.
Bergen Catholic (8-1), the six-time defending Non-Public A champion, is the consensus No. 1 for a fifth straight week. Howell (24-0), which finished second behind No. 15 St. John Vianney (11-1) in the Shore Conference Tournament over the weekend, remains the highest-ranked public school team at No. 3.
An impressive bronze trophy, donated by Prestige Imaging of Old Bridge, will be presented at the end of the 2017-18 campaign to the state’s No. 1 team in the final NJWWA poll during the state individual championships in Atlantic City.
Also receiving votes: Newton (14-5) 13; Camden Catholic (19-2) 13.
NJWWA voting members (in alphabetical order): Donald J. Brower (MorrisCountyHSWrestling.com); Frank D'Esposito (TheShoreConference.com); Steve Falk (Asbury Park Press); Josh Friedman (Courier Post of Cherry Hill, Daily Journal of Vineland); Screwy Louie Lazzari (New Jersey historian); John Lewis (Burlington County Times); Ron Mazzola (NJWWA president, Region 5 ranking chairman); Tom McGurk (Courier Post of Cherry Hill); Andy Mendlowitz (Courier News); Mark Trible (Courier Post of Cherry Hill); Greg Tufaro (Home News Tribune of East Brunswick); Mike Weilamann (Open Mike); Brad Wilson (Express-Times).
Pope John (11-1), which rolled to a 52-18 victory over previously ranked St. Peter's Prep in its only action last week, moves up one spot to No. 4. Coach Mark Piotrowsky's Lions will be the top seed as they seek the program's first championship since 1994 in Non-Public North B.
Hunterdon Central (17-1) stays in the No. 7 spot, as coach Jon Cantagallo-Rohm's Red Devils, who are the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey, Group 5, capped a 5-0 week with a 55-12 victory over No. 18 Kingsway on Saturday.
Phillipsburg (10-2) holds steady at No. 8 following a 29-25 win over No. 12 Southern on Saturday -- victory No. 950 overall for the Stateliners, who will be the No. 2 seed as they bid for the program's 37th sectional title as the No. 2 seed in North 2, Group 4.
High Point (19-1), which is still unbeaten against New Jersey competition this season, rounds out the local teams at No. 11. Coach John Gardner's Wildcats clinched the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division title last week and will be the No. 1 seed for the North 1, Group 2 sectional tournament.
Newton (14-5) just missed the cut after its impressive 33-25 win over Kittatinny on Friday. Coach Eric Bollette's Braves will be the No. 2 seed in North 1, Group 2 as they seek the program's third sectional title and first since winning back-to-back North 1, Group 1 championships in 2009-10.
Bergen Catholic (8-1), the six-time defending Non-Public A champion, is the consensus No. 1 for a fifth straight week. Howell (24-0), which finished second behind No. 15 St. John Vianney (11-1) in the Shore Conference Tournament over the weekend, remains the highest-ranked public school team at No. 3.
An impressive bronze trophy, donated by Prestige Imaging of Old Bridge, will be presented at the end of the 2017-18 campaign to the state’s No. 1 team in the final NJWWA poll during the state individual championships in Atlantic City.
Also receiving votes: Newton (14-5) 13; Camden Catholic (19-2) 13.
NJWWA voting members (in alphabetical order): Donald J. Brower (MorrisCountyHSWrestling.com); Frank D'Esposito (TheShoreConference.com); Steve Falk (Asbury Park Press); Josh Friedman (Courier Post of Cherry Hill, Daily Journal of Vineland); Screwy Louie Lazzari (New Jersey historian); John Lewis (Burlington County Times); Ron Mazzola (NJWWA president, Region 5 ranking chairman); Tom McGurk (Courier Post of Cherry Hill); Andy Mendlowitz (Courier News); Mark Trible (Courier Post of Cherry Hill); Greg Tufaro (Home News Tribune of East Brunswick); Mike Weilamann (Open Mike); Brad Wilson (Express-Times).
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Wrestling: Rivalries, tradition on display (HWS ranks)
For those of us in the Northwest corner of New Jersey, tradition and rivalry matches have made this area one of the best wrestling pockets in the state. Sadly, we don't get enough of those these days.
That's why it was so refreshing to be at a packed house -- many sitting on the floor at Henry Boresch Memorial Gym -- on Friday night as Newton posted an impressive 33-25 victory over Kittatinny. Two longtime Sussex County rivals going at it, the way it should be, and fittingly where wrestling began in these parts.
Newton coach Eric Bollette said he had people telling him on Saturday that they enjoyed that match, even wrestlers from opposing teams at a quad involving North Warren, Dumont and Pascack Valley, as well as alumni.
"It was good. A lot of [our] freshmen liked the environment," said senior Jonathon Borgognoni, who delivered a 12-4 major decision over Kittatinny senior Shane Smith in a matchup featuring the last two Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament champions at 160 pounds.
Nathan Fitt was among three Newton freshmen getting their first taste of wrestling on a big stage.
"It was fun, biggest crowd of the year," said Fitt, whose 13-8 decision over Patrick Franco in a key bout at 106 set the tone for the Braves, who won eight bouts and finished with a 27-16 edge in takedowns (Fitt had six of those).
Speaking of tradition, Voorhees celebrated its 600th win as a program on Saturday with a 48-22 victory over Livingston as the Vikings swept a quad that also included Mahwah at Belvidere High School.
"We're part of a special program and you try to keep as many traditional matches as you can," Hall said after his team's 36-31 win over Warren Hills on Wednesday.
Hall said his wrestlers were awestruck when looking at the banners hanging on the gym wall at Warren Hills Regional High School.
"There's a special nostalgia. My kids don't know the tradition here at Warren Hills. They saw the [list of the school's 46 individual state champions] and were amazed. It's cool to have all of these connections and rivalries."
Amen to that. Let's keep as many going as we can in this age of mindless quads and tri-meets, and interest-killing realignments.
With the release of the unofficial sectional pairings on Sunday, we can start looking forward to what is shaping up to be perhaps the most entertaining of all in North 1, Group 2, where you have locals High Point, Newton and Kittatinny, along with Jefferson and Westwood.
Kittatinny (10-10) has dropped four in a row for the first time in recent memory, including Friday's loss to Newton and a 39-33 setback against Westwood on Saturday, in what is now looks to be a preview of the 5-4 matchup on Monday, Feb. 5.
High Point appears to have locked down the top seed, while Newton is the No. 2 seed. Jefferson, by virtue of a head-to-head win, will jump Kittatinny for the No. 3 seed, while Westwood's win will force the Cougars to hit the road as the No. 5 seed.
"It's unbelievable," Kittatinny coach John Gill when asked about the stacked section after the loss on Friday. "That's the way the chips fall, I guess. I still consider us a good team, then you've got [all the other teams] in the same section. There's probably three teams that deserve to be in Toms River [competing for the Group 2 championship on Sunday, Feb. 11]."
Now, onto this week's rankings:
2. Hunterdon Central (17-1) -- Red Devils went 5-0 this week wins over Voorhees (56-15) on Monday -- putting them one win away from officially clinching the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title on Wednesday at Delaware Valley. Coach Jon Cantagallo-Rohm's team also swept a quad on Saturday against Northern Burlington (60-9), Delran (62-18), Rancocas Valley (43-21) and Kingsway (55-12). Senior Hunter Graf (25-2 at 132) ranks fifth on the program's all-time wins list at 130-25, seven shy of Pat Strizki's school record.
Up next: at Delaware Valley on Wednesday; at West Morris on Friday; Hunterdon Central Duals on Saturday.
That's why it was so refreshing to be at a packed house -- many sitting on the floor at Henry Boresch Memorial Gym -- on Friday night as Newton posted an impressive 33-25 victory over Kittatinny. Two longtime Sussex County rivals going at it, the way it should be, and fittingly where wrestling began in these parts.
Newton coach Eric Bollette said he had people telling him on Saturday that they enjoyed that match, even wrestlers from opposing teams at a quad involving North Warren, Dumont and Pascack Valley, as well as alumni.
"It was good. A lot of [our] freshmen liked the environment," said senior Jonathon Borgognoni, who delivered a 12-4 major decision over Kittatinny senior Shane Smith in a matchup featuring the last two Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament champions at 160 pounds.
Nathan Fitt was among three Newton freshmen getting their first taste of wrestling on a big stage.
"It was fun, biggest crowd of the year," said Fitt, whose 13-8 decision over Patrick Franco in a key bout at 106 set the tone for the Braves, who won eight bouts and finished with a 27-16 edge in takedowns (Fitt had six of those).
Speaking of tradition, Voorhees celebrated its 600th win as a program on Saturday with a 48-22 victory over Livingston as the Vikings swept a quad that also included Mahwah at Belvidere High School."We're part of a special program and you try to keep as many traditional matches as you can," Hall said after his team's 36-31 win over Warren Hills on Wednesday.
Hall said his wrestlers were awestruck when looking at the banners hanging on the gym wall at Warren Hills Regional High School.
"There's a special nostalgia. My kids don't know the tradition here at Warren Hills. They saw the [list of the school's 46 individual state champions] and were amazed. It's cool to have all of these connections and rivalries."
Amen to that. Let's keep as many going as we can in this age of mindless quads and tri-meets, and interest-killing realignments.
With the release of the unofficial sectional pairings on Sunday, we can start looking forward to what is shaping up to be perhaps the most entertaining of all in North 1, Group 2, where you have locals High Point, Newton and Kittatinny, along with Jefferson and Westwood.
Kittatinny (10-10) has dropped four in a row for the first time in recent memory, including Friday's loss to Newton and a 39-33 setback against Westwood on Saturday, in what is now looks to be a preview of the 5-4 matchup on Monday, Feb. 5.
High Point appears to have locked down the top seed, while Newton is the No. 2 seed. Jefferson, by virtue of a head-to-head win, will jump Kittatinny for the No. 3 seed, while Westwood's win will force the Cougars to hit the road as the No. 5 seed.
"It's unbelievable," Kittatinny coach John Gill when asked about the stacked section after the loss on Friday. "That's the way the chips fall, I guess. I still consider us a good team, then you've got [all the other teams] in the same section. There's probably three teams that deserve to be in Toms River [competing for the Group 2 championship on Sunday, Feb. 11]."
Now, onto this week's rankings:
1. Pope John (11-1) -- Lions cruised to a 52-18 win over state-ranked St. Peter's Prep on Wednesday in their only action of the week. Junior Joe Aragona (25-1 at 138) is sitting on 99 career wins and is looking to be the seventh to reach 100 at the Sussex County school. Senior Jake Rotunda (112-22) is their all-time wins leader. Interestingly, senior Jake Brown (11-1) recently dropped to 195. Keep an eye on him for the postseason and this week should he face Sparta ace Robert Gennat.
Up next: at Morris Hills on Monday; Mount Olive at home on Tuesday; Sparta at home on Wednesday; at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on Friday.
Up next: at Morris Hills on Monday; Mount Olive at home on Tuesday; Sparta at home on Wednesday; at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on Friday.
2. Hunterdon Central (17-1) -- Red Devils went 5-0 this week wins over Voorhees (56-15) on Monday -- putting them one win away from officially clinching the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title on Wednesday at Delaware Valley. Coach Jon Cantagallo-Rohm's team also swept a quad on Saturday against Northern Burlington (60-9), Delran (62-18), Rancocas Valley (43-21) and Kingsway (55-12). Senior Hunter Graf (25-2 at 132) ranks fifth on the program's all-time wins list at 130-25, seven shy of Pat Strizki's school record.
Up next: at Delaware Valley on Wednesday; at West Morris on Friday; Hunterdon Central Duals on Saturday.
3. Phillipsburg (10-2) -- Stateliners went 4-0 this week with wins over Warren Hills (53-14 on Monday); North Hunterdon (41-15 on Wednesday), Parkland (Pa.) (40-21 on Thursday) and state-ranked Southern (29-25 on Saturday). Coach Dave Post's team won eight bouts against the Rams, including a dominating 5-1 win by senior Brian Meyer (22-2) over Nicholas O'Connell in a clash between two of New Jersey's top 152-pounders. Meyer placed third and O'Connell eighth at 145 in last season's state tournament. Meyer also passed Post (111) and Matt Lane (113) for eighth on the school's wins list.
Up next: Voorhees at home on Wednesday; Ocean Township at home on Saturday.
Up next: Voorhees at home on Wednesday; Ocean Township at home on Saturday.
4. High Point (19-1) -- Wildcats went 5-0 this week and remained unbeaten against New Jersey competition, including wins over Hackettstown (37-24 on Tuesday) and Lenape Valley (55-9 on Friday) to officially clinch the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division title. On Saturday, coach John Gardner's team, which is still without junior Devin Flannery (14-2 at 120), swept a quad with wins against Warren Hills (52-15) -- snapping a three-match skid in that series with its first win over the Blue Streaks since 2014 -- Cedar Grove (60-9) and Cranford (42-24).
Up next: North 1, Group 2 sectionals, TBA.
5. Newton (14-5) -- Braves also went 5-0 this week with wins over Wallkill Valley (75-3 on Tuesday) and Kittatinny (33-25 on Friday), before sweeping a quad at home on Saturday against North Warren (71-3), Dumont (68-6) and Pascack Valley (39-19), which is expected to contend for the North 1, Group 3 title. Juniors Wyatt McCarthy (26-2 at 145-152) and Luke Fischer (25-3 at 195) kept on rolling for coach Eric Bollette's team.
Up next: at Vernon on Wednesday.
6. North Hunterdon (11-4) -- Lions move up one spot this week following their 39-30 win over Delaware Valley on Monday before dropping a tough 41-15 decision at Phillipsburg on Wednesday. Junior Lorenzo Becerril (13-8) earned the Dan Hutchins Memorial Award as North's OW vs. the Terriers -- pinning favored Eli Kalfaian in a huge swing bout at 220 -- while junior Francis Vitelli added an important 5-4 win at 285.
Up next: Ridge at home on Tuesday; Bound Brook at home on Wednesday; at Hunterdon Central Duals on Saturday.
7. Kittatinny (10-10) -- Cougars opened the week with victories over North Warren (49-19) and Hopatcong (64-12) on Tuesday to clinch the NJAC Colonial Division title, and a 38-35 victory against Sparta on Thursday before dropping four in a row against Newton (33-25 on Friday), Westwood (39-33), Emerson-Park Ridge (41-28) and Fair Lawn (40-30) on Saturday.
Up next: North 1, Group 2 sectionals, TBA.
8. Sparta (12-5) -- Spartans opened the week with a 33-26 loss to Jefferson on Tuesday and a 38-35 setback against Kittatinny on Thursday before bouncing back on Saturday with wins over Demarest (61-12), Pascack Hills (55-19) and Wallkill Valley (51-24). Senior Robert Gennat (26-1 at 195), who should be a strong medal contender in AC, moved into a tie for third place at 112-28 overall on the school's all-time wins list with Phil Takacs-Senske (112-27 from 1999-2003).
Up next: at Pope John on Wednesday; Kinnelon, Wayne Hills at Randolph on Saturday.
9. Voorhees (16-7) -- Vikings bounced back from a 56-15 loss to Hunterdon Central on Monday, to go 4-1 on the week, including wins over Warren Hills (36-31 on Wednesday), Livingston (48-22), Mahwah (42-33) and Belvidere (39-29). Senior Scott Fernandes (24-3 at 195) joined the Hunterdon County school's 100-win club on Saturday, while junior Lewis Fernandes (27-0 at 220) remained unbeaten. If you missed it, check out the school's list of memorable moments to help celebrate the 600-win milestone.
Up next: at Phillipsburg on Wednesday; Hasbrouck Heights at home on Friday; at Hunterdon Central Duals on Saturday.
10. Delaware Valley (7-9) -- Terriers rebounded from a 39-30 loss to North Hunterdon on Monday with three straight wins -- Bound Brook (41-33 on Wednesday), Marlboro (60-16 on Thursday) and Hillsborough (46-27 on Friday). Coach Andy Fitz's team, after closing out the regular-season slate this week has designs on a return trip to the Central Jersey, Group 2 final, but appear to be in the upper bracket with favorite Raritan, which will be the No. 1 seed.
Up next: Hunterdon Central at home on Wednesday; at Hunterdon Central Duals on Saturday.
On the bubble: Hackettstown (9-10) -- Tigers scored a 34-30 win over Warren Hills on Thursday -- improving to 10-52 all-time against the Blue Streaks in a series dating to 1957. Senior ace Alex Carida (25-1 at 145) is three victories shy of eclipsing Joe Renne (123-35 from 2012-16) as the program's all-time leader. Carida, now 121-27, should do it in a quad against Manalapan and Montclair at Caldwell -- coach Frank Rodgers' home town -- on Saturday.
Up next: North 1, Group 2 sectionals, TBA.
5. Newton (14-5) -- Braves also went 5-0 this week with wins over Wallkill Valley (75-3 on Tuesday) and Kittatinny (33-25 on Friday), before sweeping a quad at home on Saturday against North Warren (71-3), Dumont (68-6) and Pascack Valley (39-19), which is expected to contend for the North 1, Group 3 title. Juniors Wyatt McCarthy (26-2 at 145-152) and Luke Fischer (25-3 at 195) kept on rolling for coach Eric Bollette's team.
Up next: at Vernon on Wednesday.
6. North Hunterdon (11-4) -- Lions move up one spot this week following their 39-30 win over Delaware Valley on Monday before dropping a tough 41-15 decision at Phillipsburg on Wednesday. Junior Lorenzo Becerril (13-8) earned the Dan Hutchins Memorial Award as North's OW vs. the Terriers -- pinning favored Eli Kalfaian in a huge swing bout at 220 -- while junior Francis Vitelli added an important 5-4 win at 285.
Up next: Ridge at home on Tuesday; Bound Brook at home on Wednesday; at Hunterdon Central Duals on Saturday.
7. Kittatinny (10-10) -- Cougars opened the week with victories over North Warren (49-19) and Hopatcong (64-12) on Tuesday to clinch the NJAC Colonial Division title, and a 38-35 victory against Sparta on Thursday before dropping four in a row against Newton (33-25 on Friday), Westwood (39-33), Emerson-Park Ridge (41-28) and Fair Lawn (40-30) on Saturday.
Up next: North 1, Group 2 sectionals, TBA.
8. Sparta (12-5) -- Spartans opened the week with a 33-26 loss to Jefferson on Tuesday and a 38-35 setback against Kittatinny on Thursday before bouncing back on Saturday with wins over Demarest (61-12), Pascack Hills (55-19) and Wallkill Valley (51-24). Senior Robert Gennat (26-1 at 195), who should be a strong medal contender in AC, moved into a tie for third place at 112-28 overall on the school's all-time wins list with Phil Takacs-Senske (112-27 from 1999-2003).
Up next: at Pope John on Wednesday; Kinnelon, Wayne Hills at Randolph on Saturday.
9. Voorhees (16-7) -- Vikings bounced back from a 56-15 loss to Hunterdon Central on Monday, to go 4-1 on the week, including wins over Warren Hills (36-31 on Wednesday), Livingston (48-22), Mahwah (42-33) and Belvidere (39-29). Senior Scott Fernandes (24-3 at 195) joined the Hunterdon County school's 100-win club on Saturday, while junior Lewis Fernandes (27-0 at 220) remained unbeaten. If you missed it, check out the school's list of memorable moments to help celebrate the 600-win milestone.
Up next: at Phillipsburg on Wednesday; Hasbrouck Heights at home on Friday; at Hunterdon Central Duals on Saturday.
10. Delaware Valley (7-9) -- Terriers rebounded from a 39-30 loss to North Hunterdon on Monday with three straight wins -- Bound Brook (41-33 on Wednesday), Marlboro (60-16 on Thursday) and Hillsborough (46-27 on Friday). Coach Andy Fitz's team, after closing out the regular-season slate this week has designs on a return trip to the Central Jersey, Group 2 final, but appear to be in the upper bracket with favorite Raritan, which will be the No. 1 seed.
Up next: Hunterdon Central at home on Wednesday; at Hunterdon Central Duals on Saturday.
On the bubble: Hackettstown (9-10) -- Tigers scored a 34-30 win over Warren Hills on Thursday -- improving to 10-52 all-time against the Blue Streaks in a series dating to 1957. Senior ace Alex Carida (25-1 at 145) is three victories shy of eclipsing Joe Renne (123-35 from 2012-16) as the program's all-time leader. Carida, now 121-27, should do it in a quad against Manalapan and Montclair at Caldwell -- coach Frank Rodgers' home town -- on Saturday.
Wrestling: Final power point totals (HWS teams)
Here are the unofficial pairings for the upcoming sectional tournaments that begin on Monday, Feb. 5.
The semifinals will be contested on Wednesday, Feb. 7, with the sectional finals slated for Friday, Feb. 9. The five public school and four Non-Public winners advance to the Group championships to be contested on Sunday, Feb. 11 at Pine Belt Arena on the campus of Toms River North High School.
The seeding meeting to determine the official pairings and break the ties (for instance Jefferson will jump over Kittatinny for the No. 3 seed and Westwood over the Cougars for the No. 4 seed in North 1, Group 2, based on head-to-head wins) will be on Tuesday in Robbinsville.
HWS schools in bold:
NORTH 1
Group 3
Sparta (13-5) 30.00; Pascack Valley (17-4) 30.00; Montville (10-4) 28.10; River Dell (15-4) 27.90; West Milford (10-7) 26.90; Garfield (9-9) 26.90; Paramus (9-5) 26.80; Ramapo (6-13) 24.40
Group 2
High Point (19-1) 35.10; Newton (14-5) 34.00; Kittatinny (10-10) 32.30; Jefferson (15-4) 31.80; Westwood (14-5) 31.10; Glen Rock (15-4) 27.60; Hawthorne (11-6) 27.40; Pascack Hills (14-4) 26.30.
NORTH 2
Group 4
Middletown North (12-6) 34.90; Phillipsburg (10-2) 33.80; North Hunterdon (11-4) 31.80; Scotch Plains-Fanwood (16-6) 27.70; Sayreville (14-4) 27.50; Kearny (13-7) 27.10; Colonia (8-5) 25.90; Linden (9-5) 25.90.
Group 3
Cranford (12-4) 29.70; Voorhees (16-7) 28.50; Warren Hills (4-11) 26.50; West Essex (6-7) 26.30; Governor Livingston (9-8) 26.30; Morris Hills (10-9) 26.10; Lyndhurst-North Arlington (9-6) 25.70; Leonia-Palisades Park (8-12) 25.30.
Group 2
Hanover Park (11-2) 32.30; Caldwell (10-4) 27.50; Hackettstown (9-10) 27.30; Elmwood Park (13-10) 26.40; Lodi (10-6) 26.00; Dumont (8-10) 25.90; Lenape Valley (3-11) 24.80; Madison (7-6) 24.70.
Group 1
Roselle Park (19-1) 30.30; Bound Brook (9-8) 27.10; Manville (12-3) 26.70; Belvidere (8-6) 26.60; Verona (8-7) 26.50; Secaucus (9-12) 25.70; Whippany Park (3-13) 21.70; Becton-Wallington (3-7) 21.00.
CENTRAL
Group 5
Hunterdon Central (17-1) 37.60; Howell (24-0) 36.00; Manalapan (16-2) 31.50; Monroe Township (12-3) 29.60; Old Bridge (9-9) 28.10; Trenton Central (14-4) 27.20; Hillsborough (7-12) 26.40; Freehold Township (9-6) 26.20.
Group 2
Raritan (18-2) 35.70; Holmdel (18-5) 28.30; Robbinsville (16-3) 28.10; Bernards (14-4) 27.20; Delaware Valley (7-9) 26.90; Middlesex-Dunellen (12-8) 26.10; Monmouth (3-15) 23.50; Brearley-Dayton (4-16) 22.80.
NON-PUBLIC
North B
Pope John (11-1) 33.00; DePaul (6-3) 26.44; Pingry (4-8) 23.70; Bishop Ahr (3-13) 23.30; Morris Catholic (3-11) 21.00; Newark Academy (4-8) 17.90.
The semifinals will be contested on Wednesday, Feb. 7, with the sectional finals slated for Friday, Feb. 9. The five public school and four Non-Public winners advance to the Group championships to be contested on Sunday, Feb. 11 at Pine Belt Arena on the campus of Toms River North High School.
The seeding meeting to determine the official pairings and break the ties (for instance Jefferson will jump over Kittatinny for the No. 3 seed and Westwood over the Cougars for the No. 4 seed in North 1, Group 2, based on head-to-head wins) will be on Tuesday in Robbinsville.
HWS schools in bold:
NORTH 1
Group 3
Sparta (13-5) 30.00; Pascack Valley (17-4) 30.00; Montville (10-4) 28.10; River Dell (15-4) 27.90; West Milford (10-7) 26.90; Garfield (9-9) 26.90; Paramus (9-5) 26.80; Ramapo (6-13) 24.40
Group 2
High Point (19-1) 35.10; Newton (14-5) 34.00; Kittatinny (10-10) 32.30; Jefferson (15-4) 31.80; Westwood (14-5) 31.10; Glen Rock (15-4) 27.60; Hawthorne (11-6) 27.40; Pascack Hills (14-4) 26.30.
NORTH 2
Group 4
Middletown North (12-6) 34.90; Phillipsburg (10-2) 33.80; North Hunterdon (11-4) 31.80; Scotch Plains-Fanwood (16-6) 27.70; Sayreville (14-4) 27.50; Kearny (13-7) 27.10; Colonia (8-5) 25.90; Linden (9-5) 25.90.
Group 3
Cranford (12-4) 29.70; Voorhees (16-7) 28.50; Warren Hills (4-11) 26.50; West Essex (6-7) 26.30; Governor Livingston (9-8) 26.30; Morris Hills (10-9) 26.10; Lyndhurst-North Arlington (9-6) 25.70; Leonia-Palisades Park (8-12) 25.30.
Group 2
Hanover Park (11-2) 32.30; Caldwell (10-4) 27.50; Hackettstown (9-10) 27.30; Elmwood Park (13-10) 26.40; Lodi (10-6) 26.00; Dumont (8-10) 25.90; Lenape Valley (3-11) 24.80; Madison (7-6) 24.70.
Group 1
Roselle Park (19-1) 30.30; Bound Brook (9-8) 27.10; Manville (12-3) 26.70; Belvidere (8-6) 26.60; Verona (8-7) 26.50; Secaucus (9-12) 25.70; Whippany Park (3-13) 21.70; Becton-Wallington (3-7) 21.00.
CENTRAL
Group 5
Hunterdon Central (17-1) 37.60; Howell (24-0) 36.00; Manalapan (16-2) 31.50; Monroe Township (12-3) 29.60; Old Bridge (9-9) 28.10; Trenton Central (14-4) 27.20; Hillsborough (7-12) 26.40; Freehold Township (9-6) 26.20.
Group 2
Raritan (18-2) 35.70; Holmdel (18-5) 28.30; Robbinsville (16-3) 28.10; Bernards (14-4) 27.20; Delaware Valley (7-9) 26.90; Middlesex-Dunellen (12-8) 26.10; Monmouth (3-15) 23.50; Brearley-Dayton (4-16) 22.80.
NON-PUBLIC
North B
Pope John (11-1) 33.00; DePaul (6-3) 26.44; Pingry (4-8) 23.70; Bishop Ahr (3-13) 23.30; Morris Catholic (3-11) 21.00; Newark Academy (4-8) 17.90.
Wrestling: HWS schedule for Jan. 29-Feb. 3
Monday, Jan. 29
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Pope John at Morris Hills, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 30
(All matches 7 p.m., unless noted)
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Wallkill Valley at North Warren, 6 p.m.
Mount Olive at Pope John
Skyland Conference
Ridge at North Hunterdon
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Wallkill Valley at North Warren, 6 p.m.
Mount Olive at Pope John
Skyland Conference
Ridge at North Hunterdon
Independent
Belvidere at Hackettstown
Wednesday, Jan. 31
(All matches 7 p.m., unless noted)
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Hackettstown at Lenape Valley
Sparta at Pope John
Newton at Vernon, 6 p.m.
Skyland Conference
Hunterdon Central at Delaware Valley
Voorhees at Phillipsburg
North Plainfield at Belvidere
Bound Brook at North Hunterdon
Independent
Cresskill at Wallkill Valley, 6 p.m.
Warren Hills at West Morris
Independent
Cresskill at Wallkill Valley, 6 p.m.
Warren Hills at West Morris
Friday, Feb. 2
(All matches 7 p.m., unless noted)
Independent
Hasbrouck Heights at Voorhees, 6:30 p.m.
Pope John at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.)
Hopatcong at Teaneck
Vernon at Pascack Hills, 6 p.m.
Wallkill Valley at Belvidere
Hopatcong at Teaneck
Vernon at Pascack Hills, 6 p.m.
Wallkill Valley at Belvidere
Saturday, Feb. 3
(All events 9 a.m., unless noted)
Independent
Ocean Township at Phillipsburg, 7 p.m.
Tris and quads
Vernon, Montgomery, West Milford at North Warren
Sparta, Kinnelon, Wayne Hills at Randolph
Delaware Valley, North Hunterdon, Voorhees at Hunterdon Central Duals
Hopatcong, Kinnelon at Wayne Valley, 9:30 a.m.
Hopatcong, Kinnelon at Wayne Valley, 9:30 a.m.
Cliffside Park, Livingston at Warren Hills, 10 a.m.
Belvidere, Butler, Mount Olive at Lenape Valley, 9:30 a.m.
Hackettstown, Manalapan, Montclair at Caldwell
Hackettstown, Manalapan, Montclair at Caldwell
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Wrestling: 'Liners top Southern; Vikes get 600th W
Senior Josh Ramos came up with another difference-making performance, while senior Brian Meyer enjoyed redemption in leading Phillipsburg to an impressive 29-25 win over Southern on Saturday night in an independent clash between state-ranked teams at Phillipsburg High School.
Phillipsburg (10-2), which came in ranked No. 8 in the New Jersey Writers Association Top 20, capped a 4-0 week with a dominating effort -- winning eight bouts -- for its 950th win overall in sending No. 12 Southern back to the Shore area with its second loss.
"What a week," said Stateliners coach Dave Post, whose team handily won the takedown battle and scored key points in the closing seconds of several bouts in winning a match that wasn't as close as the final score indicates. "You always get tough wrestling out of Southern. We were able to match them blow for blow."
Cullen Day (113) and Travis Jones (120) started things off with back-to-back majors and junior Cody Harrison scored a tough 10-8 decision over Southern senior Matt Barnett -- on a takedown with 31 seconds left in sudden-victory OT -- to give P'burg an 11-10 lead through five bouts.
Junior Jayson Zinsmeister, who had missed time recently while battling the flu bug, followed with a key 9-3 win at 145. That set the stage for Meyer, who turned in one of his best performances to date in a 5-1 victory over Nicholas O'Connell in a matchup between two of the top 152-pounders in the state.
Meyer (22-2), a third-place finisher at 145 last season, converted two takedowns and dominated on the mat in avenging a 7-5 loss in sudden-victory OT to O'Connell in last year's dual meet. Meyer, a Lehigh recruit, is now 114-34 overall, recently surpassing Post (111-22) and Matt Lane (113-34) for eighth-place on the school's all-time wins list.
"We let two takedowns slip away [in last year's loss]," Post told Mike Moore of Stateliner Sports Network during the postmatch recap. "This was nearly the same match. The one huge difference for Brian is horsepower this year. The re-attacks were where we couldn't score last year."
Ramos, whose 8-3 win over Barnett at 138 spurred P'burg on to a 36-23 win at Southern in 2017, came through again with a 10-7 decision over Dan Gorman, who came in with 15 wins.
"Ramos is a clutch wrestler," Post said.
Southern, which still owns a 6-5 edge in the all-time series, won the flip and controlled the matchups at 138 and 152. But as they've done all season, the Rams played it straight up. The curious thing is veteran coach John Stout opted to bump Nick Pepe, who weighed in at 138, up against Zinsmeister, who is a solid 145. O'Connell did beat Meyer a year ago, but you'd have to favor him against Ramos.
P'burg pulled away with Lance Wissing's technical fall win at 170 and Austin Roth's major at 182. Wissing got two stall points in the final seconds of the third period, while Roth secured a takedown at the third-period buzzer for the extra team point.
PHILLIPSBURG 29, SOUTHERN 25
113 -- Sr. Cullen Day (19-7), P, md. So. Jayson Scerbo (13-6), 12-0.
120 -- Jr. Travis Jones (24-4), P, md. Sr. Owen Kretschmer (13-10), 14-2.
126 -- Jr. Sebastian Delligati (19-5), S, md. Jr. Brenden Fox (1-10), 10-2.
132 -- So. Robert Woodcock (15-2), S, p. Jr. Kyle Tino (13-7), 1:55.
138 -- Jr. Cody Harrison (20-2), P, d. Sr. Matthew Barnett (8-2), 10-8 SV.
145 -- Jr. Jayson Zinsmeister (13-9), P, d. Jr. Nick Pepe (16-5), 9-3.
152 -- Sr. Brian Meyer (22-2), P, d. Jr. Nicholas O'Connell (16-1), 5-1.
160 -- Sr. Josh Ramos (15-6), P, d. Sr. Dan Gorman (15-7), 10-7.
170 -- Sr. Lance Wissing (25-3), P, tf. Jr. Haven Tatarek (5-13), 17-2, 5:59.
182 -- Jr. Austin Roth (12-8), P, md. So. Ben LoParo (5-2), 11-3.
195 -- Sr. Vin Miele (19-5), S, d. Sr. Shamyr Brodders (9-12), 3-1.
220 -- So. JT Cornelius (15-7), S, d. Fr. Gage Horvath (0-2), 3-0.
285 -- Sr. Matt Mackanic (19-2), S, d. Sr. Patrick Sharpe (14-12), 1-0.
106 -- Fr. Matt Brielmeier (15-10), S, forfeit.
Records -- Southern 14-2; Phillipsburg 10-2.
Officials -- Frank Leitner and Lou Ricciardi.
As expected, Voorhees swept a quad at Belvidere High School on Saturday, including a 48-22 win over Livingston for the program's 600th victory.
The Vikings (16-7), now 602-265-5 in 43 seasons overall, also posted much-closer victories over Mahwah (42-33) and Belvidere (39-29), as coach Eric Hall's team capped a 4-1 week.
Senior Scott Fernandes (24-3 at 195) also went 3-0 on Saturday to become the 11th Voorhees wrestler to notch 100-career wins. It was previously reported that Fernandes (102-35) got his 99th last weekend, but the school made a clerical error.
"To me this program is part of my life, part of my family," said Hall, who notched 120 wins as a wrestler for the Vikings and 152 as their head coach, while his father, Bob, was the program's first head coach (332-99-5 in 23 seasons).
"I've been a part of many of these milestones and that's special to me."
VOORHEES 48, LIVINGSTON 22
220 -- Lewis Fernandes, V, p. Ryan Valese, :41.
285 -- Sam Huff, V, p. Nick Boffa, 1:41.
106 -- Sean Neary, L, d. Josh Rich, 10-7.
113 -- Colby Koshinski, V, p. Michael Petrillo, 5:01.
120 -- Aidan Taylor, V, p. Drew DiGangi, 5:59.
126 -- Anthony Petrillo, L, md. Hunter Rinehart, 12-1.
132 -- Mathew Nichter, L, forfeit.
138 -- Jason Wittlinger, L, d. Joe Swiston, 4-2.
145 -- Garrett Loescher, V, p. Aiden Kessler, :38.
152 -- Jacob Baytoff, V, tf. Charles Lee, 17-2, 5:57.
160 -- Brad Kalinchak, V, p. David Ferreira, 1:14.
170 -- Matt Brandner, V, md. Michael Wong, 8-0.
182 -- Kenneth Newman, L, p. Charlie Eberle, 4:44.
195 -- Scott Fernandes, V, d. Austin Paris, 4-0.
Phillipsburg (10-2), which came in ranked No. 8 in the New Jersey Writers Association Top 20, capped a 4-0 week with a dominating effort -- winning eight bouts -- for its 950th win overall in sending No. 12 Southern back to the Shore area with its second loss.
"What a week," said Stateliners coach Dave Post, whose team handily won the takedown battle and scored key points in the closing seconds of several bouts in winning a match that wasn't as close as the final score indicates. "You always get tough wrestling out of Southern. We were able to match them blow for blow."
Cullen Day (113) and Travis Jones (120) started things off with back-to-back majors and junior Cody Harrison scored a tough 10-8 decision over Southern senior Matt Barnett -- on a takedown with 31 seconds left in sudden-victory OT -- to give P'burg an 11-10 lead through five bouts.
Junior Jayson Zinsmeister, who had missed time recently while battling the flu bug, followed with a key 9-3 win at 145. That set the stage for Meyer, who turned in one of his best performances to date in a 5-1 victory over Nicholas O'Connell in a matchup between two of the top 152-pounders in the state.
Meyer (22-2), a third-place finisher at 145 last season, converted two takedowns and dominated on the mat in avenging a 7-5 loss in sudden-victory OT to O'Connell in last year's dual meet. Meyer, a Lehigh recruit, is now 114-34 overall, recently surpassing Post (111-22) and Matt Lane (113-34) for eighth-place on the school's all-time wins list.
"We let two takedowns slip away [in last year's loss]," Post told Mike Moore of Stateliner Sports Network during the postmatch recap. "This was nearly the same match. The one huge difference for Brian is horsepower this year. The re-attacks were where we couldn't score last year."
Ramos, whose 8-3 win over Barnett at 138 spurred P'burg on to a 36-23 win at Southern in 2017, came through again with a 10-7 decision over Dan Gorman, who came in with 15 wins.
"Ramos is a clutch wrestler," Post said.
Southern, which still owns a 6-5 edge in the all-time series, won the flip and controlled the matchups at 138 and 152. But as they've done all season, the Rams played it straight up. The curious thing is veteran coach John Stout opted to bump Nick Pepe, who weighed in at 138, up against Zinsmeister, who is a solid 145. O'Connell did beat Meyer a year ago, but you'd have to favor him against Ramos.
P'burg pulled away with Lance Wissing's technical fall win at 170 and Austin Roth's major at 182. Wissing got two stall points in the final seconds of the third period, while Roth secured a takedown at the third-period buzzer for the extra team point.
PHILLIPSBURG 29, SOUTHERN 25
113 -- Sr. Cullen Day (19-7), P, md. So. Jayson Scerbo (13-6), 12-0.
120 -- Jr. Travis Jones (24-4), P, md. Sr. Owen Kretschmer (13-10), 14-2.
126 -- Jr. Sebastian Delligati (19-5), S, md. Jr. Brenden Fox (1-10), 10-2.
132 -- So. Robert Woodcock (15-2), S, p. Jr. Kyle Tino (13-7), 1:55.
138 -- Jr. Cody Harrison (20-2), P, d. Sr. Matthew Barnett (8-2), 10-8 SV.
145 -- Jr. Jayson Zinsmeister (13-9), P, d. Jr. Nick Pepe (16-5), 9-3.
152 -- Sr. Brian Meyer (22-2), P, d. Jr. Nicholas O'Connell (16-1), 5-1.
160 -- Sr. Josh Ramos (15-6), P, d. Sr. Dan Gorman (15-7), 10-7.
170 -- Sr. Lance Wissing (25-3), P, tf. Jr. Haven Tatarek (5-13), 17-2, 5:59.
182 -- Jr. Austin Roth (12-8), P, md. So. Ben LoParo (5-2), 11-3.
195 -- Sr. Vin Miele (19-5), S, d. Sr. Shamyr Brodders (9-12), 3-1.
220 -- So. JT Cornelius (15-7), S, d. Fr. Gage Horvath (0-2), 3-0.
285 -- Sr. Matt Mackanic (19-2), S, d. Sr. Patrick Sharpe (14-12), 1-0.
106 -- Fr. Matt Brielmeier (15-10), S, forfeit.
Records -- Southern 14-2; Phillipsburg 10-2.
Officials -- Frank Leitner and Lou Ricciardi.
Voorhees reaches program milestone
As expected, Voorhees swept a quad at Belvidere High School on Saturday, including a 48-22 win over Livingston for the program's 600th victory.
 |
| The Vikes celebrate their 600th win. (Voorhees wrestling) |
Senior Scott Fernandes (24-3 at 195) also went 3-0 on Saturday to become the 11th Voorhees wrestler to notch 100-career wins. It was previously reported that Fernandes (102-35) got his 99th last weekend, but the school made a clerical error.
"To me this program is part of my life, part of my family," said Hall, who notched 120 wins as a wrestler for the Vikings and 152 as their head coach, while his father, Bob, was the program's first head coach (332-99-5 in 23 seasons).
"I've been a part of many of these milestones and that's special to me."
VOORHEES 48, LIVINGSTON 22
220 -- Lewis Fernandes, V, p. Ryan Valese, :41.
285 -- Sam Huff, V, p. Nick Boffa, 1:41.
106 -- Sean Neary, L, d. Josh Rich, 10-7.
113 -- Colby Koshinski, V, p. Michael Petrillo, 5:01.
120 -- Aidan Taylor, V, p. Drew DiGangi, 5:59.
126 -- Anthony Petrillo, L, md. Hunter Rinehart, 12-1.
132 -- Mathew Nichter, L, forfeit.
138 -- Jason Wittlinger, L, d. Joe Swiston, 4-2.
145 -- Garrett Loescher, V, p. Aiden Kessler, :38.
152 -- Jacob Baytoff, V, tf. Charles Lee, 17-2, 5:57.
160 -- Brad Kalinchak, V, p. David Ferreira, 1:14.
170 -- Matt Brandner, V, md. Michael Wong, 8-0.
182 -- Kenneth Newman, L, p. Charlie Eberle, 4:44.
195 -- Scott Fernandes, V, d. Austin Paris, 4-0.
Wrestling: Braves look gr8 in victory over Cougars
NEWTON -- Eight years was certainly worth the wait.
That's how long it had been since Newton got the best of Kittatinny, but the Braves ended their drought in this longtime Sussex County rivalry with an impressive 33-25 victory on Friday night before a packed house at Henry Boresch Memorial Gymnasium.
Newton (11-5), which won eight bouts, was simply more physical and dictated the action throughout in a performance that would have made the gym's namesake proud. The Braves ended a six-match skid in the series with their first victory since a 36-28 win in the 2010 North 1, Group 2 sectional championship matched capped a four-match streak during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.
"We wrestled hard. I was impressed," said a very pleased Newton coach Eric Bollette, who improved to 5-15 overall against Kittatinny and his former coach John Gill. "It's nice to get a win. Any time you can beat High Point or Kittatinny, you have to be happy."
Kittatinny (10-7) started behind the 8-ball after dropping a key bout at 106 pounds, where Newton freshman Nathan Fitt scored a 13-8 decision over Patrick Franco, who had decked Fitt two weeks earlier in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. The Cougars also dropped pivotal bouts at 120 and 132, while giving up three majors and two pins.
"They beat us start to finish, feet and top," said Gill, now 30-11 all-time in this series dating to 1976. "Top to bottom, they were on fire. We saved two points right off the bat and then things went south."
After junior Jimmy Harding's 13-3 major in the opening bout at 285 -- Harding appeared to have Mike Lacken flat with a headlock in the second period -- Fitt really set the tone by wrestling a smart match and dominating from the neutral position with six takedowns.
"I knew I was better than him on my feet, that was pretty much my game plan," said Fitt, a champion at 90 pounds in the New Jersey Grade School League last year and a talented freshman who is still growing into the 106-pound weight class. "I need to stay outside and use my quickness. [At HWS], I wrestled a sloppy match and I wasn't happy with my performance. This was fun. It was our biggest crowd of the year and we embraced it."
Fellow freshman JoJo Lotruglio scored a reversal and two back points in an 8-2 win over Kittatinny junior Mike Nelson, while wins by Matthew Rosa (126) and Michael Freda (132) stretched Newton's lead to 17-3 through six bouts. Bollette felt the bouts at 106, 120, 126 and 132 were must haves coming in.
"We couldn't have picked a better starting spot [285]," said Bollette, whose team won five of the first six bouts to take a normally boisterous Kittatinny crowd out of the match early on. "We got on a roll. I'm proud of them."
Newton even did a good job of limiting bonus points where it was a heavy underdog -- freshman Danny Cleary dropped a 9-2 decision at 113 to Nile Mattar, who won by technical fall when they met at HWS on Jan. 13. At 138, senior Tim Houlihan, who trailed Mike Callahan, by four points after one period, converted a takedown with eight seconds left in the second period to kept it close in an 8-5 loss.
Senior Perry Maio briefly got Kittatinny back in it with a pin at 145, but Newton junior Wyatt McCarthy pretty much ended any hopes of a Cougar comeback by pinning Calvin Brook in an anticipated matchup at 152. McCarthy (23-2), a state qualifier last season, spotted the opening takedown in the first before opening things up in the third period -- sinking a half and horsing over Brook for the fall in 5:11. The Braves led, 23-12, through nine and were well on their way.
"This is a great feeling," said McCarthy, who figures to drop to 145 for the postseason. "Calvin is a great wrestler. I didn't open up on my feet and he slowed me down. I was looking for something feet-to-back to get bonus points. Coach Bollette had us fired up. It's great to get a win in this rivalry."
Newton co-ace Jonathon Borgognoni continued his fine season with a 12-4 major over Shane Smith in a matchup of the last two HWS champions at 160. Borgognoni, who won the title this season, had some extra motivation after getting pinned with a cement job against Smith in last year's tri-county semifinals.
"I had a game plan and tried to stick to it," Borgognoni said. "After I got that first takedown [one of five in the win] I felt confident, and I fed off Wyatt's energy. This was a cool environment. It's been a long time coming [beating Kittatinny]."
Junior Luke Fischer officially sealed the win by pinning Jackson Crawn in the next to last bout at 195 -- giving Newton a 33-19 lead.
These teams could very well meet again in what is a loaded North 1, Group 2 sectional bracket. Newton will almost certainly be the No. 2 seed -- with a 34-23 loss to sectional title favorite and likely top seed High Point earlier this season. Kittatinny, which has a loss to Jefferson, will face Westwood in a quad on Saturday.
"In some ways this one was insignificant, it wasn't for a league title," said Gill, whose team will also face state power Emerson-Park Ridge on Saturday. "This is for bragging rights. It's important, I didn't come here to lose. But some are thinking there could be a round two."
NEWTON 33, KITTATINNY 25
285 -- Jr. Jimmy Harding (8-4), N, md. Jr. Mike Lacken (3-17), 13-3.
106 -- Fr. Nathan Fitt (13-10), N, d. Fr. Patrick Franco (12-15), 13-8.
113 -- Jr. Nile Mattar (11-13), K, d. Fr. Danny Cleary (10-11), 9-2.
120 -- Fr. JoJo Lotruglio (14-11), N, d. Jr. Mike Nelson (12-13), 8-2.
126 -- Jr. Matthew Rosa (18-9), N, md. Fr. Davin DeGroat (2-12), 14-3.
132 -- Jr. Michael Freda (14-11), N, d. Jr. Brian Hanna (11-13), 8-1.
138 -- Sr. Mike Callahan (17-9), K, d. Sr. Tim Houlihan (4-10), 8-5.
145 -- Sr. Perry Maio (18-9), K, p. So. Trevor Aughenbaugh (5-12), 2:53.
152 -- Jr. Wyatt McCarthy (23-2), N, p. Sr. Calvin Brook (20-7), 5:11.
160 -- Sr. Jonathon Borgognoni (23-2), N, md. Sr. Shane Smith (14-6), 12-4.
170 -- Sr. Josh Hiler (20-6), K, md. Jr. Nick Brigante (14-11), 10-2.
182 -- Jr. Zach Mafaro (22-3), K, d. Sr. Joseph DeLuca (18-8), 3-0.
195 -- Jr. Luke Fischer (22-3), N, p. Fr. Jackson Crawn (13-12), 3:16.
220 -- So. Jacob Mafaro (23-3), K, forfeit.
Records -- Kittatinny 10-7; Newton 11-5.
Official -- Frank Leitner.
That's how long it had been since Newton got the best of Kittatinny, but the Braves ended their drought in this longtime Sussex County rivalry with an impressive 33-25 victory on Friday night before a packed house at Henry Boresch Memorial Gymnasium.
Newton (11-5), which won eight bouts, was simply more physical and dictated the action throughout in a performance that would have made the gym's namesake proud. The Braves ended a six-match skid in the series with their first victory since a 36-28 win in the 2010 North 1, Group 2 sectional championship matched capped a four-match streak during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.
"We wrestled hard. I was impressed," said a very pleased Newton coach Eric Bollette, who improved to 5-15 overall against Kittatinny and his former coach John Gill. "It's nice to get a win. Any time you can beat High Point or Kittatinny, you have to be happy."
Kittatinny (10-7) started behind the 8-ball after dropping a key bout at 106 pounds, where Newton freshman Nathan Fitt scored a 13-8 decision over Patrick Franco, who had decked Fitt two weeks earlier in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. The Cougars also dropped pivotal bouts at 120 and 132, while giving up three majors and two pins.
"They beat us start to finish, feet and top," said Gill, now 30-11 all-time in this series dating to 1976. "Top to bottom, they were on fire. We saved two points right off the bat and then things went south."
After junior Jimmy Harding's 13-3 major in the opening bout at 285 -- Harding appeared to have Mike Lacken flat with a headlock in the second period -- Fitt really set the tone by wrestling a smart match and dominating from the neutral position with six takedowns.
"I knew I was better than him on my feet, that was pretty much my game plan," said Fitt, a champion at 90 pounds in the New Jersey Grade School League last year and a talented freshman who is still growing into the 106-pound weight class. "I need to stay outside and use my quickness. [At HWS], I wrestled a sloppy match and I wasn't happy with my performance. This was fun. It was our biggest crowd of the year and we embraced it."
Fellow freshman JoJo Lotruglio scored a reversal and two back points in an 8-2 win over Kittatinny junior Mike Nelson, while wins by Matthew Rosa (126) and Michael Freda (132) stretched Newton's lead to 17-3 through six bouts. Bollette felt the bouts at 106, 120, 126 and 132 were must haves coming in.
"We couldn't have picked a better starting spot [285]," said Bollette, whose team won five of the first six bouts to take a normally boisterous Kittatinny crowd out of the match early on. "We got on a roll. I'm proud of them."
Newton even did a good job of limiting bonus points where it was a heavy underdog -- freshman Danny Cleary dropped a 9-2 decision at 113 to Nile Mattar, who won by technical fall when they met at HWS on Jan. 13. At 138, senior Tim Houlihan, who trailed Mike Callahan, by four points after one period, converted a takedown with eight seconds left in the second period to kept it close in an 8-5 loss.
Senior Perry Maio briefly got Kittatinny back in it with a pin at 145, but Newton junior Wyatt McCarthy pretty much ended any hopes of a Cougar comeback by pinning Calvin Brook in an anticipated matchup at 152. McCarthy (23-2), a state qualifier last season, spotted the opening takedown in the first before opening things up in the third period -- sinking a half and horsing over Brook for the fall in 5:11. The Braves led, 23-12, through nine and were well on their way.
"This is a great feeling," said McCarthy, who figures to drop to 145 for the postseason. "Calvin is a great wrestler. I didn't open up on my feet and he slowed me down. I was looking for something feet-to-back to get bonus points. Coach Bollette had us fired up. It's great to get a win in this rivalry."
Newton co-ace Jonathon Borgognoni continued his fine season with a 12-4 major over Shane Smith in a matchup of the last two HWS champions at 160. Borgognoni, who won the title this season, had some extra motivation after getting pinned with a cement job against Smith in last year's tri-county semifinals.
"I had a game plan and tried to stick to it," Borgognoni said. "After I got that first takedown [one of five in the win] I felt confident, and I fed off Wyatt's energy. This was a cool environment. It's been a long time coming [beating Kittatinny]."
Junior Luke Fischer officially sealed the win by pinning Jackson Crawn in the next to last bout at 195 -- giving Newton a 33-19 lead.
These teams could very well meet again in what is a loaded North 1, Group 2 sectional bracket. Newton will almost certainly be the No. 2 seed -- with a 34-23 loss to sectional title favorite and likely top seed High Point earlier this season. Kittatinny, which has a loss to Jefferson, will face Westwood in a quad on Saturday.
"In some ways this one was insignificant, it wasn't for a league title," said Gill, whose team will also face state power Emerson-Park Ridge on Saturday. "This is for bragging rights. It's important, I didn't come here to lose. But some are thinking there could be a round two."
NEWTON 33, KITTATINNY 25
285 -- Jr. Jimmy Harding (8-4), N, md. Jr. Mike Lacken (3-17), 13-3.
106 -- Fr. Nathan Fitt (13-10), N, d. Fr. Patrick Franco (12-15), 13-8.
113 -- Jr. Nile Mattar (11-13), K, d. Fr. Danny Cleary (10-11), 9-2.
120 -- Fr. JoJo Lotruglio (14-11), N, d. Jr. Mike Nelson (12-13), 8-2.
126 -- Jr. Matthew Rosa (18-9), N, md. Fr. Davin DeGroat (2-12), 14-3.
132 -- Jr. Michael Freda (14-11), N, d. Jr. Brian Hanna (11-13), 8-1.
138 -- Sr. Mike Callahan (17-9), K, d. Sr. Tim Houlihan (4-10), 8-5.
145 -- Sr. Perry Maio (18-9), K, p. So. Trevor Aughenbaugh (5-12), 2:53.
152 -- Jr. Wyatt McCarthy (23-2), N, p. Sr. Calvin Brook (20-7), 5:11.
160 -- Sr. Jonathon Borgognoni (23-2), N, md. Sr. Shane Smith (14-6), 12-4.
170 -- Sr. Josh Hiler (20-6), K, md. Jr. Nick Brigante (14-11), 10-2.
182 -- Jr. Zach Mafaro (22-3), K, d. Sr. Joseph DeLuca (18-8), 3-0.
195 -- Jr. Luke Fischer (22-3), N, p. Fr. Jackson Crawn (13-12), 3:16.
220 -- So. Jacob Mafaro (23-3), K, forfeit.
Records -- Kittatinny 10-7; Newton 11-5.
Official -- Frank Leitner.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Wrestling: Voorhees unveils program's top moments
With Voorhees High School sitting on 599 wins entering Saturday's quad against Livingston and Mahwah at Belvidere High School, here's a fun list, compiled by the Hunterdon County school, of some of the best moments in the program's 43 seasons:
1976 – Jack Holthaus becomes first District 17 champion
Junior Jack Holthaus won at 108 pounds and would also go on to lead the team in wins during the 1975-76 season with 17. The program entered this season with 117 district champions overall.
1979 – Eric Lobell becomes first Region 5 champion
1975 – First win over St. Mary’s High school
The Vikings opened their inaugural season with a 58-7 victory on Jan. 3, 1975, over St. Mary’s High School in Perth Amboy. The team finished 9-9 on the season under coach Bob Hall.
The Vikings opened their inaugural season with a 58-7 victory on Jan. 3, 1975, over St. Mary’s High School in Perth Amboy. The team finished 9-9 on the season under coach Bob Hall.
1976 – Jack Holthaus becomes first District 17 champion
Junior Jack Holthaus won at 108 pounds and would also go on to lead the team in wins during the 1975-76 season with 17. The program entered this season with 117 district champions overall.
1979 – Eric Lobell becomes first Region 5 champion
Eric Lobell becomes the first region champion in winning at 108 pounds. Lobell would also go on to lead the team in wins during the 1978-79 season with 24, while winning three district and two region titles. The program has won 35 region titles overall. Two-time champions – Eric Lobell, Dave Zehnbauer, Shawn Curtis, Greg Evans and Mike Hafke. Three-time Region champions – Glenn Hall, Dan Moody and Jadaen Bernstein. Four-time champion – Eric Hall.
1980 – Voorhees wins first sectional championship
The Vikes capped a remarkable, undefeated season by capturing the first of their 16 sectional titles with a 43-14 win over Morris Hills in the Central Jersey, Group 2 final, while finishing unbeaten at 20-0. This season marked the first time Voorhees defeated all 4 county schools -- North Hunterdon, Hunterdon Central, South Hunterdon and Delaware Valley.
1981 – Glenn Hall becomes first state champion
Hall, a junior, scored a 2-1 win over Millville's Doug Taylor in the finals at 101 pounds. Taylor turned the tables the following season with a 6-3 win over Hall for the 108-pound title. Hall’s accolades still dominate school's wrestling record books, including an impressive 91.6 percent winning percentage which still stands as the best all-time.
Hall, a junior, scored a 2-1 win over Millville's Doug Taylor in the finals at 101 pounds. Taylor turned the tables the following season with a 6-3 win over Hall for the 108-pound title. Hall’s accolades still dominate school's wrestling record books, including an impressive 91.6 percent winning percentage which still stands as the best all-time.
1982 – First team state championship
Voorhees won the Group 2 title with a 29-27 win over Pennsville after winning the sectional title against a Delaware Valley team that beat the Vikes earlier in the season. Voorhees finished 16-3, while winning Delaware River Conference and District 17 titles.
1982 – Voorhees places four wrestlers in state tournament
Back when wrestlers had to reach the semifinals to be recognized as placewinners, Lee Getz (first), Glenn Hall (second), Moody (third) and Curtis (fourth) took home medals.
1985 – Voorhees beats North Hunterdon en route to Group 2 title
After a 24-26 loss to inter-district rival North Hunterdon in the regular season, the Vikes avenged this loss with a 32-23 victory over the Lions in the Central Jersey, Group 3 final en route to the Group 3 state title. Voorhees was 17-2 and ranked fifth by the Coaches Association.
1987 – Vikes unbeaten, ranked seventh in the nation
Arguably the best team in program history, the 1986-87 squad finished 22-0, winning both sectional and state championships, while outscoring its opponents, 960-321. The Vikes were ranked No. 2 in the state by the Coaches Association. Truly a season to remember.
1995 – Voorhees wins Group 2 title, finishes 18-1
After almost completing a perfect season, the Vikings capped an 18-1 season with a Central Jersey Group 2 sectional and Group 2 state title. It was the fourth in 14 years and the last state championship for the program. The Vikes were ranked No. 7 by the Coaches Association.
1996 – Eric Hall earns his 100th career victory, while program hits 300 wins
The Vikings defeated Watching Hills and Hillsborough in a tri-meet en route to a 19-2 season mark. No. 300 came against Hillsborough -- a 57-19 rout on Jan. 27, 1996. Hall, now the Vikes' head coach, ranks third on the school's all-time wins list at 120-19.
1998 – Brienza becomes first state champion since 1983
In an epic conclusion to an undefeated season, Brienza entertained the Boardwalk Hall crowd by pinning Dave Santamaria from Christian Brothers Academy in 1:09 to win the 130-pound crown. Brienza is the program's fourth and last champion.
2004 – First sectional championship since 1998
After several seasons of rebuilding, the Vikes put together an impressive 12-4 campaign that was capped with a sectional title -- the program's first in six years. Voorhees finished 12-4 and was ranked 25th by the Coaches Association.
2011 – Bernstein's memorable postseason run
After a modest freshman season -- going 15-14 -- and a serious offseason commitment, sophomore Bernstein exploded onto the New Jersey wrestling scène. He went undefeated in the regular season en route to winning his first district and region titles. His historic run to the state finals is still talked about to this day. Bernstein, now wrestling for Navy, finished his career as a three-time state placewinner (second, seventh, second). He is still the school's all-time wins leader at 135-19.
2015 – Sectional thriller against Nutley
In a crazy back-and-forth match under the spotlight at Voorhees High School, all looked lost as the Vikes were down by four points with 220-pounder Derek Howarth trailing, 2-1, in the third period. With less than a minute to go, Howarth's pin delivered the North 2, Group 3 title and the program’s 16th sectional championship.
2018 – Fernandes brothers
For the past six seasons Michael, Scott and Lewis Fernandes have established a precedent of success that few family trios can claim. They have accounted for just under 300 career wins and over 200 pins. Scott Fernandes has 99 career wins, while Lewis is at 87 heading into this weekend.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Wrestling: Kittatinny at Newton preview, lineups
What: Kittatinny Cougars vs. Newton Braves.
Where: Henry Boresch Memorial Gym, Newton High School.
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Conference: Northwest Jersey Athletic intradivision.
Records: Kittatinny 10-6; Newton 10-5.
Coaches: John Gill (562-175-5, 38th season, 30-10 vs. Newton); Eric Bollette (218-179-1, 17th season, 4-15 vs. Kittatinny).
Series history: Kittatinny has won six straight, including a 57-6 win in the last meeting on Jan. 13, 2016, and it owns a 31-15 edge overall dating to 1976. The Braves haven't won in the series since a four-match streak during their sectional title runs in 2008-09 and 2009-10. The teams didn't wrestle last season (weather) for the first time in series history.
Probable lineups: Kittatinny wrestlers listed first with season records in parentheses.
106 -- Fr. Patrick Franco (12-14) vs. Fr. Nathan Fitt (12-10).
113 -- Jr. Nile Mattar (10-13) vs. Fr. Danny Cleary (10-10).
120 -- Jr. Mike Nelson (12-12) vs. Fr. JoJo Lotruglio (13-11).
126 -- Fr. Davin DeGroat (2-11) vs. Jr. Matthew Rosa (17-9).
132 -- Jr. Brian Hanna (11-12) vs. Jr. Michael Freda (13-11).
138 -- Sr. Mike Callahan (16-9) vs. Sr. Tim Houlihan (4-9).
145 -- Sr. Perry Maio (17-9) vs. So. Trevor Aughenbaugh (5-11).
152 -- Sr. Calvin Brook (20-6) vs. Jr. Wyatt McCarthy (22-2).
160 -- Sr. Shane Smith (14-5) or Sr. Billy Connors (1-1) vs. Sr. Jonathon Borgognoni (22-2).
170 -- Sr. Josh Hiler (19-6) vs. Jr. Nick Brigante (14-10).
182 -- Jr. Zach Mafaro (21-3) vs. Sr. Joseph DeLuca (18-7).
195 -- Fr. Jackson Crawn (13-11) vs. Jr. Luke Fischer (21-3) or Sr. Devin Mager (8-6).
220 -- So. Jacob Mafaro (22-3) or Jr. Mike Lacken (3-16) vs. Mager or Fischer.
285 -- Lacken or J. Mafaro vs. Jr. Jimmy Harding (7-4).
Breakdown: This has all of the makings for a classic matchup -- crosstown rivals, teacher against student, as Bollette wrestled for Kittatinny in the early 1990s and was a state placewinner under Gill. Both coaches, and good friends off the mat, would love to earn bragging rights. It's been a while for the Braves in this series, a 36-28 win in the 2010 North 1, Group 2 final in this gym, thanks in large part to an unexpected pin by Teddy Sibblies. "Any time we can come away with a win over Kittatinny it's a good day," Bollette said after his team's 34-31 regular-season win in '10. The bouts down low in this one will likely hold the key to Newton snapping its skid against a Kittatinny team that will be favored in most spots up top where the Braves usually have an edge on their opponents. Straight up, the Cougars will be favored at 106, 113, 138, 145, 170, 182 and 220, while the Braves get the nod at 126, 132, 152, 160, 195 and 285. Call 120 a tossup, leaning toward Newton. There are a lot of variables as to matchups and where some wrestlers are weighed in up top. Would Kittatinny bump Smith to 170 and so on to try ensure they win four of five through 285? The Cougars would likely sacrifice bonus points at 160 to do so, but it may be advantageous depending on where this starts and the score at the time. Here are some potential rematches from the HWS Tournament to watch -- Franco p. Fitt, 3:19; Mattar tf. Cleary, 19-3, 5:53; Hiler d. Brigante, 4-1; Z. Mafaro md. DeLuca, 10-0. For the Braves to win the match, they most likely need 106, 120, 132, which should get them to seven wins being favored at 126, 152, 160 and 195. They'll also need to limit bonus points in spots so a lot has to fall their way. If the Cougars do the job down low, they'll be in good shape. And if things shake out with the final power points, we very well could see these teams tangle again in two weeks in what's sure to be an entertaining North 1, Group 2 sectional title race.
Prediction: Kittatinny, 30-27.
Where: Henry Boresch Memorial Gym, Newton High School.
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Conference: Northwest Jersey Athletic intradivision.
Records: Kittatinny 10-6; Newton 10-5.
Coaches: John Gill (562-175-5, 38th season, 30-10 vs. Newton); Eric Bollette (218-179-1, 17th season, 4-15 vs. Kittatinny).
Series history: Kittatinny has won six straight, including a 57-6 win in the last meeting on Jan. 13, 2016, and it owns a 31-15 edge overall dating to 1976. The Braves haven't won in the series since a four-match streak during their sectional title runs in 2008-09 and 2009-10. The teams didn't wrestle last season (weather) for the first time in series history.
Probable lineups: Kittatinny wrestlers listed first with season records in parentheses.
106 -- Fr. Patrick Franco (12-14) vs. Fr. Nathan Fitt (12-10).
113 -- Jr. Nile Mattar (10-13) vs. Fr. Danny Cleary (10-10).
120 -- Jr. Mike Nelson (12-12) vs. Fr. JoJo Lotruglio (13-11).
126 -- Fr. Davin DeGroat (2-11) vs. Jr. Matthew Rosa (17-9).
132 -- Jr. Brian Hanna (11-12) vs. Jr. Michael Freda (13-11).
138 -- Sr. Mike Callahan (16-9) vs. Sr. Tim Houlihan (4-9).
145 -- Sr. Perry Maio (17-9) vs. So. Trevor Aughenbaugh (5-11).
152 -- Sr. Calvin Brook (20-6) vs. Jr. Wyatt McCarthy (22-2).
160 -- Sr. Shane Smith (14-5) or Sr. Billy Connors (1-1) vs. Sr. Jonathon Borgognoni (22-2).
170 -- Sr. Josh Hiler (19-6) vs. Jr. Nick Brigante (14-10).
182 -- Jr. Zach Mafaro (21-3) vs. Sr. Joseph DeLuca (18-7).
195 -- Fr. Jackson Crawn (13-11) vs. Jr. Luke Fischer (21-3) or Sr. Devin Mager (8-6).
220 -- So. Jacob Mafaro (22-3) or Jr. Mike Lacken (3-16) vs. Mager or Fischer.
285 -- Lacken or J. Mafaro vs. Jr. Jimmy Harding (7-4).
Breakdown: This has all of the makings for a classic matchup -- crosstown rivals, teacher against student, as Bollette wrestled for Kittatinny in the early 1990s and was a state placewinner under Gill. Both coaches, and good friends off the mat, would love to earn bragging rights. It's been a while for the Braves in this series, a 36-28 win in the 2010 North 1, Group 2 final in this gym, thanks in large part to an unexpected pin by Teddy Sibblies. "Any time we can come away with a win over Kittatinny it's a good day," Bollette said after his team's 34-31 regular-season win in '10. The bouts down low in this one will likely hold the key to Newton snapping its skid against a Kittatinny team that will be favored in most spots up top where the Braves usually have an edge on their opponents. Straight up, the Cougars will be favored at 106, 113, 138, 145, 170, 182 and 220, while the Braves get the nod at 126, 132, 152, 160, 195 and 285. Call 120 a tossup, leaning toward Newton. There are a lot of variables as to matchups and where some wrestlers are weighed in up top. Would Kittatinny bump Smith to 170 and so on to try ensure they win four of five through 285? The Cougars would likely sacrifice bonus points at 160 to do so, but it may be advantageous depending on where this starts and the score at the time. Here are some potential rematches from the HWS Tournament to watch -- Franco p. Fitt, 3:19; Mattar tf. Cleary, 19-3, 5:53; Hiler d. Brigante, 4-1; Z. Mafaro md. DeLuca, 10-0. For the Braves to win the match, they most likely need 106, 120, 132, which should get them to seven wins being favored at 126, 152, 160 and 195. They'll also need to limit bonus points in spots so a lot has to fall their way. If the Cougars do the job down low, they'll be in good shape. And if things shake out with the final power points, we very well could see these teams tangle again in two weeks in what's sure to be an entertaining North 1, Group 2 sectional title race.
Prediction: Kittatinny, 30-27.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Wrestling: Vikes nip Streaks; 'Liners tame Lions
WASHINGTON TWP. -- Voorhees' wrestling team inched closer to a program milestone, but it certainly wasn't an easy task against an undermanned, but determined Warren Hills squad.
The Vikings won just two of the nine contested bouts and benefited from four forfeit victories in a 36-31 victory in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division matchup on Wednesday night at Warren Hills Regional High School.
Voorhees (13-7, 2-3 division) picked up its 599th win as it looks to earn No. 600 on Saturday in a quad, which includes Livingston and Mahway on Saturday morning at Belvidere High School. Coach Eric Hall opted to rest several of his regulars, including senior Scott Fernandes (21-3 at 195), who is sitting on 99 career wins, and junior Lewis Fernandes (24-0 at 220).
"They outwrestled us tonight by far," said Hall, who offered no excuses for what he deemed was a flat performance by his team. "Without the forfeits, we would have been in serious trouble. All the credit to them. We are lucky to get out of here with a win."
Warren Hills (3-8, 1-5), which has been hampered by injuries and lack of depth this season, was without its top two wrestlers -- senior Jarod Ostir (14-0 at 182) and junior Nick Galka (14-3 at 195) -- and a clear underdog coming in, but the Blue Streaks didn't wrestle like it.
"We won eight bouts, but it's tough when you're starting off down, 24-0," said coach Jarrett Hosbach, who is hoping to have Ostir [medical] and Galka [ankle injury] back this week. "Our main goal right now is getting healthy."
Sophomore Greg Slivka (113) and junior Duro Ajayi (285) -- two feel-good stories for the Streaks -- came up with impressive wins.
Slivka (9-9), one of the most improved wrestlers in the Open Mike area, hit a lateral drop at the edge of the mat for a four-pointer with three seconds left to gain a 5-3 win over Voorhees senior Colby Koshinski (15-9), a district champion and sixth-place finisher in Region 4 last season.
"I did a lot of offseason wrestling, and I was going for anything [a throw] I could get," said Slivka, who was 9-21 as a freshman at 106, and had no idea of Koshinski's resume. "My goal this season was to be .500 or better."
Slivka said working with first-year assistant coach Zach Fisher, a former district champion for Phillipsburg, has made him better this season.
"Greg has worked very hard and is a great example of hard work paying off," Hosbach said. "There wasn't a tournament we went to as a team that he missed. He got off to slow start [before dropping from 120 pounds], but he's starting to come on."
Ajayi (10-9), a first-year wrestler and a giant on the mat at well over 6-feet tall and around the 280-pound mark, made it two in a row against Voorhees junior Sam Huff with a wild 8-5 victory. Ajayi, who iced the bout with a late takedown, benefited from two stalling points in the third and a go-ahead two-pointer when Huff, who led 5-2 early in the third period on the strength of two first-period takedowns but was giving away about 60 pounds, was called for fleeing the mat. Both wrestlers were visibly fatigued down the stretch.
"We had a game plan," Hall said when asked what was the difference in this one after Huff dropped a 14-9 decision to Ajayi in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament quarterfinals on Jan. 13. "With those two guys, it's who has more air in the lungs at the end who's going to win it. It was that call and [Ajayi] who beat him. Sam has come a long way [9-17 as a freshman and 20-14 as a sophomore]. I'm proud of him."
Warren Hills senior Codey O'Rourke also scored a big 15-4 major of Hunter Rinehart, a district runner-up, in the third bout at 126. The Streaks won seven of the first eight to grab a 28-6 lead, capped by Nick Hildebrant's 6-3 decision over Brad Kalinchak at 160. Interestingly, Hildebrant's father, Eric, was a district champion for Voorhees at 188 pounds in 1984.
Zach Tong (170) and Matt Brandner (182) registered pins, while Voorhees got three forfeit victories in three of the last four bouts to pull out the win.
VOORHEES 36, WARREN HILLS 31
113 -- So. Greg Slivka (9-9), WH, d. Sr. Colby Koshinski (15-9), 5-3.
120 -- So. Kyle Bryan (3-0), V, forfeit.
126 -- Sr. Codey O'Rourke (13-4), WH, md. Jr. Hunter Rinehart (15-5), 15-4.
132 -- Sr. Kyle Wulff (13-8), WH, forfeit.
138 -- So. Logan Nauta (8-6), WH, d. So. Joe Swiston (7-17), 6-1.
145 -- Jr. Chris Ostir (10-10), WH, d. So. Garrett Loescher (6-18), 7-2.
152 -- So. Geir Nemeth (10-11), WH, p. So. Ben Hemberger (2-7), :42.
160 -- So. Nick Hildebrant (9-12), WH, d. Sr. Brad Kalinchak (12-11), 6-3.
170 -- So. Zach Tong (2-2), V, p. Jr. Merlyn Garcia (0-1), :53.
182 -- Jr. Matt Brandner (13-12), V, p. Fr. Logan Polcari (2-9), :47.
195 -- Jr. Charlie Eberle (7-8), V, forfeit.
220 -- So. Anthony DeStephano (1-0), V, forfeit.
285 -- Jr. Duro Ajayi (10-9), WH, d. Jr. Sam Huff (18-6), 8-5.
106 -- So. Josh Rich (11-12), V, forfeit.
Records -- Voorhees 13-7, 2-3; Warren Hills 3-8, 1-5.
Official -- Frank Leitner.
Junior Cody Harrison and senior Brian Meyer picked up key victories as Phillipsburg rolled to a 41-15 win over North Hunterdon in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash at Phillipsburg High School.
P'burg (8-2, 4-1 division), which is in the midst of a tough four-match stretch in six days, was coming off a 53-14 waxing of Warren Hills with independent matches against Parkland (Pa.) on Thursday and Southern on Saturday remaining this week. The latter is a matchup of state-ranked teams -- the Stateliners are No. 8, while the Rams are No. 12 in the latest New Jersey Writers Association Top 20.
"We try to do the best we can to put ourselves in position to win," P'burg coach Dave Post, who made some key lineup moves in this one, told Mike Moore of Stateliner Sports Network during the postmatch recap. "Our three freshmen all wrestled well. Two of those were in front of this kind of audience for the first time. We put guys in all different weight classes. It was a very complete dual meet."
Junior Travis Jones (22-4) continued his fine season by bumping up weight to score a 15-0 technical fall win over Evan Klimas at 126 to give P'burg a 17-9 lead through seven bouts after North won three of the first four to gain an early advantage. Freshman Jason Tino also came through with a clutch 5-3 win in sudden-victory at 120, making that move pay off.
Harrison, who weighed in at 138, was moved away from North Hunterdon ace Andrew Gapas -- whose pin was the lone bonus-point loss for P'burg -- in what would have been a matchup of state medal winners. Instead, Harrison posted a 5-0 shutout of Michael Wilson, a district runner-up last season.
Meyer, a Lehigh recruit and a third-place finisher in last season's state tournament, followed with a 5-0 win over North's Tucker Kirchberger at 152, before senior Josh Ramos iced it with an 8-4 decision over William Hughes, a district champion, at 160 with two bouts to go.
North Hunterdon, which seemed to match up well on paper, dropped to 8-53-1 all-time against Phillipsburg in a series dating to 1961. The Lions' last victory in this rivalry was 36-21 at home on Jan. 6, 2007. It's the second-longest series for P'burg, which has faced Warren Hills 71 times since 1948, against Hunterdon-Warren teams. The 'Liners are now 213-36-2 all-time vs. H-W opponents.
PHILLIPSBURG 41, NORTH HUNTERDON 15
195 -- So. Nathaniel Fossett (17-8), NH, d. Fr. Gage Horvath (0-1), 8-5.
220 -- Sr. Shamyr Brodders (8-11), P, d. Jr. Francis Vitelli (6-12), 5-1.
285 -- Jr. Lorenzo Becerril (13-8), NH, d. Sr. Patrick Sharpe (13-11), 3-1.
106 -- Jr. Connor Robinson (19-4), NH, d. Fr. Logan Maczko (12-10), 8-4.
113 -- Sr. Cullen Day (17-7), P, p. Fr. Frank Diesso (13-7), 5:31.
120 -- Fr. Jason Tino (2-0), P, d. So. Drew Doscher (11-9), 5-3 SV.
126 -- Jr. Travis Jones (22-4), P, tf. So. Evan Klimas (9-11), 15-0, 3:19.
132 -- Jr. Kyle Tino (13-5), P, d. So. Kyle Anderson (10-12), 10-4.
138 -- Sr. Andrew Gapas (22-1), NH, p. Jr. Colin Emery (0-1), :28.
145 -- Jr. Cody Harrison (18-2), P, d. Jr. Michael Wilson (20-4), 5-0.
152 -- Sr. Brian Meyer (20-2), P, d. Sr. Tucker Kirchberger (21-5), 5-0.
160 -- Sr. Josh Ramos (13-6), P, d. Sr. William Hughes (12-4), 8-4.
170 -- Sr. Lance Wissing (23-3), P, p. Sr. John Spies (9-13), 5:45.
182 -- Jr. Austin Roth (10-8), P, p. Fr. Andrew Franklin (0-2), :50.
Records -- North Hunterdon 11-4, 3-2; Phillipsburg 8-2, 4-1.
Official -- Russ Scorese.
The Vikings won just two of the nine contested bouts and benefited from four forfeit victories in a 36-31 victory in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division matchup on Wednesday night at Warren Hills Regional High School.
Voorhees (13-7, 2-3 division) picked up its 599th win as it looks to earn No. 600 on Saturday in a quad, which includes Livingston and Mahway on Saturday morning at Belvidere High School. Coach Eric Hall opted to rest several of his regulars, including senior Scott Fernandes (21-3 at 195), who is sitting on 99 career wins, and junior Lewis Fernandes (24-0 at 220).
"They outwrestled us tonight by far," said Hall, who offered no excuses for what he deemed was a flat performance by his team. "Without the forfeits, we would have been in serious trouble. All the credit to them. We are lucky to get out of here with a win."
Warren Hills (3-8, 1-5), which has been hampered by injuries and lack of depth this season, was without its top two wrestlers -- senior Jarod Ostir (14-0 at 182) and junior Nick Galka (14-3 at 195) -- and a clear underdog coming in, but the Blue Streaks didn't wrestle like it.
"We won eight bouts, but it's tough when you're starting off down, 24-0," said coach Jarrett Hosbach, who is hoping to have Ostir [medical] and Galka [ankle injury] back this week. "Our main goal right now is getting healthy."
Sophomore Greg Slivka (113) and junior Duro Ajayi (285) -- two feel-good stories for the Streaks -- came up with impressive wins.
Slivka (9-9), one of the most improved wrestlers in the Open Mike area, hit a lateral drop at the edge of the mat for a four-pointer with three seconds left to gain a 5-3 win over Voorhees senior Colby Koshinski (15-9), a district champion and sixth-place finisher in Region 4 last season.
"I did a lot of offseason wrestling, and I was going for anything [a throw] I could get," said Slivka, who was 9-21 as a freshman at 106, and had no idea of Koshinski's resume. "My goal this season was to be .500 or better."
Slivka said working with first-year assistant coach Zach Fisher, a former district champion for Phillipsburg, has made him better this season.
"Greg has worked very hard and is a great example of hard work paying off," Hosbach said. "There wasn't a tournament we went to as a team that he missed. He got off to slow start [before dropping from 120 pounds], but he's starting to come on."
Ajayi (10-9), a first-year wrestler and a giant on the mat at well over 6-feet tall and around the 280-pound mark, made it two in a row against Voorhees junior Sam Huff with a wild 8-5 victory. Ajayi, who iced the bout with a late takedown, benefited from two stalling points in the third and a go-ahead two-pointer when Huff, who led 5-2 early in the third period on the strength of two first-period takedowns but was giving away about 60 pounds, was called for fleeing the mat. Both wrestlers were visibly fatigued down the stretch.
"We had a game plan," Hall said when asked what was the difference in this one after Huff dropped a 14-9 decision to Ajayi in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament quarterfinals on Jan. 13. "With those two guys, it's who has more air in the lungs at the end who's going to win it. It was that call and [Ajayi] who beat him. Sam has come a long way [9-17 as a freshman and 20-14 as a sophomore]. I'm proud of him."
Warren Hills senior Codey O'Rourke also scored a big 15-4 major of Hunter Rinehart, a district runner-up, in the third bout at 126. The Streaks won seven of the first eight to grab a 28-6 lead, capped by Nick Hildebrant's 6-3 decision over Brad Kalinchak at 160. Interestingly, Hildebrant's father, Eric, was a district champion for Voorhees at 188 pounds in 1984.
Zach Tong (170) and Matt Brandner (182) registered pins, while Voorhees got three forfeit victories in three of the last four bouts to pull out the win.
VOORHEES 36, WARREN HILLS 31
113 -- So. Greg Slivka (9-9), WH, d. Sr. Colby Koshinski (15-9), 5-3.
120 -- So. Kyle Bryan (3-0), V, forfeit.
126 -- Sr. Codey O'Rourke (13-4), WH, md. Jr. Hunter Rinehart (15-5), 15-4.
132 -- Sr. Kyle Wulff (13-8), WH, forfeit.
138 -- So. Logan Nauta (8-6), WH, d. So. Joe Swiston (7-17), 6-1.
145 -- Jr. Chris Ostir (10-10), WH, d. So. Garrett Loescher (6-18), 7-2.
152 -- So. Geir Nemeth (10-11), WH, p. So. Ben Hemberger (2-7), :42.
160 -- So. Nick Hildebrant (9-12), WH, d. Sr. Brad Kalinchak (12-11), 6-3.
170 -- So. Zach Tong (2-2), V, p. Jr. Merlyn Garcia (0-1), :53.
182 -- Jr. Matt Brandner (13-12), V, p. Fr. Logan Polcari (2-9), :47.
195 -- Jr. Charlie Eberle (7-8), V, forfeit.
220 -- So. Anthony DeStephano (1-0), V, forfeit.
285 -- Jr. Duro Ajayi (10-9), WH, d. Jr. Sam Huff (18-6), 8-5.
106 -- So. Josh Rich (11-12), V, forfeit.
Records -- Voorhees 13-7, 2-3; Warren Hills 3-8, 1-5.
Official -- Frank Leitner.
'Liners stay tough on Lions
Junior Cody Harrison and senior Brian Meyer picked up key victories as Phillipsburg rolled to a 41-15 win over North Hunterdon in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash at Phillipsburg High School.
P'burg (8-2, 4-1 division), which is in the midst of a tough four-match stretch in six days, was coming off a 53-14 waxing of Warren Hills with independent matches against Parkland (Pa.) on Thursday and Southern on Saturday remaining this week. The latter is a matchup of state-ranked teams -- the Stateliners are No. 8, while the Rams are No. 12 in the latest New Jersey Writers Association Top 20.
"We try to do the best we can to put ourselves in position to win," P'burg coach Dave Post, who made some key lineup moves in this one, told Mike Moore of Stateliner Sports Network during the postmatch recap. "Our three freshmen all wrestled well. Two of those were in front of this kind of audience for the first time. We put guys in all different weight classes. It was a very complete dual meet."
Junior Travis Jones (22-4) continued his fine season by bumping up weight to score a 15-0 technical fall win over Evan Klimas at 126 to give P'burg a 17-9 lead through seven bouts after North won three of the first four to gain an early advantage. Freshman Jason Tino also came through with a clutch 5-3 win in sudden-victory at 120, making that move pay off.
Harrison, who weighed in at 138, was moved away from North Hunterdon ace Andrew Gapas -- whose pin was the lone bonus-point loss for P'burg -- in what would have been a matchup of state medal winners. Instead, Harrison posted a 5-0 shutout of Michael Wilson, a district runner-up last season.
Meyer, a Lehigh recruit and a third-place finisher in last season's state tournament, followed with a 5-0 win over North's Tucker Kirchberger at 152, before senior Josh Ramos iced it with an 8-4 decision over William Hughes, a district champion, at 160 with two bouts to go.
North Hunterdon, which seemed to match up well on paper, dropped to 8-53-1 all-time against Phillipsburg in a series dating to 1961. The Lions' last victory in this rivalry was 36-21 at home on Jan. 6, 2007. It's the second-longest series for P'burg, which has faced Warren Hills 71 times since 1948, against Hunterdon-Warren teams. The 'Liners are now 213-36-2 all-time vs. H-W opponents.
PHILLIPSBURG 41, NORTH HUNTERDON 15
195 -- So. Nathaniel Fossett (17-8), NH, d. Fr. Gage Horvath (0-1), 8-5.
220 -- Sr. Shamyr Brodders (8-11), P, d. Jr. Francis Vitelli (6-12), 5-1.
285 -- Jr. Lorenzo Becerril (13-8), NH, d. Sr. Patrick Sharpe (13-11), 3-1.
106 -- Jr. Connor Robinson (19-4), NH, d. Fr. Logan Maczko (12-10), 8-4.
113 -- Sr. Cullen Day (17-7), P, p. Fr. Frank Diesso (13-7), 5:31.
120 -- Fr. Jason Tino (2-0), P, d. So. Drew Doscher (11-9), 5-3 SV.
126 -- Jr. Travis Jones (22-4), P, tf. So. Evan Klimas (9-11), 15-0, 3:19.
132 -- Jr. Kyle Tino (13-5), P, d. So. Kyle Anderson (10-12), 10-4.
138 -- Sr. Andrew Gapas (22-1), NH, p. Jr. Colin Emery (0-1), :28.
145 -- Jr. Cody Harrison (18-2), P, d. Jr. Michael Wilson (20-4), 5-0.
152 -- Sr. Brian Meyer (20-2), P, d. Sr. Tucker Kirchberger (21-5), 5-0.
160 -- Sr. Josh Ramos (13-6), P, d. Sr. William Hughes (12-4), 8-4.
170 -- Sr. Lance Wissing (23-3), P, p. Sr. John Spies (9-13), 5:45.
182 -- Jr. Austin Roth (10-8), P, p. Fr. Andrew Franklin (0-2), :50.
Records -- North Hunterdon 11-4, 3-2; Phillipsburg 8-2, 4-1.
Official -- Russ Scorese.
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