Meyer, Graf, Rotunda eye 4-peats (HWS rankings)

What a way to wrap up the team portion of the season as three from the Hunterdon-Warren Sussex area took home state championships on Sunday.

Pope John (Non-Public B), Phillipsburg (Group 4) and High Point (Group 2) made it 3-for-3 for the old Region 1 guard with victories in the next-to-last round at the RWJBarnabas Health Arena. 

Seems we're always talking about matchups we'd love to see and after what I saw on Sunday, it's a shame we didn't get a High Point-Phillipsburg showdown this season. In speaking individually with coaches John Gardner and Dave Post, it's likely to happen next season. P'burg has a 17-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 52-13 win in the last meeting in 2014.

On paper, this one seems tight. High Point has the edge at 106, 126, 132, 160 (if not Brian Meyer), 182 and 220. P'burg gets the nod at 120, 138, 145, 152, 170 and 195. That's six bouts apiece with 113 and 285 as tossups. Now, I know the 'Cats won the 113-pound matchup in the HWS semis (Brandon LaRue over Cullen Day, 1-0) but that certainly could go either way, while 285 would be a real low-scoring affair (Thomas Hubmaster vs. Patrick Sharpe).

Without delving too deep into potential moves, P'burg would likely want to get talented junior Travis Jones on Maverick Liebl at 126 and take its chances with a Bryce Parenti/Jason Tino matchup against 'Cats freshman Josh Gervey. Getting Trey Osborn away from Meyer would be key for High Point.

I think, as in many cases, it comes down to bonus points and P'burg gets a few more. Say they split the tossups and the 'Liners prevail, 30-25. But man it's really close.

Also, High Point and Kittatinny will be in the same division next season under the new Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference alignment for 2018-19 and 2019-20. The archrivals did not meet for the first time in a series dating to 1976, which was sad to say the least.

As we head into the individual postseason, here's our final rankings for the 2017-18 season.

Pope John wins its first state title in nearly a quarter century.

1. Pope John (17-2) -- Lions roared to the Non-Public B championships as expected with lopsided wins over Bishop Ahr (67-12) and DePaul (47-16) to win the sectional title before a 48-21 victory over Holy Spirit in the state title match. Coach Mark Piotrowsky's team is a heavy favorite to claim the District 2 championship on Saturday at Kittatinny, as senior Jake Rotunda (29-4 at 132) looks to become only the fourth four-time district champion for the Sparta-based school and first since Brian Unkert (1987-90), who Rotunda surpassed as the program's all-time wins leader earlier this season.

2. Hunterdon Central (22-2) -- Red Devils knocked off Freehold Township (56-7) and Monroe (63-6) before dropping a tough 29-20 decision to Howell, the top-ranked public school in the New Jersey Writers Association Top 20, in the Central Jersey, Group 5 final. It was a rematch of last season's Group 5 final in which Central dropped a 28-27 decision to the Rebels. The only other loss this season for coach Jon Cantagallo-Rohm's team was 29-28 to Emerson-Park Ridge, the Group 1 runner-up, on Jan. 20. Senior Hunter Graf, who is closing in on the school's wins record aims for a fourth straight title, while senior Kevin Ciresa (24-7) will enter Saturday's District 17 Tournament at Middletown South with 99 career wins.

P'burg celebrates the school's 22nd state championship.

3. Phillipsburg (17-2) -- Stateliners rolled to victories over Colonia (68-6) and North Hunterdon (35-16) before a 32-30 win over Middletown North in the North 2, Group 4 sectional final -- the Warren County school's 37th overall in the tournament's 39-year history. Coach Dave Post's team then went on to captured the program's 22nd state title and its fifth in a row in Group 4 with wins over Roxbury (50-12) and Long Branch (35-21). Senior Brian Meyer (29-2 at 152), who is tied for third place on the school's all-time wins list with 121, will look to become just the eighth P'burg wrestler to win four titles this weekend in the District 9 Tournament at home on Saturday.

High Point erased a 19-point deficit to win the G2 title.

4. High Point (24-1) -- Wildcats, who posted the second-most wins in school history behind the stellar 2007-08 squad that went 30-1, was unbeaten against New Jersey competition. They knocked off Pasack Hills (63-9), Westwood (37-12) and Jefferson 46-9) to win the North 1, Group 2 sectional title -- the program's Sussex County-best 26th -- before wins over Point Pleasant Boro (37-23) and Raritan (30-25) to win the Group 2 title. There were plenty of key performances for coach John Gardner's team on Sunday, including key wins by senior Thomas Hubmaster at 285 pounds and freshman Josh Gervey at 120. Brandon LaRue (113) and Billy Talmadge (132), who came through with a 5-3 decision in the final bout to seal the victory over Raritan, will look to become repeat champions in District 1 on Saturday.

5. Newton (16-6) -- Braves rolled to a 69-3 win over Hawthorne -- No. 793 for the program -- in their North 1, Group 2 opener before a stunning 30-28 loss to Jefferson in the semis on Thursday. Coach Eric Bollette's team will travel to Pascack Valley for the District 1 Tournament on Saturday. Juniors Wyatt McCarthy (29-2) and Luke Fischer (28-3), along with senior Jonathan Borgognoni (28-3), a returning champion, are among the title favorites. McCarthy, who won his first title last season, is sitting on 89 career wins.

6. North Hunterdon (16-5) -- Lions cruised to a 57-6 victory over Kearny in the North 2, Group 4 quarterfinals before dropping a 35-16 decision to Phillipsburg, their second loss to the Stateliners this season, in the semifinals. Senior Andrew Gapas won the featured bout in that one -- 5-3 over Cody Harrison in matchup between state medal winners at 138 pounds -- to join North's 100-win club. Coach Chris Hrunka's team will compete in the District 15 Tournament at Westfield High School.

7. Kittatinny (12-11) -- Cougars rebounded from an early exit in the postseason -- a 34-31 loss to Westwood in the North 1, Group 2 quarterfinals -- with wins over Livingston (69-6) and Mendham (39-31) on Saturday to snap a five-match skid and put the program at 596 wins, while avoiding its first sub-.500 season since 1988-89. Junior Zach Mafaro (27-4), who is closing in on 90 career victories, seeks his second straight District 2 title at home on Saturday.  

8. Sparta (16-7) -- Spartans came up short in their bid to make program history with back-to-back sectional titles in a 50-18 loss to Pascack Valley, which won its first title, in the North 1, Group 3 final on Friday. Coach Frank Battaglia's team opened last week with a 60-14 rout of Ramapo in the quarterfinals before a 45-28 win over River Dell in the semis. Senior Robert Gennat (31-2), who is looking to make some noise in the postseason and stands at 117-29 overall, is four wins away from becoming the school's all-time wins leader.

Vikes celebrate the school's 17th sectional title.

9. Voorhees (22-9) -- Vikings dropped a 50-26 decision to eventual champion South Plainfield in the Group 3 semifinals on Sunday. Coach Eric Hall's team, which recorded at least 20 wins for the fifth time in his eight seasons, captured the program's 17th sectional title -- matching Delaware Valley for the second-most championships among Hunterdon County schools -- with a 33-27 victory over top-seeded Cranford on Friday. Junior Lewis Fernandes (32-0), who is expected to compete at 285 pounds in the postseason, is five victories shy of joining his brothers, Michael and Scott, in the school's 100-win club.

10. Delaware Valley (10-13) -- Terriers rolled to a 50-18 win over Bernards in the Central Jersey, Group 2 quarterfinals before their postseason run ended with a 50-9 loss at Raritan, the Group 2 runner-up, in the semifinals. Coach Andy Fitz's team went 1-1 on Saturday with a 33-31 win over Montville and a 37-28 loss to Mendham as the program finished under .500 for the first time since going 5-13 in 1996-97. That may be a good omen as the Hunterdon County school won the Group 2 title two seasons later. Keep an eye on junior A.J. DeRosa (28-2) at 126 pounds this postseason.