Wrestling: Jones wins thriller; Ungar rolls in AC

ATLANTIC CITY -- Phillipsburg senior Travis Jones executed a pretty good game plan of his own to advance in the pre-quarterfinal round at 132 pounds on Thursday night.

Jones, who racked up three takedowns in all, took Pope John junior Kaya Sement to his back on the third for a stunning pin in 5:45 to avenge an earlier loss this season. In all, 13 wrestlers from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area advanced to Friday's quarterfinals in the 86th State Championships at Boardwalk Hall. After going 31-19 in the opening round, the locals went just 13-18 in the pre-quarterfinals.

"That was a rough loss," said Jones (37-5), who dropped a 10-6 decision to Sement in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament finals on Jan. 12. "I got taken down four times on the same shot. This time, I kept that [right] leg back and he couldn't get to that shot. I have to credit [assistant] coach [Brad] Gentzle for working with me on the neutral game."

Phillipsburg has two in the quarters as senior Cody Harrison, one of the title hopefuls at 152 pounds advanced with a 3-1 win in sudden-victory overtime against Emerson-Park Ridge senior Jonah Schechtman. Fellow Stateliners Logan Maczko (106), Kyle Tino (138) and Austin Roth (195) fell into the wrestlebacks, which begin at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Jones, who finished seventh at 126 pounds here as a junior, opened with a 16-5 major of Edison senior Michael O'Brien in the preliminary round. Now, Jones, the No. 12 seed is one round from placing again as semifinalists are guaranteed a top-six finish. He'll face another familiar opponent in Roselle Park senior Mark Montgomery, the No. 4 seed who won their two previous meetings in the District 13 and Region 4 finals -- 6-4 and 12-5.

"I know [Sement] probably had a game plan [the first time we met this season] after I beat him last year [pin in 5:07 in the HWS finals]," said Jones, now 107-26 overall. "We just had a better game plan this time."

Jones led, 3-2, after trading takedowns in the first period and opted to defer in the second. Sement opted to go underneath and got a reversal and a takedown for a 6-4 lead after two periods. In the third, Sement cut Jones to start the period and gave up another takedown before getting a second reversal to take an 8-7 lead. But Jones escaped with 1:15 to go and hit the winning move with 20 seconds left on the clock -- eventually getting the pin and setting off a wild celebration between Gentzle and head coach Dave Post.

"I wanted to win it on my feet," said Jones, who converted both takedowns in the third period after being given escapes. "He's a big wrestler and it's hard to keep going like that. I felt he was tiring, he took a little bit longer to get back to the [center] line. When I [hit that takedown], I knew I was in great position."

Ungar eyes history

Hunterdon Central sophomore Brett Ungar kept plugging away one of the title favorites.

The No. 1 seed at 106 pounds took a big step toward that goal with a workmanlike 10-1 major of Clearview freshman Ty Whalen to reach the quarters for a second straight season. Ungar (39-0), who placed sixth at 106 as a freshman and is 80-2 overall, will next face Toms River North senior Louis Gagliardo.

Brett Ungar rides Ty Whalen en route to a 10-1 win.

"It's a good feeling being No. 1, but it means nothing until you prove it," said Ungar, whose last loss was 3-1 in overtime to Westfield ace CJ Composto in last year's Round of 8. "I think I can make a run and definitely win the title this year."

Ungar is familiar with Hunterdon Central history and its 12 state champions -- the last being Alex Shaffer at 119 pounds in 2010. Shaffer, who left school prior to his junior year after winning to pursue an acting career, appeared in the wrestling movie "Win Win."

"He won as a sophomore so it would be cool for me to win as a sophomore," Ungar said. "As a kid, I came down here and saw him win."

Hunterdon Central had an otherwise tough pre-quarterfinal round, going 1-4, as Colton Washleski (120), Jack Bauer (126), Pasquale Vizzoni (145) and Ryan Joyce (285) joined preliminary round losers Vincent Romaniello (152) and Norman Cella (160) in the wrestlebacks.

Back points

Sussex County continues to carry the flag for the area with seven in the quarters, including four from Pope John, as Shane Percelay (106), Eddie Ventresca (120), JoJo Aragona (138) and Robbie Garcia (152) kept their title hopes alive.

High Point junior Billy Talmadge (138), along with Newton seniors Wyatt McCarthy (145) and Luke Fischer (220) also reached the quarterfinals.

Belvidere senior Quinn Melofchik (113) rounds out the three, including the P'burg duo, from Warren County in the quarters as he advanced with a 5-3 win over High Point junior Devon Liebl. Melofchik (36-1), who is 144-17 overall, became Warren County's all-time wins leader in the prelims with a 3-2 decision over tough Boonton freshman Joe Fongaro, who dropped a 7-4 decision in their previous meeting on Jan. 10. Melofchik gets another rematch with Delbarton sophomore Nicholas Nardone, who won their state quarterfinal last season before Melofchik turned the tables with a 4-3 win in overtime in last weekend's Region 3 finals.

Voorhees senior Lewis Fernandes continues to make quick work of his opponents at 285 pounds. The reigning heavyweight state champion moved into the quarters with two pins in a total time of 1:07, including a 20-second fall in the prelims, while raising his win streak to 87 in a row dating to last season. Fernandes (44-0), who has 104 pins overall and falls in all seven of his postseason bouts this season, decked Gloucester City senior Matthew Cruz in 47 seconds to reach the Round of 8 as he looks to become the Vikings' first two-time state champ. He'll next face Ocean Township sophomore Joseph Teresi (33-8), a third-place finisher in Region 6.

Bound Brook senior Jervey Sistrunk, who has two losses this season to Fernandes by technical fall and pin, moved on with a 1-0 win over Warren Hills senior Duro Ajayi, a second-year wrestler who won his opener after capturing the Region 3 title last weekend. The Blue Streaks, who won't have a state champ for the 21st straight year -- Justin Colaluce won Nos. 45 and 46 in 1997-98 -- have three going in the wrestlebacks, as Ajayi joined seniors Nick Galka (220) and Chris Ostir (145).

North Hunterdon senior Michael Wilson (160) reached the quarterfinals for the first time in his career by decking Raritan senior Anthony Aquilano in 3:50. In the preliminaries, Wilson (37-4) scored a 10-3 win over Cella.

Region 2 led the way by putting 22 in the quarterfinals, followed by Region 7 with 20 and Region 3 with 16. Region 5 was next with 15, with Region 1 at 14 and nine apiece from Regions 4 and 6. Region 8 was last with seven.

PRE-QUARTERFINALS

106: Brett Ungar (Hunterdon Central) md. Ty Whalen (Clearview), 10-1; Louie Gagliardo (Toms River North) d. Brady Carter (Lacey), 6-5; Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco) d. Evan Tallmadge (Brick Twp.), 9-6; Joe Manno (St. Joe-Montvale) d. Ryan Smith (Brick Memorial), 3-2; Jack Maida (Shore Regional) p. Nico Calello (Watchung Hills), 0:48; Shane Percelay (Pope John XXIII) md. Naquan Tory (Columbia), 12-2; Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic) d. Dominic Tafuri (Cedar Grove), 8-2; Tyler Klinsky (Middletown North) p. Ryan Defoney (St. Augustine), 0:41.

113: Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney) d. Ethan Fernandez (Westwood), 9-2; Brandon Spellman (Pingry) d. Joey Lamparelli (Allentown), 7-5, sudden victory; Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton) md. Ryan Rosenthal (Toms River North), 15-4; Quinn Melofchik (Belvidere) d. Devon Liebl (High Point), 5-3; Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic) md. Frank DiEsso (North Hunterdon), 10-0; Vincent Santaniello (Brick Memorial) p. Carmen Giumarello (Clearview), 5:08; Nick Babin (Emerson/Park Ridge) p. Georgio Mazzeo (Paulsboro), 3:20; Alex Almeyda (Fort Lee) d. Cooper Stewart (Sparta), 7-1.

120: Anthony Clark (Delbarton) md. Jaden Hinton (Clayton/Glassboro), 12-0; Vincent Scollo (Jackson Memorial) d. Devin Flannery (High Point),  2-1, ultimate tiebreaker; McKenzie Bell (Kingsway) md. Patrick Adams (St. Peter`s Prep), 15-3; Justin Bierdumpfel (St. Joe-Montvale) d. Nick Reilly (Toms River North), 10-6; Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic) d. Nicholas Digiacomo (Timber Creek), 7-2; Anthony White (South Plainfield) d. Andre Ruiz (Bogota/Ridgefield Park), 8-2; Nico Messina (Freehold Boro) d. Luke Hoerle (Westfield), 4-3; Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII) tf. Colton Washleski (Hunterdon Central), 15-0, 3:56.

126: Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic) md. Eddie Hummel (Roselle Park), 12-1; Dom DiGena (West Morris Mendham) d. Garrett Stewart (Sparta), 3-1; Nicky Cabanillas (DePaul) d. Jack Bauer (Hunterdon Central), 3-1, sudden victory; CJ Composto (Westfield) p. Geno Duca (Paulsboro), 0:23; Sammy Alvarez (St. Joe-Montvale) p. Sean Rendeiro (St. Peter`s Prep), 3:59; Hunter Gandy (Woodstown) d. James Rodriguez (Perth Amboy), 3-2; Gianni Manginelli (Dumont) d. Michael Conklin (Toms River East), 7-6; Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park) md. Dakota Morris (Kingsway), 12-3.

132: Nicholas Raimo (Hanover Park) md. Xavier Pena (Bound Brook), 11-3; Cooper Pontelandolfo (Cherokee) d. Bryan Miraglia (Delran), 3-2; Travis Jones (Phillipsburg) p. Kaya Sement (Pope John XXIII), 5:47; Mark Montgomery (Roselle Park) d. Thomas Fierro (South Plainfield), 3-1; William Grater (Don Bosco) d. Michael Esposito (DePaul), 7-0; Luke Mazzeo (Emerson/Park Ridge) md. Josh Gervey (High Point), 10-1; Hunter Gutierrez (Lacey) d. Al De Santis (Shore Regional), 1-0; Andrew Clark (Collingswood) d. Christian Vertedor (Passaic County Tech), 3-1.

138: Joseph Aragona (Pope John XXIII) tf. Aaron Ayzerov (Paramus), 22-5, 5:48; Dylan Weaver (Lyndhurst/No. Arlington) d. Craig Manno (St. Joe-Montvale), 6-4; Anthony Croce (Camden Catholic) p. Robert Woodcock (Southern Regional), 3:47; Alec Bobchin (Princeton) d.Tim Spatola (Delsea), 7-2; Billy Talmadge (High Point) p. John Howe (Cherry Hill West), 3:33; Jacob Perez-Eli (Paulsboro) d. Craig Cook (Burlington Twp.), 3-2; Alex Strashinsky (Bergen Catholic) d. Domenic Difrancescantonio (Hanover Park), 6-4; Darby Diedrich (Howell) d. Andrew Troczynski (Delbarton), 3-1, sudden victory.

145: Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul) md. Nicholas Pepe (Southern Regional), 10-0; Gabe Onorato (Paulsboro) d. Scott Jarosz (Roxbury), 4-2; Joe Sacco (South Plainfield) d. Pasquale Vizzoni (Hunterdon Central), 3-0; Wyatt McCarthy (Newton) d. Stefano Sgambellone (St. Joe-Montvale), 4-3; Wade Unger (Bergen Catholic) md. Luke Rada (Colts Neck), 12-0; Matt Sacco (Bridgewater/Raritan) d. Nick Boggiano (Toms River North), 3-2; Rhise Royster (Rahway) d. Alex Winant (West Morris Mendham), 7-5; Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic) tf. Michael McGhee (Shore Regional), 20-5, 3:11.

152: Nick Bennett (Delsea) p. Jerry Andaluz (Hamilton North), 2:21; Brandon Mooney (Camden Catholic) p. Paul Jakub (Howell), 3:00; George Worthy (Paulsboro) d. Joe Zargo (Bergen Catholic), 7-4; Robert Garcia (Pope John XXIII) p. Matt Beyer (Pascack Valley), 0:27; Cody Harrison (Phillipsburg) d. Jonah Schechtman (Emerson/Park Ridge), 3-1, sudden victory; Dante Stefanelli (Delbarton) d. AJ Bencivenga (Cranford), 5-1; Justin LeMay (West Morris Central) d. Jack Wilt (Seton Hall),  5-1; Nicholas O`Connell (Southern Regional) d. Connor Kraus (St. Augustine), 6-4.

160: Robert Kanniard (Wall) md. Joseph Wilson (Pemberton), 12-2; Tony Asatrian (Paramus) d.Salvatore Manera (St. Augustine), 7-2; Colin Morgan (West Orange) d. Frank Medina (Watchung Hills), 10-8; Matt Benedetti (Manalapan) p. Justin Leonard (Ramapo), 5:51; Michael Wilson (North Hunterdon) p. Anthony Aquilano (Raritan), 3:50; Connor O`Neil (DePaul) d. Evan Vazquez (Roxbury), 9-3; Vincent Andreano (Delbarton) md. Brian Soldano (High Point), 13-4; Corey Fischer (West Deptford) d. Jacob Rodriguez (Clayton/Glassboro), 5-1.

170: Shane Reitsma (Howell) md. Joseph Colon (St. Augustine), 10-2; Anthony Giampietro (Northern Burlington) d. Michael Conrad (Montville), 6-2; George Burdick (Raritan) d. Nicholas Weikel (Monroe), 7-3; AJ Lonski (Delbarton) p. Shawne Ramsby (Delaware Valley), 0:35; Martin Cosgrove (Camden Catholic) d. Garrett Bilgrav (Robbinsville), 10-5; John Stout (Southern Regional) d. Anthony Sciuto (Northern Highlands), 7-2; Reid Colella (Wayne Valley) d. Mason Godfrey (Jefferson Twp.), 3-2; Brandon Green (Paulsboro) p. Michael Massa (Seton Hall), 1:24.

182: Christopher Foca (Bergen Catholic) p. Jason Sherlock (Point Pleasant Beach), 0:37; Mike Misita (St. Augustine) d. Christian Murphy (Howell), 3-0; Tommy Chiellini (Pascack Valley) d. Brett MacMath (Bridgewater/Raritan), 13-9; Santino Morina (Paulsboro) d. Tim Miller (Westfield), 7-2; Nick Addison (Rumson-Fair Haven) md. Brock Winston (Jackson Memorial), 13-3; Alex Garcia (Montville) p. David Szuba (Brick Memorial), 3:50; Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton) p. Zach Mafaro (Kittatinny), 3:45; John Poznanski (Colonia) md. Curtis Thomas (Delsea), 11-3.

195: Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic) tf. Robert Damerjian (Moorestown), 16-0, 1:53; Anthony Franden (Eastern) d. Ryan Brazill (Bordentown/Florence), 5-3; Luke Chakonis (Delbarton) p. Justin Acevedo (Raritan), 3:17; Luke Niemeyer (South Plainfield) md. Austin Roth (Phillipsburg), 8-0; Joe Daddario (Montville) p. Jackson Crawn (Kittatinny), 3:07; Jacob Anderson (Middletown North) d. Tommy Hill (Northern Burlington), 2-0; Drew Bowker (Rancocas Valley) d. Zane Coles (Pitman), 6-4; Kyle Jacob (Paramus) d. Tommy Goodwin (Pequannock), 6-1.

220: Zach DelVecchio (South Plainfield) d. Joshua Darisme (Rahway), 2-1; Gage Armijo (West Morris Mendham) p. Jajuan Hayes (Bordentown/Florence), 2:53; Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter`s Prep) d. Benny Dahdah (Westwood), 5-3; Luke Fischer (Newton) d. Billy Borowsky (Point Pleasant Boro), 8-2; Steven Cmielewski (Red Bank Catholic) p. Zach Lewis (Emerson/Park Ridge), 4:16; Michael Filieri (Garfield) d.  Nicolas Galka (Warren Hills), 4-3; P.J. Casale (Delbarton) md. Nick Trani (Wayne Valley), 12-4; Tyreke Brown (Penns Grove) p. Joe Sardina (Howell), 1:38.

285: Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees) p. Matthew Cruz (Gloucester City), 0:47; Joseph Teresi (Ocean Twp.) p. Jonathan Alvarado (Don Bosco), 1:04; Jayvon Davidson (Mount Olive) d. Max Sullivan (Cherry Hill West), 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker; Kevin Cerruti (Long Branch) d. Christopher Seifert (Ewing), 8-3; Paul Liseno (St. John Vianney) p. Ryan Joyce (Hunterdon Central), 5:41; Marcus Estevez (Franklin) d. Deshon Alexander (Overbrook), 8-6; Bardhyl Gashi (West Essex) d. Dean Setticase (Saddle Brook), 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker; Jervey Sistrunk (Bound Brook) d. Duro Ajayi (Warren Hills), 1-0.

PRELIMINARIES

106:  Brett Ungar (Hunterdon Central) tf. Seven Rich (Voorhees), 14-1, 2:28; Ty Whalen (Clearview) d. Garrett Totten (Northern Burlington), 6-4; Brady Carter (Lacey) md. Josh Palmucci (Kingsway), 11-3; Louie Gagliardo (Toms River North) md. Jacob DelVecchio (South Plainfield), 14-1; Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco) md. Ethan Liptzin (Howell), 8-0; Evan Tallmadge (Brick Twp.) p. Franco Mazza (Roxbury), 4:14; Ryan Smith (Brick Memorial) p. Kaelan Francois (Rahway), 0:54; Joe Manno (St. Joe-Montvale) p. Dylan Guido (Rutherford), 1:42; Jack Maida (Shore Regional) tf. AJ Beck (New Egypt), 15-0, 2:17; Nico Calello (Watchung Hills) d. Nicholas Diaz (St. John Vianney), 7-3; Naquan Tory (Columbia) d. Jack Bertha (West Morris Mendham), 5-1; Shane Percelay (Pope John XXIII) d. Daniel Haws (Lenape Valley), 12-5; Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic) p. Clayton Utter (High Point), 1:29; Dominic Tafuri (Cedar Grove) p. Dean Savercool (Whippany Park), 4:59; Ryan Defoney (St. Augustine) d. Logan Maczko (Phillipsburg), 8-4; Tyler Klinsky (Middletown North) md. Ethan Wilson (Washington Twp.), 13-3.

113: Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney) md. D`Amani Almodovar (St. Augustine), 9-0; Ethan Fernandez (Westwood) d. Gabriel Leo (Roselle Park), 5-0; Brandon Spellman (Pingry) md.  Steven Silva (Kearny), 8-0); Joey Lamparelli (Allentown) d.  Jacob Venezia (Hopewell Valley), 7-1; Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton) p.  Laith Hamdeh (Passaic County Tech),  2:44; Ryan Rosenthal (Toms River North) d. Jayson Scerbo (Southern Regional), 11-6; Devon Liebl (High Point) d. Thomas O`Keefe (Middletown North), 5-1; Quinn Melofchik (Belvidere) d. Joe Fongaro (Boonton), 3-2; Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic) tf. Jacob Kosowski (Rancocas Valley), 16-0, 4:38; Frank DiEsso (North Hunterdon) d. Travis Kotelnicki (Northern Burlington),  8-7; Carmen Giumarello (Clearview) d. Jon Prendergast (Highland Reg.), 8-2; Vincent Santaniello (Brick Memorial) tf. Quinn Gimblette (Westfield), 16-1, 4:48; Nick Babin (Emerson/Park Ridge) p. Demetri Poniros (Ocean Twp.), 3:32; Georgio Mazzeo (Paulsboro) d. Brandon Bowles (Scotch Plains-Fanwood), 3-0; Cooper Stewart (Sparta) p. Patrick Phillips (Brearley/Jonathan Dayton), 1:53; Alex Almeyda (Fort Lee) p. Sean Neary (Livingston), 1:44.

120: Anthony Clark (Delbarton) md. Brandon Murray (West Windsor-Plainsboro South), 11-0; Jaden Hinton (Clayton/Glassboro) d. Robert Bohr (West Morris Central), 7-3; Devin Flannery (High Point) p. Connor Robinson (North Hunterdon), 3:01; Vincent Scollo (Jackson Memorial) md. Zack Martinez (Elmwood Park), 13-4; McKenzie Bell (Kingsway) md. Trey Mcleer (St. Augustine), 12-2; Patrick Adams (St. Peter`s Prep) d. Drake Torrington (Robbinsville), 4-3; Nick Reilly (Toms River North) d. Sean Faraon (Paramus Catholic), 6-3; Justin Bierdumpfel (St. Joe-Montvale) p.  Jake Bursese (Hanover Park), 2:52; Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic) d. Spencer Stewart (Sparta), 10-4; Nicholas Digiacomo (Timber Creek) d. Hunter Nixon (Seneca), 9-6; Andre Ruiz (Bogota/Ridgefield Park) d. Logan Waller (Colts Neck), 3-1; Anthony White (South Plainfield) d. Fred Luchs (Middletown North), 4-0; Luke Hoerle (Westfield) d. Andrew Aromando (Cherokee), 7-2; Nico Messina (Freehold Boro) tf. Jacob Baeza (Kearny), 18-3,  5:54; Colton Washleski (Hunterdon Central) d. Lawrence Melchionda (Seton Hall), 10-4; Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII) p. Chris Dalmau (Rahway), 2:53.

126: Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic) tf.  Caiden Brouwer (Emerson/Park Ridge),  20-4, 5:20; Eddie Hummel (Roselle Park) p. Mike Ruane (West Essex), 1:51;  Garrett Stewart (Sparta) p. James Benjamin (West Orange), 1:39; Dom DiGena (West Morris Mendham) md. Nieko Malone (Howell), 11-3; Nicky Cabanillas (DePaul) d. Maximus Parra (Bound Brook), 7-0; Jack Bauer (Hunterdon Central) d. Michael Bilardo (Monroe), 3-1; Geno Duca (Paulsboro) d. David Loniewski (South Plainfield), 6-2; CJ Composto (Westfield) p. Jacob Glantzman (Wall), 3:01; Sammy Alvarez (St. Joe-Montvale) p. Jonathan Siemsen (Ramsey), 2:34; Sean Rendeiro (St. Peter`s Prep) d. Michael Richardson (Brick Memorial), 4-2, sudden victory; Hunter Gandy (Woodstown) d. Kameron Jenkins (Timber Creek), 6-1; James Rodriguez (Perth Amboy) d. Hunter Konstantoulas (Manalapan), 6-2; Gianni Manginelli (Dumont) p. Sebastian Delligatti (Southern Regional), 0:39; Michael Conklin (Toms River East) md. Avery Clarke (Freehold Twp.), 9-1;  Dakota Morris (Kingsway) d. Ryan Zimmerman (Long Branch), 8-4; Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park) p. Agostino Petrillo (Livingston), 3:11.

132: Nicholas Raimo (Hanover Park) md. Jack Sharma (Delbarton), 19-6; Xavier Pena (Bound Brook) d. Darren Jones (West Essex), 3-1; Cooper Pontelandolfo (Cherokee) d. John Patterson (Delsea), 3-0; Bryan Miraglia (Delran) d. Cody Walsh (Camden Catholic), 5-0; Kaya Sement (Pope John XXIII) md. Nick Gentile (Montville), 10-0; Travis Jones (Phillipsburg) md. Michael O`Brien (Edison), 16-5; Thomas Fierro (South Plainfield) d. Finnegan McFadden (Kingsway), 8-5; Mark Montgomery (Roselle Park) md. Conner Decker (Seton Hall), 10-1; William Grater (Don Bosco) md. Jesse Bowers (Point Pleasant Beach), 11-0; Michael Esposito (DePaul) d. Justin Cariss (Highland Reg.), 8-7, tiebreaker; Luke Mazzeo (Emerson/Park Ridge) d, Jack Nies (Ocean Twp.), 9-2; Josh Gervey (High Point) d. Eli Shepard (West Morris Central), 2-1; Al De Santis (Shore Regional) d. Peter Tringali (West Morris Mendham), 6-3; Hunter Gutierrez (Lacey) md. Sam La Corte (CBA), 10-0; Christian Vertedor (Passaic County Tech) d. AJ DeRosa (Delaware Valley), 3-2; Andrew Clark (Collingswood) d. Michael Albergo (St. Augustine), 7-6.

138:  Joseph Aragona (Pope John XXIII) d. Nick Franco (Don Bosco), 13-6; Aaron Ayzerov (Paramus) d. Troy O`Connor (Middlesex/Dunnellen), 5-3, sudden victory; Dylan Weaver (Lyndhurst/No. Arlington) p. Ken Sherman (Holy Spirit), 1:31; Craig Manno (St. Joe -Montvale) d. Justin Cantor (North Bergen), 6-2; Anthony Croce (Camden Catholic) md. Jonathan Bartley (West Essex), 12-2; Robert Woodcock (Southern Regional) d. Max Brignola (Rumson-Fair Haven), 6-2; Tim Spatola (Delsea) d. Nick Ciraulo (Watchung Hills), 7-5; Alec Bobchin (Princeton) tf. Cole Carroll (Seton Hall), 21-2, 4:36; John Howe (Cherry Hill West) p. Alex Poniros (Ocean Twp.), 1:12; Billy Talmadge (High Point) md. Brandon Teresa (Montville), 14-6; Craig Cook (Burlington Twp.) d. Alex Baran (Manalapan), 3-2, ultimate tie breaker; Jacob Perez-Eli (Paulsboro) d. Alex Amato (South Plainfield), 9-2; Alex Strashinsky (Bergen Catholic) d. Ryan Figueroa (Hammonton), 8-2; Domenic Difrancescantonio (Hanover Park) d. Corey Fernandez (Monroe), 14-10; Andrew Troczynski (Delbarton) d. Kyle Tino (Phillipsburg), 8-4; Darby Diedrich (Howell) tf. Steven Pabone (Long Branch), 16-1, 4:48.

145: Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul) tf. Tony Dushku (Freehold Boro), 17-1, 5:30; Nicholas Pepe (Southern Regional) p. Ty Bailey (Point Pleasant Boro), 3:28; Scott Jarosz (Roxbury) d. Colin Loughney (West Morris Central), 3-1; Gabe Onorato (Paulsboro) d. Jack Prendergast (Woodstown), 3-2; Joe Sacco (South Plainfield) d. Alec Meyers (Old Bridge), 4-0; Pasquale Vizzoni (Hunterdon Central) d. David Guerra (Belleville), 5-4; Stefano Sgambellone (St. Joe-Montvale) d. Jurius Clark (Highland Reg.), 4-2; Wyatt McCarthy (Newton) md. Chris Ostir (Warren Hills), 14-1; Wade Unger (Bergen Catholic) p. James Haws (Lenape Valley), 0:25; Luke Rada (Colts Neck) md. Declan Skelly (Haddonfield), 9-1; Nick Boggiano (Toms River North) d. Elvin Guerrero (Roselle Park), 5-0; Matt Sacco (Bridgewater/Raritan) md. Mathew Garcia (Pope John XXIII), 11-1; Rhise Royster (Rahway) p. Wayne Scott (Penns Grove), 4:58; Alex Winant (West Morris Mendham) d. Nicholas Vargas (Wall), 16-11; Michael McGhee (Shore Regional) d. Ryan Cawood (Don Bosco), 8-2; Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic) md. Conor Halpin (Cranford), 14-4.

152: Nick Bennett (Delsea) d.Thomas Kellner (St. Peter`s Prep), 10-3; Jerry Andaluz (Hamilton North) d. Ian McCabe (Monroe), 7-4; Brandon Mooney (Camden Catholic) p. Jean Carlos San Juan (St. Joe-Montvale), 4:54; Paul Jakub (Howell) p. David McCullough (Clearview), 4:56; George Worthy (Paulsboro) md. Luke McFadden (DePaul), 18-6; Joe Zargo (Bergen Catholic) tf. Sean Savercool (Whippany Park), 23-7, 2:20; Matt Beyer (Pascack Valley) md. Ryan Feig (Northern Burlington), 13-5; Robert Garcia (Pope John XXIII) p. Cartsen Digiantomasso (Jackson Memorial), 1:52; Cody Harrison (Phillipsburg) d. Janny Lopez-Valle (Randolph), 7-1; Jonah Schechtman (Emerson/Park Ridge) d. Ray O`Callaghan (Hillsborough), 6-1; AJ Bencivenga (Cranford) p. Noah Fox (Montville), 4:15; Dante Stefanelli (Delbarton) d. Anthony DeRosa (Delaware Valley), 7-3; Justin LeMay (West Morris Central) p. Jack Milazzo (Robbinsville), 2:29; Jack Wilt (Seton Hall) d. Paul Santomarco (Manalapan), 2-0; Connor Kraus (St. Augustine) p. Vincent Romaniello (Hunterdon Central), 4:30; Nicholas O`Connell (Southern Regional) md. Christian Jimenez (Don Bosco), 18-6.

160: Robert Kanniard (Wall) tf. Thomas Stigliano (Whippany Park), 17-2, 2:09; Joseph Wilson (Pemberton) d. Jacob Vega (Carteret),  3-2; Tony Asatrian (Paramus) d. Constantinos Pavlides (Eastern),  9-4; Salvatore Manera (St. Augustine) md. Brian Berry (Woodstown), 12-2; Frank Medina (Watchung Hills) p. Joseph Hatcher (Piscataway), 3:43; Colin Morgan (West Orange) d. Alex Dorce (Linden), 7-4; Justin Leonard (Ramapo) d. John DeVito (West Morris Central), 8-5; Matt Benedetti (Manalapan) md. Connor Fritsch (Pope John XXIII), 10-1; Michael Wilson (North Hunterdon) d. Norman Cella (Hunterdon Central), 10-3; Anthony Aquilano (Raritan) p. Raymond Weed (Absegami), 2:47; Evan Vazquez (Roxbury) d. Michael Limone (Burlington Twp.), 7-2; Connor O`Neil (DePaul) md. Harrison Hinojosa (Camden Catholic), 11-1; Vincent Andreano (Delbarton) p. Anthony Esposito (Ocean Twp.) , 1:41; Brian Soldano (High Point) p. Jack Bernik (Northern Valley-Old Tappan), 4:27; Jacob Rodriguez (Clayton/Glassboro) md. Joseph Delia (New Providence), 13-3; Corey Fischer (West Deptford) p. Ian Rinke (Hasbrouck Heights), 1:23.

170: Shane Reitsma (Howell) md. Jesse Bishop (Mainland Reg.), 12-3; Joseph Colon (St. Augustine) by injury default over Jack Farinaro (St. Joe-Montvale) time of the injury, 0:00; Michael Conrad (Montville) d. Nick Brigante (Newton), 5-1; Anthony Giampietro (Northern Burlington) d. James Cruz (St. Peter`s Prep), 9-3; George Burdick (Raritan) d. Mike Winchock (Bridgewater/Raritan), 9-6; Nicholas Weikel (Monroe) by injury default over Vincent Mattaliano (Watchung Hills), time of the injury, 1:01; Shawne Ramsby (Delaware Valley) d. Jaden Roberts (Buena), 11-9, sudden victory; AJ Lonski (Delbarton) p. Jesse Presburger (Mahwah), 1:01; Garrett Bilgrav (Robbinsville) p. Blake Mcgowan (Columbia), 1:00; Martin Cosgrove (Camden Catholic) tf. Nick Riggio (Verona), 17-0, 4:54; John Stout (Southern Regional) p. Bradley Mika (Wood-Ridge), 2:32; Blake Clayton (St. John Vianney) d. Anthony Sciuto (Northern Highlands), 3-1; Reid Colella (Wayne Valley) d. Ethan Craft (Rancocas Valley), 4-2, sudden victory; Mason Godfrey (Jefferson Twp.) md. Gabriel Rodrigues (Piscataway), 10-2; Michael Massa (Seton Hall) d. Nathaniel Fossett (North Hunterdon), 5-2; Brandon Green (Paulsboro) p. Anthony Rallo (Roxbury), 4:56.

182: Christopher Foca (Bergen Catholic) p. Gavin Claro (Manalapan), 0:57; Jason Sherlock (Point Pleasant Beach) d. Michael Jannucci (Colts Neck), 10-4; Mike Misita (St. Augustine) p. Nicholas Lodato (Piscataway), 3:08; Christian Murphy (Howell) d. Michael Afolabi (Linden), 6-0; Tommy Chiellini (Pascack Valley) md. Ramon Hernandez (Pompton Lakes), 12-4; Brett MacMath (Bridgewater/Raritan) d. Luke Stefanelli (West Morris Central), 3-1; Tim Miller (Westfield) p. Derek Rooney (Randolph), 2:55; Santino Morina (Paulsboro) p. Michael Corrente (Roxbury), 5:05; Nick Addison (Rumson-Fair Haven) p. Zachary Andruchowitz (Bloomfield), 1:02; Brock Winston (Jackson Memorial) d. Kal-El Corbitt (Oakcrest), 5-4, tiebreaker; Alex Garcia (Montville) d. Luke Dignazio (West Essex), 5-1; David Szuba (Brick Memorial) md. Luke Brantly (Ramapo), 11-2; Zach Mafaro (Kittatinny) p. Dante Morris (Lakewood), 1:43; Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton) d. Brenden Hedden (South Plainfield), 6-0; Curtis Thomas (Delsea) p. Jacob Whitworth (Wall), 2:52; John Poznanski (Colonia) tf. Evan Burton (Pinelands), 20-4, 5:31.

195: Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic) tf. Ian Gaburo (North Hunterdon), 16-1, 1:42; Robert Damerjian (Moorestown) p. Jackson Downey (Northern Valley-Old Tappan), 5:08; Anthony Franden (Eastern) tf. Gianluca Birnbaum (Hanover Park), 16-0, 2:54; Ryan Brazill (Bordentown/Florence) d. Keevon Berry (Oakcrest), 9-4; Luke Chakonis (Delbarton) p. Gunnar Nystedt (River Dell), 1:00; Justin Acevedo (Raritan) d. Andrew Diodato (Somerville), 3-0; Austin Roth (Phillipsburg) d. Austin Paris (Livingston), 6-2; Luke Niemeyer (South Plainfield) p. Noah Putney (Clayton/Glassboro), 1:17; Joe Daddario (Montville) p. Shimei Paige (Rahway), 4:21; Jackson Crawn (Kittatinny) p. Sebastian Iakouchevitch (A.L. Johnson) 0:49; Tommy Hill (Northern Burlington) d. Savon Kirksey (Sayreville), 3-1; Jacob Anderson (Middletown North) p. Ben Temples (Roxbury), 1:30; Zane Coles (Pitman) d. Kyle Epperly (Jackson Memorial), 7-4; Drew Bowker (Rancocas Valley) md. Alieis Almanzar (Kingsway), 12-2; Tommy Goodwin (Pequannock) d. Nick Recine (Piscataway), 1-0; Kyle Jacob (Paramus) p. Matthew Mauricio (Kearny), 1:50.

220: Zach DelVecchio (South Plainfield) p. Christopher Cherry (Mount Olive), 0:50; Joshua Darisme (Rahway) d. Jake Hendershot (Ridge), 3-1, sudden victory; Jajuan Hayes (Bordentown/Florence) d. Sean Horner (Kingsway), 10-6; Gage Armijo (West Morris Mendham) p. Nashawn Brooks (Irvington), 3:05; Benny Dahdah (Westwood) d. Obifunna Ezeigbo (Ewing), 5-3; Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter`s Prep) md. Yosue Gomez (Passaic County Tech), 14-3; Billy Borowsky (Point Pleasant Boro) d. Gabriel Klaus (Haddonfield), 4=2, sudden victory; Luke Fischer (Newton) d. Hayden Holmes (West Deptford), 7-0; Zach Lewis (Emerson/Park Ridge) d. Youssef Gamel (East Brunswick), 5-0; Steven Cmielewski (Red Bank Catholic) p. Vincent Ceglie (Lacey), 0:28; Nicolas Galka (Warren Hills) p. Keshon Davila (New Brunswick), 2:20; Michael Filieri (Garfield) d. Matt Goetz (Gateway/Woodbury), 9-2; Nick Trani (Wayne Valley) d. Mike Salerno (Watchung Hills), 6-3; P.J. Casale (Delbarton) p. Brady Smith (Middletown South), 3:13; Joe Sardina (Howell) by injury default over JT Cornelius (Southern Regional), time of the injury, 4:21; Tyreke Brown (Penns Grove) p. Jason Burklow (Pequannock), 1:52.

285: Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees) p. Caleb Spaulding (Trenton Central), 0:20; Matthew Cruz (Gloucester City) p. Ryan Knox (Randolph), 3:24; Joseph Teresi (Ocean Twp.) p. Nikolaos Diakides (Seton Hall), 2:21; Jonathan Alvarado (Don Bosco) d. John High (Bergen Catholic), 6-5; Max Sullivan (Cherry Hill West) d. Nadeem ElMahroukey (New Providence), 3-0; Jayvon Davidson (Mount Olive) d. Tom Goetz (Gateway/Woodbury), 5-1; Christopher Seifert (Ewing) d. Austin Mooney (Paulsboro), 4-3, ultimate tiebreaker; Kevin Cerruti (Long Branch) d. Griffin Jackstadt (Barnegat), 3-2; Paul Liseno (St. John Vianney) p. Benedict Arthur (Sayreville), 1:14; Ryan Joyce (Hunterdon Central) d. Jeff Diaz (Bloomfield), 4-0; Deshon Alexander (Overbrook) p. Dominic DiMassimo (Pascack Hills), 4:28; Marcus Estevez (Franklin) d. Brad Galassi (Jackson Memorial), 4-2; Bardhyl Gashi (West Essex) p. Nicholas Huntt (North Bergen), 3:50; Dean Setticase (Saddle Brook) p. Remy Brancato (Pompton Lakes), 1:41; Duro Ajayi (Warren Hills) d. Nick Sannino (Ocean City), 2-1; Jervey Sistrunk (Bound Brook) p. Zachery Dora (Wallkill), 1:17.

Wrestling: Ten best medal shots (HWS), title picks

Here is a look at the 10 male wrestlers from the Open Mike area with the best chances at capturing a medal -- it could be a nice haul for the locals -- this weekend in the 86th New Jersey State Wrestling Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

In all, there are 50 qualifiers (up two from last year and 19 more than pre-realignment in 2016) among Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex schools.

Lewis Fernandes looks to return to the top of the podium.

Lewis Fernandes (42-0), Voorhees -- The biggest favorite in any of the 14 weight classes, Fernandes, one of eight returning champions, enters AC with 32 pins and one technical fall to go with nine forfeits at 285 pounds. He has amassed a grand total of 2,001 seconds in his contested bouts or 33 minutes, 21 seconds, and he has pinned his way to Boardwalk Hall this postseason -- five in a total time of 3:50. Fernandes, who is riding an 85-match win streak dating to last season, is looking to become the first two-time state champ for the Vikings.

Career mark: 148-22.

Previous state appearances: 3-2, fourth wrestlebacks at 195 pounds in 2017; 5-0, first place at 285 pounds in '18.

First-round opponent: Trenton Central senior Caleb Spaulding (24-13, R6-4).

Cody Harrison (25-2), Phillipsburg -- Fourth trip hopes to be the charm for Harrison, who has placed in previous two appearances with the Stateliners. The No. 3 seed at 152, which is one of the deepest weights this season, will look to avenge an 11-3 loss to Southern senior and No. 2 seed Nicholas O'Connell on Jan. 26. Harrison, who is tough on his feet and has racked up plenty of takedowns off his blast double, has won 14 in a row since that defeat. Harrison, whose only two losses in Atlantic City last season were to Aragona, looks to become the Warren County school's second three-time placewinner in four years -- joining Brandon Paetzell (2013, '14 and '16).

Career mark: 120-23.

Previous state appearances: 0-2 at 106 pounds in 2016; 3-3, eighth place at 126 in '17; 5-2, fourth place at 138 in '18.

First-round opponent: Randolph senior Janny Lopez-Valley (31-11, R3-4).

Newton's 1-2 punch of Wyatt McCarthy and Luke Fischer.

Wyatt McCarthy (34-2), Newton -- Following a seventh-place finish at 145 pounds last season, McCarthy returns at this weight class as the No. 4 seed. The two-time Region 1 champion -- the Braves' 10th two-time winner -- is looking to unseat current assistant coach and Andy Iliff, who captured back-to-back titles in 1986-87 (Nos. 81 and 82) as the last state champion for the Sussex County school. "Hopefully, I'll be No. 83," McCarthy said on Saturday. "I think [Iliff] has had his time on top." A potential quarterfinal meeting with South Plainfield senior Joe Sacco (34-3), the No. 5 seed, could be a good one, while McCarthy battled top seed Ricky Cabanillas of DePaul, a two-time finalist and champ in 2018, tooth-and-nail two years ago here before getting pinned in OT.

Career mark: 133-22.

Previous appearances: 2-2 at 145 pounds in 2017; 4-2, seventh place at 145 in '18.

First-round opponent: Warren Hills senior Chris Ostir (30-10, R3-4).

Luke Fischer (36-0), Newton -- Making his second straight appearance at 220 pounds, Fischer is among 18 unbeaten wrestlers in the field. He's been a horse all season, as the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex and Region 1 champion has logged 20 pins, a technical fall and one major decision, to go along with two decisions against Warren Hills senior Nick Galka -- 1-0 and 7-0, who is the No. 11 seed at this weight. Fischer also wants his name on the school's wall above Iliff. "He's my best competition in the [practice] room," Fischer said on Saturday. "He's unbelievably strong."

Career record: 103-33.

Previous appearances: 2-2, third round of wrestlebacks at 220 in 2018.

First-round opponent: West Deptford senior Hayden Holmes (30-10, R7-4).

Brett Ungar (37-0), Hunterdon Central -- The sophomore, who is the No. 1 seed at 106 pounds, placed sixth as a freshman and has been dominant all season -- winning his second Hunterdon-Warren, district and region championships. Ungar, who has a non-stop motor and has 14 pins and 13 technical falls this season, was injured here last season in the consolation rounds, dropping a tough 3-1 decision in overtime to Westfield ace CJ Composto in the quarters. Middletown North junior Tyler Klinsky (39-0), the No. 2 seed, looms in the bottom bracket.

Career record: 78-2.

Previous appearances: 4-1, sixth place at 106 pounds in 2018.

First-round opponent: Voorhees junior Josh Rich (28-15, R4-4).

JoJo Aragona (second from top left) owns 3 state medals.

JoJo Aragona (37-0), Pope John -- One of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the tournament, Aragona, the No. 1 seed at 138 pounds seeks that elusive gold medal after two third-place finishes, including last season at this weight, and a runner-up finish as a sophomore. He's turning it on at the right time, with 13 pins, five technical falls and one major, to go with a 9-2 decision over St. Joseph-Montvale senior Craig Manno in the Region 1 finals, since Jan. 8. In beating Manno, Aragona, who needs four wins to become Sussex County's all-time leader, joined former great Mike Frick, a three-time state champ, as the only Lions to win four region titles.

Career record: 153-6.

Previous appearances: 4-1, third place at 106 pounds in 2016; 4-1, second place at 120 in '17; 5-1, third place at 138 in '18.

First-round opponent: Don Bosco Prep sophomore Nick Franco (18-11, R1-4).

Brian Soldano (38-2), High Point -- Don't make that trip to the overpriced concession stand when this talented freshman is on the mat. With a penchant to put opponents on their backs, while also going to his own to do so on occasion, Soldano (27 pins) could ruin someone's weekend in the 160-pound draw, where he is the No. 10 seed. He decked five wrestlers at this weight class -- John DeVito of West Morris, A.J. Bencivenga of Cranford, Connor Fritsch of Pope John, Justin Leonard of Ramapo and Jack Bernik of Old Tappan -- and majored Roxbury's Evan Vazquez, 10-2, on Dec. 22. Soldano, whose lone in-state loss is to No. 8 seed Salvatore Manera of St. Augustine, 13-7, at the Mustang Classic, also pinned Delsea state runner-up Nick Bennett, the top seed at 152.

Career record: 38-2.

First-round opponent: Old Tappan junior Jack Bernik (37-6, R1-3).

Eddie Ventresca (35-1), Pope John -- The two-time state placewinner is the total package and dominant in the neutral position, which will serve him well in a tough 120-pound weight class. Ventresca has 12 pins and nine technical falls on the season, while the No. 2 seed and three-time district champion, could be heading for a semifinal date with No. 3 seed Dylan Cedeno of Bergen Catholic, who dropped a 5-4 decision to Ventresca in last year's consolation round, while top seed Anthony Clark of Delbarton eyes a third straight state championship.

Career record: 112-12.

Previous appearances: 3-1, sixth place at 113 pounds in 2017; 6-1, third place at 113 in '18.

First-round opponent: Rahway junior Chris Dalmau (29-5, R4-4).

Quinn Melofchik (far left) eyes a second state medal.

Quinn Melofchik (34-1), Belvidere -- A returning state placewinner, finishing seventh at 106 last year, Melofchik is looking to become just the fourth multiple medal winner at his school and the program's first since the late Tyler Smith (2007-08), the County Seaters' fifth and last state finalist. Melofchik turned heads this past weekend by earning the Outstanding Wrestler Award in Region 3 with a 4-3 win in overtime in the finals against Delbarton state placewinner Nicholas Nardone, who placed third and beat Melofchik in last year's state quarterfinals. Those two could be headed for a second straight quarterfinal matchup in AC the 5-4 seeds -- with Nardone scoring a 3-2 win in 2018.

Career record: 142-17.

Previous appearances: 1-2, at 106 pounds in 2017; 4-2, seventh place at 106 in '18.

First-round opponent: Boonton freshman Joe Fongaro (33-7, R2-4).

Robbie Garcia (18-1), Pope John -- The senior and former state placewinner has seemingly returned to form after an injury at the Beast of the East in December interrupted his season. Garcia, the No. 4 seed at 152 and an Oregon State recruit, looked good and is plenty motivated after rolling to the Region 1 title on Saturday. "I'm focused and having fun," he said following a 9-7 win over Pascack Valley's Matt Beyer, the No. 13 seed at this weight. Those two could meet again in the pre-quarters, while the winner will likely see tough Paulsboro senior George Worthy in the quarters.

Career record: 121-23.

Previous appearances: 0-2, at 126 pounds in 2016; 4-2, fourth place at 132 in '17; 2-2, at 145 in '18.

First-round opponent: Jackson Memorial senior Cartsen Digiantomasso (30-9, R7-4).

Other area qualifiers (40):

Delaware Valley -- AJ DeRosa (132), Anthony DeRosa (152), Shawne Ramsby (170)
High Point -- Clayton Utter (106), Devon Liebl (113), Devin Flannery (120), Josh Gervey (132), Billy Talmadge (138)
Hunterdon Central -- Colton Washleski (120), Jack Bauer (126), Pasquale Vizzoni (145), Vincent Romaniello (152), Norman Cella (160), Ryan Joyce (285)
Lenape Valley -- Daniel Haws (106), James Haws (145)
Kittatinny -- Zach Mafaro (182), Jackson Crawn (195)
Newton -- Nick Brigante (170)
North Hunterdon -- Frank Diesso (113), Connor Robinson (120), Michael Wilson (160), Nathaniel Fossett (170), Ian Gaburo (195)
Phillipsburg -- Logan Maczko (106), Travis Jones (132), Kyle Tino (138), Austin Roth (195)
Pope John -- Shane Percelay (106), Kaya Sement (132), Matthew Garcia (145), Connor Fritsch (160)
Sparta -- Cooper Stewart (113), Spencer Stewart (120), Garrett Stewart (126)
Voorhees -- Josh Rich (106)
Wallkill Valley -- Zachery Dora (285)
Warren Hills -- Chris Ostir (145), Nick Galka (220), Duro Ajayi (285)

Open Mike state championship picks

106 -- Brett Ungar, Hunterdon Central
113 -- Dean Peterson, St. John Vianney
120 -- Anthony Clark, Delbarton
126 -- Robert Howard, Bergen Catholic
132 -- Nick Raimo, Hanover Park
138 -- JoJo Aragona, Pope John
145 -- Lucas Revano, Camden Catholic
152 -- George Worthy, Paulsboro
160 -- Robert Kanniard, Wall
170 -- Shane Reitsma, Howell
182 -- Christopher Foca, Bergen Catholic
195 -- Jacob Cardenas, Bergen Catholic
220 -- Zach Lewis, Emerson-Park Ridge
285 -- Lewis Fernandes, Voorhees

Wrestling: State Tournament schedule, stats

What: 86th State Wrestling Championships.

Where: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Lewis Fernandes (top left) looks to repeat at 285.

Thursday's schedule: Preliminaries, 2:30 p.m.; pre-quarterfinals, to follow.

Friday's schedule: Wrestlebacks (first three rounds), 9 a.m.; quarterfinals, noon; semifinals and girls quarterfinals, 6.p.m.; fourth and fifth round of wrestlebacks, to follow.

Saturday's schedule: Sixth round of wrestlebacks, 10 a.m.; boys consolation finals (third through eighth places) and girls consolation semifinals with medal round and championships to follow; boys championships, 3:30 p.m.

Returning state champions (8, including 1 prior to 2018, '19 weights): Jr. Anthony Clark, Delbarton (first-2017, first-2018, 120); Jr. Robert Howard, Bergen Catholic (second-2017, first-2018, 126); So. Joey Olivieri, Hanover Park (126); Sr. Nick Raimo, Hanover Park (second-2016, first-2017, third-2018, 132); Sr. Ricky Cabanillas, DePaul (second-2017, first-2018, 145); Sr. Lucas Revano, Camden Catholic (sixth-2016, fifth-2017, first-2018, 145); Sr. Jacob Cardenas, Bergen Catholic (195); Sr. Lewis Fernandes, Voorhees (285).

Returning medal winners (36, previous finishes, 2019 weights): So. Brett Ungar, Hunterdon Central (sixth-2018, 106); So. Dean Peterson, St. John Vianney (second-2018, 113); So. Nicholas Nardone, Delbarton (third-2018, 113); Jr. Nick Kayal, Bergen Catholic (third-2017, fourth-2018, 113); Sr. Quinn Melofchik, Belvidere (seventh-2018, 113); So. Vincent Santaniello, Brick Memorial (eighth-2018, 113); Jr. Eddie Ventresca, Pope John (sixth-2017, third-2018, 120); Jr. McKenzie Bell, Kingsway (seventh-2018, 120); Sr. Samuel Alvarez, St. Joseph-Montvale (second-2017, second-2018, 126); Sr. Nicky Cabanillas, DePaul (fifth-2018, 126); Jr. CJ Composto, Westfield (fifth-2018, 126); Sr. Luke Mazzeo, Emerson-Park Ridge (sixth-2018, 132); Sr. Travis Jones, Phillipsburg (seventh-2018, 132); Jr. Will Grater, Don Bosco Prep (eighth-2018, 132); Jr. Andrew Clark, Collingswood (eighth-2018, 132); Sr. JoJo Aragona, Pope John (third-2016, second-2017, third-2018, 138); Jr. Alex Poniros, Ocean Township (seventh-2018, 138); Sr. Alec Bobchin, Princeton (eighth-2018, 138); Sr. Wade Unger, Bergen Catholic (fifth-2018, 145); Sr. Wyatt McCarthy, Newton (seventh-2018, 145); Sr. Nick Bennett, Delsea (second-2018, 152); Sr. Cody Harrison, Phillipsburg (eighth-2017, fourth-2018, 152); Sr. George Worthy, Paulsboro (fifth-2018, 152); Sr. Robert Kanniard, Wall (fourth-2017, second-2018, 160); Sr. Corey Fischer, West Deptford (seventh-2018, 160); Jr. Shane Reitsma, Howell (sixth-2018, 170); Jr. Brandon Green, Paulsboro (seventh-2018, 170); Sr. Christopher Foca, Bergen Catholic (third-2017, second-2018, 182); Jr. John Poznanski, Colonia (third-2018, 182); Sr. Nick Addison, Rumson-Fair Haven (fourth-2018, 182); Sr. Zach Mafaro, Kittatinny (sixth-2018, 182); Sr. Santino Morina, Paulsboro (eighth-2017, fifth-2018, 182); Sr. Luke Niemeyer, South Plainfield (fifth-2018, 195); Sr. Tyreke Brown, Penns Grove (fifth-2018, 220); Sr. Jervey Sistrunk, Bound Brook (third-2018, 285); Sr. Kevin Cerruti, Long Branch (seventh-2018, 285).

Previous placewinners (6, 2019 weights): Jr. Justin Bierdumpfel, St. Joseph-Montvale (seventh-2017, 120); Sr. Hunter Gutierrez, Lacey (fifth-2017, 132); Sr. Darby Diedrich, Howell (seventh-2017, 138); Sr. Robbie Garcia, Pope John (fourth-2017, 152); Sr. Nicholas O'Connell, Southern (eighth-2017, 152); Sr. Zach DelVecchio, South Plainfield (seventh-2016, fourth-2017, 220).

Returning medal winners by region:

Region 1 (8, Ventresca, Bierdumpfel, Alvarez, Grater, Aragona, McCarthy, Garcia, Mafaro)
Region 2 (8, Kayal, Howard, N. Cabanillas, Mazzeo, R. Cabanillas, Unger, Foca, Cardenas)
Region 3 (5, Melofchik, Nardone, Anthony Clark, Olivieri, Raimo)
Region 4 (6, Composto, Jones, Harrison, Poznanski, Fernandes, Sistrunk)
Region 5 (6, Ungar, Peterson, Bobchin, Addison, Niemeyer, DelVecchio)
Region 6 (3, Poniros, Kanniard, Cerruti)
Region 7 (10, Santaniello, Gutierrez, Andrew Clark, Diedrich, Revano, Worthy, Fischer, Reitsma, Green, Morina)
Region 8 (4, Bell, Bennett, O'Connell, Brown)

Wrestling: Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 by the numbers

The final weekend of this high school wrestling season fast approaches, but before we start focusing on the 86th State Championships in Atlantic City, let's take a look at some of the highlights from the five region tournaments that house teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area.

50 -- We have that many wrestlers from the HWS area moving on to this week's state tournament (up two from last year and plus-18 from pre-realignment in 2016), including an area-high seven from Hunterdon Central and Pope John. In all, 22 (up four from last year) advanced out of Region 1, while Region 3 produced four (down eight from last year with the loss of Phillipsburg a factor). Over in Region 5, Hunterdon Central, Delaware Valley and North Hunterdon combined for 15 qualifiers, while Region 4 had seven (down one) between P'burg and Voorhees, leaving two wrestlers from Lenape Valley to come out of Region 2.

Lewis Fernandes with his OW Award. (Courtesy Eric Hall)

17 -- Voorhees senior Lewis Fernandes is among the 17 champions from our area -- winning his second title at 285 pounds and earning the Outstanding Wrestler Award in Region 4 as he continues his bid to become the Vikings' first two-time state champion. High Point freshman Brian Soldano also earned OW honors in winning his first Region 1 title at West Milford. Fernandes, like Soldano, pinned his way through the bracket -- decking Bound Brook senior Jervey Sistrunk, who placed third in the state at heavyweight last season, in the finals in 1:40. Fernandes, who has 102 career pins, had three in a total time of 2:57, as he became the Vikes' 37th champ and the first to repeat since Jadaen Bernstein won three in a row (2011-13). Fernandes is the first heavyweight to win multiple titles for the Hunterdon County school and just the third at that weight class to win a title (Lee Getz (1982) and Thor Beveridge ('84). Junior Josh Rich (106) will join Fernandes in AC after a fourth-place finish.

2,001 -- Fernandes isn't wasting time on the mat this season -- with 32 pins and one technical fall to go with nine forfeits. He has amassed a grand total of 2,001 seconds in his contested bouts or 33 minutes, 21 seconds, including that tech fall against Sistrunk in their first meeting this season on Jan. 25. In this postseason, Fernandes has all pins -- five in a total time of 3:50. For the season, he has 19 falls in less than a minute, including ones of 3, 8, 13 and 15 seconds.

72 -- North Hunterdon ended its three-year title drought as senior Michael Wilson (160) and junior Nathaniel Fossett (170) won their first championships -- Nos. 71 and 72 for the program. The Lions, who made their return to Region 5 following a two-year hiatus in Region 4, are sending a total of five to Atlantic City as sophomore Frank Diesso (113) and senior Connor Robinson (120) both finished third, while junior Ian Gaburo (195) was fourth. Delaware Valley's AJ DeRosa (second at 132), Anthony DeRosa (fourth at 152) and Shawne Ramsby (third at 170) round out the Hunterdon County contingent of qualifiers.

All 14 champions together at R1 in West Milford

4 -- Newton senior Luke Fischer (36-0 at 220 pounds), Pope John senior JoJo Aragona (37-0 at 138), Hunterdon Central sophomore Brett Ungar (37-0 at 106) and Fernandes (42-0 at 285) are the lone unbeaten wrestlers in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area. Fischer, who said he never expected to be unbeaten heading to AC, won his first title, while Aragona, a three-time state placewinner, became just the second at his school and the fourth in Sussex County history to win four championships with a dominating performance at Region 1. Ungar, another strong contender for a state title, won his second in Region 5 and is 78-2 overall, as he's the first at his school to win in his first two seasons since four-time champion Gary Dinmore (2011-14).

"I don't look at it like I'm the favorite [to win a state title], I just look at myself as another wrestler in the bracket who can do some damage," Aragona said after his finals win on Saturday.

100 -- Ungar and senior Vincent Romaniello (152), who won his first title, raised Hunterdon Central's total of region champs to 100 with their victories in Region 5, which was held at Franklin High School and not in the Red Devils' Field House for only the second time in nearly 50 years. Also advancing to AC for Central are sophomores Colton Washleski (120) and Norman Cella (160), along with seniors Jack Bauer (126), Pasquale Vizzoni (145), Ryan Joyce (285).

Thad Turner and Dave Post at Region 4. (Courtesy of Post)

127 -- Speaking of champions, Phillipsburg now has 127 overall as sophomore Logan Maczko (106) and seniors Kyle Tino (138) and Austin Roth won their first region titles, while Cody Harrison (152) won his second in a row as the Stateliners had at least four champs for just the seventh time and the first since 1999 (Bill Moore, John McRoberts, Jared Frey and Steven Kempinski), as they advanced five out of Region 4, including runner-up Travis Jones (132). Harrison is just the sixth at the Warren County school to win consecutive titles since 2000 -- joining current coach Dave Post (2002-03), Jon Gregory (2005-06), Brandon Paetzell (2013-14), Robert Melise (2016-17) and Brian Meyer (2016-18). Matt Lane won two non-consecutive titles in 2009 and '11, while Paetzell got his third in '16. P'burg, which had a program record six champs in 1989, also got to celebrate the induction of former coach Thad Turner into the Region 4 Hall of Fame. Turner helped turn the Warren County school into a powerhouse as his teams went 98-14-4 over his nine seasons, including going 39-0-1 over his in his final three seasons in 1967-68, 1968-69 and 1969-70.

20 -- Belvidere senior Quinn Melofchik made some noise at Region 3 with a 4-3 win in overtime against Delbarton state placewinner Nicholas Nardone, who beat Melofchik in last year's semifinals at 106, to win the 113-pound title, joining Josh Tresslar (1998) as the school's only champs to win the OW Award. It was the County Seaters' 20th region title overall and first since J.B. Lawson (220) and Ryan Appleby (285) won Region 1 championships at Wallkill Valley in 2013. Melofchik (34-1), who finished seventh in the state last season and is 142-17 overall, is now tied with former Hackettstown ace Alex Carida (142-28 from 2014-18) for the Warren County wins record.

Congratulations to our state qualifiers pic.twitter.com/JJw5Tlrsqu

— Warren Hills Wrestling (@WHR_Wrestling) February 23, 2019

56 -- Warren Hills advanced three wrestlers -- seniors Chris Ostir (145), Nick Galka (220) and Duro Ajayi (285) -- out of Region 3 in West Orange. Ajayi became the Blue Streaks' 56th champion overall -- snapping the program's three-year drought -- and just the fifth heavyweight to win a title -- joining former state champions Dale Baldwin (1969) and Dan Slack (1975-77), along with former state placewinners Jon Slack (2010) and Andrew Pacheco (2014-15) -- third in 2010 and sixth in '14, respectively.

24 -- Sussex County advanced a total of 24 wrestlers to Atlantic City, the most of the three local counties. Newton senior Wyatt McCarthy won his second title at 145 in Region 1, the 10th at his school to repeat and first since Ed Mattice (2008-09). In addition, coach Eric Bollette was named Region 1 Coach of the Year. "It's always nice to get an honor from your peers," Bollette said. Kittatinny junior Zach Mafaro (182) and sophomore Jackson Crawn (195) were third-place finishers in Region 1, while Sparta had junior Cooper Stewart (113), sophomore Spencer Stewart (120) and junior Garrett Stewart (126) all wrestling simultaneously on the three consolation-round mats. In addition to Soldano, freshman Clayton Utter (106), Devon Liebl (113), Devin Flannery (120), Josh Gervey (132) and Billy Talmadge (138) qualified for High Point, along with Newton senior Nick Brigante (170) and Wallkill Valley senior Zachery Dora (285), who finished fourth in becoming his school's first state qualifier since Brian Gallagher (third at 171) in 2011. In Region 2, Lenape Valley's Daniel Haws (106) and James Haws (145) each placed fourth.

Wrestling: Aragona wins 4th; Soldano OW in R1

WEST MILFORD -- It's going to be a lot of fun watching High Point freshman Brian Soldano over the next three seasons.

Sussex County crowned six champions in Region 1.

Watching the talented rookie this year has been highly entertaining alone, as Soldano pinned his way through the 160-pound bracket en route to his first championship and the Outstanding Wrestler Award in the Region 1 Tournament on Saturday afternoon at West Milford High School.

"I wanted to win," said Solando, a District 1 champion, who came in as a No. 6 seed and needed just 59 seconds to deck previously unbeaten Ramapo senior Justin Leonard in the finals for his third pin of the tournament. "I put myself through a lot to get here. I'm happy to get to the finals and win it."

Soldano (38-2) joins current head coach John Gardner and Nick Francavilla, a three-time state champ and Sussex County's all-time wins leader with 156, as the only High Point freshmen to win region titles. That puts Soldano in very select company as both won four region championships.

"That's my goal," said Soldano, who got a quick takedown before throwing in the legs and horsing Leonard to his back to become the Wildcats' 47th champ. "It's great to have [Gardner] as my coach. He always makes sure everybody leaves practice with a smile."

High Point advanced six wrestlers to the 86th State Wrestling Championships that begin on Thursday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Pope John and St. Joseph-Montvale had a tournament-best seven placewinners, while Newton and Sparta each had three qualifiers. Kittatinny (two) and Wallkill Valley (one) round out the local contingent, which sends a total of 22 to AC.

If people don't know how good Soldano is, they're sure to get an idea next week. No High Point wrestler has won a state title as a freshman, and Soldano, who loves to put opponent on their backs (27 pins this season) and himself in precarious positions while doing so, is looking to make a strong AC debut.

"I just mostly try to stay calm and keep wrestling," said Soldano, whose only in-state loss is to St. Augustine's Salvatore Manera -- 13-7 in the Mustang Classic semifinals on Dec. 28 -- a Region 8 third-place finisher.

Lions roar in finals

Pope John ace JoJo Aragona also made school history the second to win four region titles, joining former New Jersey great Mike Frick (1969-72), a three-time state champion and four-time finalist. Aragona was easily the class of the field at 138, racking up three takedowns in a 9-2 win over St. Joseph-Montvale senior Craig Manno in the finals.

"It's a great feeling," said Aragona (37-0), a three-time state placewinner and Rutgers University recruit who is four wins from passing Francavilla as the county's wins leader at 153-6 overall. "I'm starting to put myself pretty high up there in the history books. It's a great accomplishment."

Pope John junior Eddie Ventresca (120) and senior Robbie Garcia (152) won their second titles, while sophomore Shane Percelay (106) and junior Kaya Sement (132) were runners-up. Juniors Matthew Garcia (145) and Connor Fritsch (160) both placed fourth to move on.

Ventresca (35-1), a two-time state placewinner put on a takedown clinic with four in a 9-5 rout of St. Joseph-Montvale junior and former state medalist Justin Bierdumpfel, while Robbie Garcia, who was second here last season after winning as a sophomore, scored a 9-7 win over Pascack Valley senior Matt Beyer.

"I'm really happy and focused, and I'm having fun," said Garcia, who missed most of the season after sustaining an undisclosed injury at the Beast of the East Tournament in December. "There's always room to improve."

Braves battle for gold

Newton seniors Wyatt McCarthy (145) and Luke Fischer (220) became the school's 39th and 40th champs, while McCarthy joined only nine others in winning his second title and the first to do so since Ed Mattice (2008-09).

Wyatt McCarthy and Luke Fischer (Newton wrestling)

McCarthy (34-2), last year's OW and winner at 145, built a comfortable 7-1 lead over St. Joseph-Montvale junior Stefano Sgambellone, who could not continue due to injury with 57 seconds left in the third period. McCarthy, a seventh-place finisher in the state tournament last season, had just pancaked Sgambellone to his back for a takedown and two back points to break it open.

"People get hurt, there's nothing you can do about it," said McCarthy, who didn't get to wrestle at all in the District 2 finals last weekend after getting a win by forfeit. "Hopefully he's going to be OK. Newton is such an historic program with the most state champs [82]. I'm happy to be a part of that history. Hopefully I can be No. 83 next weekend."

Fischer continued his monster season with a workmanlike 3-0 victory over Westwood senior Benny Dahdah, the top seed, to win his first region title. Fischer (36-0), who feels like he's a contender for the state title at 220, got the legs in and turned Dahdah, who took bottom to start the second period, for the decisive three back points.

"I knew once I got the legs in, I was pretty solid from there," said Fischer, who fought off two deep shots by Dahdah while on their feet in the first period. "I knew the [double-leg attacks] were coming and I had to stay low. I never thought I'd be undefeated going into states. It's pretty cool. Hopefully I can win it. That's the goal."

Newton senior Nick Brigante will join McCarthy and Fischer in AC with a third-place finish at 170.

Back points

Wallkill Valley senior Zachery Dora made a little history of his own, finishing fourth at 285 pounds to become his school's first state qualifier since 2011, when Brian Gallagher placed third at 171 as only the top three advanced then to Atlantic City. Dora (30-12) was thrilled to join Gallagher and a host of other qualifiers for the Rangers, including former state champion Ryan Callahan, who was their last district (2010) and region winner (2008-10).

"It's insane to look at [the school's Wall of Fame] and see my my name next to theirs," said Dora, who punched his ticket to AC by decking Tenafly senior Isaac Berman in the consolation semifinals. "Callahan, Kodie Silvestri [a two-time state finalists], they're [mythical figures] among men."

It's been a tough stretch since 2010, as Wallkill Valley has battled extremely low numbers, including just nine on the roster this season. But Dora gave coaches Jeff and Kevin Churchill, and former head coach and now assistant Larry Hildebrant plenty to smile about.

"My coaches are always there for me seven days a week," said Dora, who was 5-14 as a freshman before improving to 15 wins as a sophomore and 17 as a junior. "I've just been focusing on defense and getting one good shot offensively for a takedown."

Kittatinny senior Zach Mafaro (182) and sophomore Jackson Crawn (195) finished third to earn their trips to the state tournament. Mafaro, a No. 1 seed and a sixth-place finisher in AC last season, rebounded from a tough semifinals loss with two pins, including one with a cradle to flatten Ramon Hernandez of Pompton Lakes in their third-place bout. Junior Jacob Mafaro (285) finished fifth at 285 after being upset in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Newton's Eric Bollette was named the Region 1 Coach of the Year and will be among eight finalists for State Coach of the Year honors next weekend. It was the second region honor for Bollette, a former state placewinner for Kittatinny and 238-187-1 overall in his 18 seasons in charge of the Braves -- just 12 wins behind legendary coach Henry Boresch for the most in program history.

High Point's Devon Liebl (second at 113), Devin Flannery (third at 120), Billy Talmadge (third at 138), Clayton Utter (fourth at 106) and Josh Gervey (fourth at 132) also qualified for states, along with Sparta trio Cooper Stewart (third at 113), Spencer Stewart (fourth at 120) and Garrett Stewart (third at 126).

Wrestling: Region 1 championship results

Legend

Butler (B), Cresskill (C), Demarest (D), Don Bosco Prep (DB), Dumont (Du), Fair Lawn (FL), Glen Rock (GR), Hawthorne (Haw), High Point (HP), Indian Hills (IH), Kinnelon (Kin), Kittatinny (Kit), Lakeland (L), Mahwah (Mah), Manchester Regional (Man), New Milford (NM), Newton (New), Northern Highlands (NH), North Warren (NW), Old Tappan (OT), Pascack Hills (PH), Pascack Valley (PV), Passaic Tech (PT), Pequannock (Pe), Pompton Lakes (PL), Pope John (PJ), Ramapo (Rama), Ramsey (Rams), Ridgewood (Rid), River Dell (RD), St. Joseph-Montvale (SJ), Sparta (Spa), Tenafly (Ten), Vernon (Ve), Waldwick-Midland Park (WMP), Wallkill Valley (WV), Wayne Hills (WH), West Milford (WM), Westwood (We).

State qualifiers by school

Pope John 3+2+0+2=7; St. Joseph-Montvale 2+4+1+0=7; High Point 1+1+2+2=6; Don Bosco Prep 2+0+2+2=6; Newton 2+0+1+0=3; Passaic Tech 0+0+2+1=3; Sparta 0+0+2+1=3; Kittatinny 0+0+2+0=2; Old Tappan 1+0+1+0=2; Pascack Valley 1+1+0+0=2; Pequannock 0+1+0+1=2; Pompton Lakes 0+0+1+1=2; Ramapo 0+2+0+0=2; Westwood 1+1+0+0=2; Dumont 0+1+0+0=1; Mahwah 0+0+0+1=1; Northern Highlands 1+0+0+0=1; Pascack Hills 0+1+0+0=1; Ramsey 0+0+0+1=1; River Dell 0+0+0+1=1; Wallkill Valley 0+0+0+1=1; Butler 0+0+0+0=0; Cresskill 0+0+0+0=0; Demarest 0+0+0+0=0; Hawthorne 0+0+0+0=0; Fair Lawn 0+0+0+0=0; Glen Rock 0+0+0+0=0; Indians Hills 0+0+0+0=0; Kinnelon 0+0+0+0=0; Manchester Regional 0+0+0+0=0; New Milford 0+0+0+0=0; North Warren 0+0+0+0=0; Ridgewood 0+0+0+0=0; Tenafly 0+0+0+0=0; Vernon 0+0+0+0=0; Waldwick-Midland Park 0+0+0+0=0; West Milford 0+0+0+0=0.

Qualifiers by district

District 1=18; District 2=16; District 3=11; District 4=11

Championships

160 -- 6-Fr. Brian Soldano (38-2, D1-1), HP, p. 1-Sr. Justin Leonard (37-1, D2-1), Rama, :59.
170 -- 1-Sr. Anthony Sciuto (33-0, D2-1), NH, injury default, 2-So. Jack Farinaro (29-7, D1-1), SJ, 1:14.
182 -- 3-Sr. Tommy Chiellini (35-1, D4-1), PV, d. 5-Sr. Luke Brantly (34-4, D2-1), Rama, 6-3.
195 -- 1-Sr. Jackson Downey (39-3, D3-1), OT, d. 2-So. Tommy Goodwin (34-4, D1-1), Pe, 9-7.
220 -- 2-Sr. Luke Fischer (36-0, D2-1), New, d. 1-Sr. Benny Dahdah (19-2, D1-1), We, 3-0.
285 -- 1-Sr. Jonathan Alvarado (24-5, D4-1), DB, d. 3-Sr. Dominic DiMassimo (32-7, D3-2), PH, 6-0.
106 -- 1-Fr. Joe Manno (30-4, D1-1), SJ, d. 3-So. Shane Percelay (22-5, D2-1), PJ, 3-2.
113 -- 1-So. Ethan Fernandez (33-4, D1-1), We, d. 2-Jr. Devon Liebl (30-9, D1-2), HP, 9-7 OT2.
120 -- 1-Jr. Eddie Ventresca (35-1, D2-1), PJ, d. 2-Jr. Justin Bierdumpfel (30-8, D1-1), SJ, 9-5.
126 -- 1-Sr. Sammy Alvarez (32-3, D1-1), SJ, md. 3-Sr. Gianni Manginelli (40-1, D3-1), Du, 10-2.
132 -- 4-Jr. William Grater (25-8, D4-1), DB, d. 2-Jr. Kaya Sement (29-7, D2-1), PJ, 4-2.
138 -- 1-Sr. JoJo Aragona (37-0, D2-1), PJ, d. 3-Sr. Craig Manno (21-7, D1-2), SJ, 9-2.
145 -- 1-Sr. Wyatt McCarthy (34-2, D2-1), New, injury default, 2-Jr. Stefano Sgambellone (25-8, D1-1), SJ, 5:03.
152 -- 1-Sr. Robbie Garcia (18-1, D2-1), PJ, d. 2-Sr. Matt Beyer (30-1, D4-1), PV, 9-7.
Outstanding Wrestler Award -- Brian Soldano, High Point.
Coach of the Year -- Eric Bollette, Newton.
Assistant Coach of the Year -- Matt Demarest, Passaic Tech.

Third-place consolations

160 -- 3-Sr. Jack Bernik (37-6, D3-1), OT, d. 7-Jr. Connor Fritsch (22-15, D2-3), PJ, 9-4.
170 -- 3-Sr. Nick Brigante (28-10, D2-2), New, d. 6-Sr. Jesse Presburger (29-8, D1-3), Mah, 7-1.
182 -- 1-Sr. Zach Mafaro (36-3, D3-1), Kit, p. 2-Sr. Ramon Hernandez (38-3, D3-2), PL, :46.
195 -- So. Jackson Crawn (34-7, D3-3), Kit, p. 4-Jr. Gunnar Nystedt (33-8, D2-1), RD, :34.
220 -- 5-So. Yosue Gomez (24-5, D3-1), PT, d. 4-Sr. Jason Burklow (24-10, D1-3), Pe, 3-2.
285 -- 5-Fr. Remy Brancato (34-8, D3-3), PL, d. 8-Sr. Zachery Dora (30-12, D2-2), WV, 1-0.
106 -- 2-So. Kelly Dunnigan (11-2, D4-1), DB, md. 7-Fr. Clayton Utter (31-10, D1-2), HP, 12-4.
113 -- 4-Jr. Cooper Stewart (37-6, D4-2), Spa, forfeit, 8-Fr. Laith Hamdeh (30-5, D3-1), PT.
120 -- 3-Sr. Devin Flannery (33-8, D1-2), HP, d. 5-So. Spencer Stewart (36-6, D4-1), Spa, 5-3.
126 -- 2-Jr. Garrett Stewart (39-3, D4-1), Spa, p. 4-So. Jonathan Siemsen (37-5, D2-1), Rams, 1:11.
132 -- 5-Sr. Christian Vertedor (34-3, D3-1), PT, d. 7-So. Josh Gervey (27-9, D1-3), HP, 3-2.
138 -- 2-Jr. Billy Talmadge (37-4, D1-1), HP, md. 4-So. Nick Franco (18-11, D4-1), DB, 13-4.
145 -- Sr. Ryan Cawood (20-9, D4-1), DB, d. 3-Jr. Matthew Garcia (23-12, D2-2), PJ, 5-4.
152 -- 4-Sr. Jean Carlo San Juan (10-7, D1-1), SJ, d. 5-Jr. Christian Jimenez (22-12, D4-2), DB, 8-7.

Fifth-place consolations

160 -- 5-Sr. Steven Schubert (29-9, D4-2), B, forfeit, 4-Sr. Stephen Soravilla (28-10, D4-1), PV.
170 -- 8-Jr. William Andresen (27-10, D3-1), OT, p. 5-So. Luke Petaccia (27-12, D4-1), PV, 5:19.
182 -- 4-Jr. Benjamin Liss (34-5, D1-1), FL, d. 6-So. Scott Schlett (20-17, D1-2), SJ, 9-3.
195 -- 8-Sr. Jack Tsokanos (23-16, D4-1), PV, p. Jr. Joey Heisler (20-12, D4-2), WM, 1:33.
220 -- 3-Jr. Jakob Shapiro (28-9, D1-2), FL, p. 7-So. Alex Kostantas (30-10, D3-2), PH, 1:29.
285 -- 2-Jr. Jacob Mafaro (25-5, D3-1), Kit, p. Sr. Isaac Berman (19-7, D4-2), Ten, 1:13.
106 -- 5-Fr. Evan Mougalian (32-6, D3-1), Kin, d. 4-So. Matt DiGennaro (35-7, D2-2), RD, 4-3.
113 -- 3-So. Mike Tandurella (22-11, D4-1), DB, md. So. Danny Cleary (17-21, D2-2), New, 10-2.
120 -- 4-Sr. Joseph Manginelli (39-3, D3-1), Du, tf. 6-Sr. Ben Bariso (32-6, D4-2), B, 17-2, 5:56.
126 -- 7-Jr. Antonio Abate (30-12, D3-2), OT, forfeit, 5-So. Anthony Motta (25-9, D1-2), FL.
132 -- 3-So. Michael Cetta (30-10, D1-2), SJ, forfeit, 1-Sr. Trent Furman (35-2, D1-1), We.
138 -- Jr. Devin Iannelli (30-9, D2-3), NH, p. 5-Jr. Paul Dimarco (28-12, D4-3), NM, 1:08.
145 -- 5-Sr. Frank Motta (29-11, D1-2), FL, p. 6-Sr. Rocco Gignatelli (30-11, D4-2), Spa, 5:39.
152 -- 3-Jr. Greg Schlett (29-9, D2-2), GR, p. Sr. Jacob LoCasio (19-9, D3-4), Kin, 4:27.

Second wrestlebacks

106 -- 7-Fr. Clayton Utter (31-9, D1-2), HP, d. 4-So. Matt DiGennaro (35-6, D2-2), RD, 12-10; 2-So. Kelly Dunnigan (10-2, D4-1), DB, d. 5-Fr. Evan Mougalian (31-6, D3-1), Kin, 11-7.
113 -- 8-Fr. Laith Hamdeh (30-5, D3-1), PT, disqualification, 3-So. Mike Tandurella (21-11, D4-1), DB,5:42; 4-Jr. Cooper Stewart (36-6, D4-2), Spa, md. So. Danny Cleary (17-20, D2-2), New, 16-3.
120 -- 3-Sr. Devin Flannery (32-8, D1-2), HP, p. 4-Sr. Joseph Manginelli (38-3, D3-1), Du, 1:54; 5-So. Spencer Stewart (36-5, D4-1), Spa, md. 6-Sr. Ben Bariso (32-5, D4-2), B, 10-0.
126 -- 2-Jr. Garrett Stewart (38-3, D4-1), Spa, d. 5-So. Anthony Motta (25-9, D1-2), FL, 7-0; 4-So. Jonathan Siemsen (37-4, D2-1), Rams, d. 7-Jr. Antonio Abate (29-12, D3-2), OT, 6-0.

In all, 22 wrestlers from the HWS area advanced to AC.

132 -- 5-Sr. Christian Vertedor (33-3, D3-1), PT, d. 3-So. Michael Cetta (29-10, D1-2), SJ, 4-3; 7-So. Josh Gervey (27-8, D1-3), HP, forfeit, 1-Sr. Trent Furman (35-2, D1-1), We.
138 -- 2-Jr. Billy Talmadge (36-4, D1-1), HP, md. 5-Jr. Paul Dimarco (28-11, D4-3), NM, 15-6; 4-So. Nick Franco (18-10, D4-1), DB, d. Jr. Devin Iannelli (29-9, D2-3), NH, 2-1.
145 -- 3-Jr. Matthew Garcia (23-11, D2-2), PJ, d. 5-Sr. Frank Motta (28-11, D1-2), FL, 9-7; 4-Sr. Ryan Cawood (19-9, D4-1), DB, d. 6-Sr. Rocco Gignatelli (30-10, D4-2), Spa, 11-6.
152 -- 4-Sr. Jean Carlo San Juan (9-7, D1-1), SJ, d. 3-Jr. Greg Schlett (28-9, D2-2), GR, 5-4; 5-Jr. Christian Jimenez (22-11, D4-2), DB, d. Sr. Jacob LoCasio (19-8, D3-4), Kin,  7-4.
160 -- 7-Jr. Connor Fritsch (22-14, D2-3), PJ, d. 5-Sr. Steven Schubert (28-9, D4-2), B, 5-0; 3-Sr. Jack Bernik (36-6, D3-1), OT, p. 4-Sr. Stephen Soravilla (28-10, D4-1), PV, :49.
170 -- 3-Sr. Nick Brigante (27-10, D2-2), New, p. 8-Jr. William Andresen (26-10, D3-1), OT, 2:38; 6-Sr. Jesse Presburger (29-7, D1-3), Mah, d. 5-So. Luke Petaccia (27-11, D4-1), PV, 6-3.
182 -- 2-Sr. Ramon Hernandez (38-2, D3-2), PL, p. 4-Jr. Benjamin Liss (33-5, D1-1), FL, 1:41; 1-Sr. Zach Mafaro (35-3, D3-1), Kit, p. 6-So. Scott Schlett (20-16, D1-2), SJ, 3:35.
195 -- So. Jackson Crawn (33-7, D3-3), Kit, p. 8-Sr. Jack Tsokanos (22-16, D4-1), PV, :35; 4-Jr. Gunnar Nystedt (33-7, D2-1), RD, d. Jr. Joey Heisler (20-11, D4-2), WM, 8-2.
220 -- 4-Sr. Jason Burklow (24-9, D1-3), Pe, d. 3-Jr. Jakob Shapiro (27-9, D1-2), FL, 5-2; 5-So. Yosue Gomez (23-5, D3-1), PT, d. 7-So. Alex Kostantas (30-9, D3-2), PH, 7-2.
285 -- 8-Sr. Zachery Dora (30-11, D2-2), WV, p. Sr. Isaac Berman (19-6, D4-2), Ten, 3:34;  5-Fr. Remy Brancato (33-8, D3-3), PL, d. 2-Jr. Jacob Mafaro (24-5, D3-1), Kit, 9-5.

First wrestlebacks

106 -- 4-So. Matt DiGennaro (35-5, D2-2), RD, p. 8-Fr. Alex Vertedor (34-4, D3-2), PT, 1:08; 2-So. Kelly Dunnigan (9-2, D4-1), DB, p. 6-So. Nathan Fitt (29-5, D2-3), New, :43.
113 -- 8-Fr. Laith Hamdeh (29-5, D3-1), PT, md. 5-Fr. Taisei Kurachi (30-6, D2-1), RD, 9-0; 6-So. Danny Cleary (17-19, D2-2), New, d. Sr. Jacob Averna (12-10, D4-3), PV, 7-1.
120 -- 4-Sr. Joseph Manginelli (38-2, D3-1), Du, p. Sr. Aidan Broderick (23-12, D3-3), WH, 4:30; 6-Sr. Ben Bariso (32-4, D4-2), B, d. Jr. Joseph Businelli (21-16, D1-3), Rid, 9-4.
126 -- 5-So. Anthony Motta (25-8, D1-2), FL, forfeit, 8-So. JoJo Lotruglio (24-12, D2-2), New; 7-Jr. Antonio Abate (29-11, D3-2), OT, md. 6-Jr. Julian Amadio (30-6, D4-2), B, 9-0.
132 -- 5-Sr. Christian Vertedor (32-3, D3-1), PT, d. 8-So. Justin Chrostowski (28-9, D4-2), B, 3-1; 7-So. Josh Gervey (26-8, D1-3), HP, d. 6-Sr. Matthew Rosa (23-10, D2-2), New, 7-5 SV.
138 -- 5-Jr. Paul Dimarco (28-10, D4-3), NM, d. 8-Sr. Andrew Dippolito (27-10, D3-1), OT, 6-3; Jr. Devin Iannelli (29-8, D2-3), NH, d. Jr. Ben Lilly (15-13, D2-4), NW, 8-5.
145 -- 5-Sr. Frank Motta (28-10, D1-2), FL, md. 8-Sr. Eric Mougalian (23-11, D3-1), Kin, 14-1; 6-Sr. Rocco Gignatelli (30-9, D4-2), Spa, d. 7-Sr. Kenny Spadaccini (33-7, D4-3), C, 7-6.
152 -- 4-Sr. Jean Carlo San Juan (8-7, D1-1), SJ, d. 8-Sr. Nick Secor (32-7, D3-2), PL, 10-8; Sr. Jacob LoCasio (19-7, D3-4), Kin, d. 7-Sr. Alex Casiano (25-12, D3-1), PT, 10-7.
160 -- 5-Sr. Steven Schubert (28-8, D4-2), B, p. Jr. Jack Bauer (25-13, D1-2), Pe, 5:46; 3-Sr. Jack Bernik (35-6, D3-1), OT, p. 2-Sr. Hiyuma Nagai (31-9, D2-2), RD, 1:34.
170 -- 8-Jr. William Andresen (26-9, D3-1), OT, p. Sr. Kevin McGee (28-12, D3-3), PH, 1:29; 6-Sr. Jesse Presburger (28-7, D1-3), Mah, d. 7-Sr. Tim Coffey (31-9, D4-2), C, 12-7.
182 -- 4-Jr. Benjamin Liss (33-4, D1-1), FL, p. 8-Sr. Adnai Thompson (26-11, D4-3), L, 2:53; 6-So. Scott Schlett (20-15, D1-2), SJ, d. 7-Sr. Devon Fried (26-13, D4-2), WM, 5-4.
195 -- 8-Sr. Jack Tsokanos (22-15, D4-1), PV, d. So. Angelo Piazza (27-13, D2-3), GR, 3-2; Jr. Joey Heisler (20-10, D4-2), WM, forfeit, 3-Sr. Frankie Negrini (33-5, D3-2), PL.
220 -- 4-Sr. Jason Burklow (23-9, D1-3), Pe, md. 8-Sr. Thomas Dougherty (11-13, D4-1), DB, 12-4; 7-So. Alex Kostantas (30-8, D3-2), PH, d. 6-Sr. Gabe Dellechiaie (25-12, D3-3), WH, 3-1.
285 -- 8-Sr. Zachery Dora (29-11, D2-2), WV, d. 4-Sr. Andrew Lewis (17-14, D1-1), HP, 3-1; 2-Jr. Jacob Mafaro (24-4, D3-1), Kit, p. 6-Sr. Nicholas DeSenzo (5-4, D2-1), PJ, :41.

Semifinals

106 -- 1-Fr. Joe Manno (29-4, D1-1), SJ, d. 5-Fr. Evan Mougalian (31-5, D3-1), Kin, 1-0 OT2; 3-So. Shane Percelay (22-4, D2-1), PJ, d. 7-Fr. Clayton Utter (30-9, D1-2), HP, 6-4.
113 -- 1-So. Ethan Fernandez (32-4, D1-1), We, d. 4-Jr. Cooper Stewart (35-6, D4-2), Spa, 3-1 SV; 2-Jr. Devon Liebl (30-8, D1-2), HP, p. 3-So. Mike Tandurella (21-10, D4-1), DB, 1:48.
120 -- 1-Jr. Eddie Ventresca (34-1, D2-1), PJ, md. 5-So. Spencer Stewart (35-5, D4-1), Spa, 20-9; 2-Jr. Justin Bierdumpfel (30-7, D1-1), SJ, d. 3-Sr. Devin Flannery (31-8, D1-2), HP, 5-1.
126 -- 1-Sr. Sammy Alvarez (31-3, D1-1), SJ, tf. 4-So. Jonathan Siemsen (36-4, D2-1), Rams, 18-3, 4:15; 3-Sr. Gianni Manginelli (40-0, D3-1), Du, d. 2-Jr. Garrett Stewart (37-3, D4-1), Spa, 3-2.
132 -- 4-Jr. William Grater (24-8, D4-1), DB, d. 1-Sr. Trent Furman (35-2, D1-1), We, 1-0; 2-Jr. Kaya Sement (29-6, D2-1), PJ, d. 3-So. Michael Cetta (29-9, D1-2), SJ, 8-5.
138 -- 1-Sr. JoJo Aragona (36-0, D2-1), PJ, p. 4-So. Nick Franco (17-10, D4-1), DB, 1:02; 3-Sr. Craig Manno (21-6, D1-2), SJ, d. 2-Jr. Billy Talmadge (35-4, D1-1), HP, 8-5.
145 -- 1-Sr. Wyatt McCarthy (33-2, D2-1), New, md. 4-Sr. Ryan Cawood (18-9, D4-1), DB, 16-4; 2-Jr. Stefano Sgambellone (25-7, D1-1), SJ, d. 3-Jr. Matthew Garcia (22-11, D2-2), PJ, 10-3.
152 -- 1-Sr. Robbie Garcia (17-1, D2-1), PJ, md. 5-Jr. Christian Jimenez (21-11, D4-2), DB, 15-6; 2-Sr. Matt Beyer (30-0, D4-1), PV, tf. 3-Jr. Greg Schlett (28-8, D2-2), GR, 19-3, 5:28.
160 -- 1-Sr. Justin Leonard (37-0, D2-1), Rama, injury default, 4-Sr. Stephen Soravilla (28-9, D4-1), PV, 2:00; 6-Fr. Brian Soldano (37-2, D1-1), HP, p. 7-Jr. Connor Fritsch (21-14, D2-3), PJ, 3:09.
170 -- 1-Sr. Anthony Sciuto (32-0, D2-1), NH, d. 5-So. Luke Petaccia (27-10, D4-1), PV, 11-5; 2-So. Jack Farinaro (29-6, D1-1), SJ, d. 3-Sr. Nick Brigante (26-10, D2-2), New, 4-2.
182 -- 5-Sr. Luke Brantly (34-3, D2-1), Rama, d. 1-Sr. Zach Mafaro (34-3, D3-1), Kit, 8-5; 3-Sr. Tommy Chiellini (34-1, D4-1), PV, p. 2-Sr. Ramon Hernandez (37-2, D3-2), PL, 1:39.
195 -- 1-Sr. Jackson Downey (38-3, D3-1), OT, d. 4-Jr. Gunnar Nystedt (32-7, D2-1), RD, 5-1; 2-So. Tommy Goodwin (34-3, D1-1), Pe, p. So. Jackson Crawn (32-7, D3-3), Kit, 3:46.
220 -- 1-Sr. Benny Dahdah (19-1, D1-1), We, p. 5-So. Yosue Gomez (22-5, D3-1), PT, 1:37; 2-Sr. Luke Fischer (35-0, D2-1), New, p. 3-Jr. Jakob Shapiro (27-8, D1-2), FL, :35.
285 -- 1-Sr. Jonathan Alvarado (23-5, D4-1), DB, d. 5-Fr. Remy Brancato (32-8, D3-3), PL, 7-3; 3-Sr. Dominic DiMassimo (32-6, D3-2), PH, p. Sr. Isaac Berman (19-5, D4-2), Ten, :30.