Harrison cruised to his fourth title with a pin in the 152-pound final as the Stateliners crowned seven winners overall to easily capture the team championship in the District 13 Tournament on Saturday at Phillipsburg High School.
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| P'burg celebrates its 46th district team championship. |
"It feels good, but it's not the ultimate goal ... that's to win states," said Harrison, who flattened Bernards sophomore Luke Burns in 2:27. "It's a milestone. It's awesome to win four and to win your last ever home match with a pin. It's the best way to win a district title."
P'burg, which put 10 of 14 in the finals, advanced 12 to the Region 4 Tournament that begins on Wednesday at Union High School. Harrison (32-2), a two-time state placewinner, is just the 38th to capture at least three district titles in a Stateliner singlet -- winning his first as a freshman for Warren Hills.
Other repeat champions for Phillipsburg were sophomore Logan Maczko (106), along with seniors Kyle Tino (138) and Austin Roth (195). Freshman Joey Innamorato (120), junior Jacob Wicks (182) and sophomore Gage Horvath (220) , No. 350 overall for the Warren County school, won their first titles.
"Last year, we had nine champions [going 9-for-9 in the finals of then District 9]," said Tino, a three-time finalist and runner-up as a sophomore. "We all strive to be winners. We want nothing else."
Harrison hit a sweet blast double and drove Burns to the mat, picking up two back points on the move for an early 4-0 lead. A second-period reversal led to the pin and Harrison's 117th career win.
"If I can do that every match it would be great," Harrison said of the early four-pointer. "I feel pretty good, pretty healthy. Hopefully guys can't keep up with my pace."
Tino, a returning state qualifier, got three turns with a hazzard tilt, including two sets of back points in the third period to secure a 15-0 technical fall in 5:41 over Plainfield senior Skyler Frye.
"I want to dominate my opponents," Tino said. "My freshman year, I lost first round. To come back like this ... it's great. All of the work I put in, I'm able to get the results I want."
Family ties
Maczko, who made the drop to 106 late in the season, decked Somerville junior Tanner Donato in 3:46 for his second title at this weight class -- besting his uncle, Pat, who won a title for P'burg in 1989. Logan's father, John, was a runner-up for the 'Liners in '89.
"They had a really tough time. They didn't start as freshmen," Maczko said. "But it's nice to keep the legacy going. It's in the blood. I just want to make everyone proud."
Maczko (29-9) held a slim 5-4 lead in the second period before locking up a cradle for the takedown and eventual title clincher.
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| Jacob Wicks in the podium at 182 pounds. |
Wicks, whose father, Jamie, was a two-time state champion (1987-88) and three-time district winner for Delaware Valley, added his name to the list with a 5-0 win over Woodbridge senior Yusuf Elbayar.
After two years on the junior varsity level, Jacob Wicks emerged this season as a key contributor to Phillipsburg's run to a sixth straight Group 4 finals appearance. Maybe it was all of those secret video sessions where he watched his father, regarded as one of the best upper weights to come out of this area, dominate in high school.
"I actually found them, he doesn't know I watch them as much as I do," Wicks said. "I'm not even close to his level of experience and beast mode. I just want to improve. It's nice to win one. I just want to make it to states, and place next year."
The rookie
It's been a tough debut season for Innamorato, who entered the tournament with 18 losses as the No. 6 seed. But he hit a headlock and a takedown for five with just 14 seconds left in the third period to pull off a 10-6 win over top-seeded Tylik Epps of Plainfield.
Innamorato (14-18) trailed, 6-4, after two periods and surrendered three takedowns. But he has a good headlock, which he hit for a near match-turning fall last Sunday in the team's 26-20 loss to Kingsway in the Group 4 final.
"We usually have tough opponents. I don't think most teams wrestle the kind of schedule we do," Innamorato said. "[Epps] just seemed tired and I capitalized off that, and eventually hit the headlock."
Back points
Phillipsburg senior Travis Jones was denied in his bid for a third straight title in a 6-4 loss to Roselle Park senior Mark Montgomery in the marquee finals matchup at 132. Montgomery, a two-time state qualifier and his school's all-time wins leader at 135, converted two takedowns in the final period, including one off a single-leg attempt with 22 seconds to go to seal it and earn the Outstanding Wrestler Award.
Jones (32-4), a seventh-place finisher in last year's state tournament, had won 15 straight since a 10-6 loss to Pope John junior Kaya Sement, who won a District 2 title on Saturday, in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex finals on Jan. 12. Jones was honored for earning his 100th career win against Kingsway prior to the finals.
Seniors Bryce Parenti (126) and Luke Hardin (145) also were runners-up in their first trip to the finals, while freshman James Day (113) and junior Cody Cruts (285) advanced with third-place finishes for the Stateliners.
Phillipsburg advanced 12 wrestlers to regions for the second straight season and for the 19th time since 14 weight classes were introduced for the 1995-96 season. The Stateliners have had all 14 entries place in the top three just twice -- during current head coach Dave Post's freshman and sophomore seasons in 2000 and '01. Post was a four-time champion, while John Horak, in his first year as an assistant coach on Post's staff, also won four for the 'Liners from 2007-10.
Team standings
1. Phillipsburg (Pb) 273; 2. Plainfield (P) 133; 3. Somerville (S) 116; 4. Roselle Park (RP) 107; 5. Bernards (B) 89; 6. Woodbridge (W) 68; 7. New Providence (NP) 50.5; 8. Summit-Chatham (SC) 47; 9. Carteret (C) 37.5.
Region 4 qualifiers by school
Phillipsburg 7+3+2=12; Somerville 0+4+3=7; Bernards 0+2+3=5; Plainfield 1+2+2=5; Roselle Park 4+0+1=5; Carteret 0+2+0=2; New Providence 2+0+0=2; Summit-Chatham 0+0+2=2; Woodbridge 0+1+1=2.
Championships
106 -- 1-So. Logan Maczko (29-9), Pb, p. 3-Jr. Tanner Donato (26-7), S, 3:46.
113 -- 1-Sr. Gabriel Leo (27-6), RP, md. 2-Jr. Justin Villani (27-5), B, 16-6.
120 -- 6-Fr. Joey Innamorato (14-18), Pb, d. 1-Jr. Tylik Epps (26-11), P, 10-6.
126 -- 1-So. Eddie Hummel (31-4), RP, d. 2-Sr. Bryce Parenti (24-13), Pb, 10-3.
132 -- 1-Sr. Mark Montgomery (30-2), RP, d. 2-Sr. Travis Jones (32-4), Pb, 6-4.
138 -- 1-Sr. Kyle Tino (28-10), Pb, tf. 3-Sr. Skyler Frye (20-5), P, 15-0, 5:41.
145 -- 1-Sr. Elvin Guerrero (29-6), RP, d. 2-Sr. Luke Hardin (11-19), Pb, 5-3.
152 -- 1-Sr. Cody Harrison (32-2), Pb, p. 2-So. Luke Burns (29-4), B. 2:27.
160 -- 2-Sr. Joseph Delia (33-3), NP, d. 1-Jr. Jacob Vega (34-2), C, 9-2.
170 -- 1-Jr. Ki'zuran Casey (31-7), P, p. 3-Sr. Jordan Malanga (22-10), S, 3:43.
182 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Wicks (23-13), Pb, d. 2-Sr. Yusuf Elbayar (26-10), W, 5-0.
195 -- 2-Sr. Austin Roth (30-5), Pb, d. 4-Sr. Andrew Diodato (25-6), S, 5-1.
220 -- 1-So. Gage Horvath (19-17), Pb, d. 2-Jr. Stefane Ruiz (28-10), C, 3-0.
285 -- 1-Sr. Nadeem ElMahroukey (27-10), NP, d. 3-Jr. Richard Herrera (20-10), S, 2-1 OT2.
Outstanding Wrestler Award -- Mark Montgomery, Roselle Park.
Coach of the Year -- William Dodd, Plainfield.
Assistant Coach of the Year -- Rodney Van Ness, Somerville.
Third-place consolations
106 -- 4-Fr. Sean Hunnewell (17-8), B, d. 2-Sr. Xavier Laracuente (26-7), W, 6-3.
113 -- 5-Fr. James Day (27-11), Pb, d. 3-So. Alexis Irizarry (23-13), W, 8-1.
120 -- 2-So. Nick Chabrak (22-9), S, md. 4-Jr. James Kessler (19-14), B, 16-7.
126 -- 4-Fr. Jaimen Bryant (22-10), S, d. 3-Sr. Johnny Cruz (29-8), P, 8-5.
132 -- 3-Sr. Will Kauffman (20-14), B, md. 4-Sr. Wilson Carrillo (23-15), P, 8-0.
138 -- 4-So. Patrick Nevins (23-9), SC, forfeit, 2-Sr. Jaden Catalano (18-7), W.
145 -- 4-Sr. Shaeed Greene (29-8), P, d. 3-Sr. Joseph Brucato (20-8), W, 11-6.
152 -- 4-Sr. Brendan Aldrich (19-7), S, p. 3-Sr. Justin D'Angelo-James (25-8), SC, 5:32.
160 -- 3-Sr. McRae Nkellefack (30-8), P, d. 5-Sr. TJ Abode (20-14), Pb, 5-3.
170 -- 2-Sr. Sergio Cespedes (24-8), W, md. 4-Fr. David Pierson (15-19), Pb, 9-1.
182 -- 3-Jr. Jonathan Estivene (17-16), RP, d. 4-Sr. Eswin Orellana (13-14), P, 7-5.
195 -- 1-Sr. Jackson Burns (27-8), B, p. 3-Sr. Jack Hedges (17-12), SC, 2:32.
220 -- 3-Sr. Nick Mellusi (17-8), SC, p. 5-So. Emmanuel Sutton (18-18), P, :23.
285 -- 2-Jr. Cody Cruts (13-20), Pb, d. 4-Jr. Steven Gordon (15-19), P, 4-2.
Semifinals
106 -- 1-So. Logan Maczko (28-9), Pb, p. 4-Fr. Sean Hunnewell (16-8), B, 3:00; 3-Jr. Tanner Donato (26-6), S, p. 2-Sr. Xavier Laracuente (26-6), W, 1:45.
113 -- 1-Sr. Gabriel Leo (26-6), RP, md. 5-Fr. James Day (26-11), Pb, 17-3; 2-Jr. Justin Villani (27-4), B, p. 3-So. Alexis Irizarry (23-12), W, 2:46.
120 -- 1-Jr. Tylik Epps (26-10), P, md. 4-Jr. James Kessler (19-13), B, 10-2; 6-Fr. Joey Innamorato (13-18), Pb, p. 2-So. Nick Chabrak (21-9), S, 5:39.
126 -- 1-So. Eddie Hummel (30-4), RP, p. 4-Fr. Jaimen Bryant (21-10), S, :39; 2-Sr. Bryce Parenti (24-12), Pb, d. 3-Sr. Johnny Cruz (29-7), P, 7-0.
132 -- 1-Sr. Mark Montgomery (29-2), RP, p. 4-Sr. Wilson Carrillo (23-14), P, :35; 2-Sr. Travis Jones (32-3), Pb, p. 3-Sr. Will Kauffman (19-14), B, 3:45.
138 -- 1-Sr. Kyle Tino (27-10), Pb, p. 4-So. Patrick Nevins (22-9), SC, 1:08; 3-Sr. Skyler Frye (20-4), P, md. 2-Sr. Jaden Catalano (18-7), W, 18-5.
145 -- 1-Sr. Elvin Guerrero (28-6), RP, d. 4-Sr. Shaeed Greene (28-8), P, 11-9 SV; 2-Sr. Luke Hardin (11-18), Pb, d. 3-Sr. Joseph Brucato (20-7), W, 2-1.
152 -- 1-Sr. Cody Harrison (31-2), Pb, p. 4-Sr. Brendan Aldrich (18-7), S, 1:05; 2-So. Luke Burns (29-3), B, p. 3-Sr. Justin D'Angelo-James (25-7), SC, 4:24.
160 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Vega (34-1), C, d. 5-Sr. TJ Abode (20-13), Pb, 10-5; 2-Sr. Joseph Delia (32-3), NP, tf. 3-Sr. McRae Nkellefack (29-8), P, 15-0, 4:40.
170 -- 1-Jr. Ki'zuran Casey (30-7), P, md. 4-Fr. David Pierson (15-18), Pb, 14-2; 3-Sr. Jordan Malanga (22-9), S, p. 2-Sr. Sergio Cespedes (23-8), W, 4:12.
182 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Wicks (22-13), Pb, p. 4-Sr. Eswin Orellana (13-13), P, 2:10; 2-Sr. Yusuf Elbayar (26-9), W, d. 3-Jr. Jonathan Estivene (16-16), RP, 5-3.
195 -- 4-Sr. Andrew Diodato (25-5), S, d. 1-Sr. Jackson Burns (26-8), B, 3-1; 2-Sr. Austin Roth (29-5), Pb, p. 3-Sr. Jack Hedges (17-11), SC, :27.
220 -- 1-So. Gage Horvath (18-17), Pb, p. 5-So. Emmanuel Sutton (18-17), P, 3:05; 2-Jr. Stefane Ruiz (28-9), C, d. 3-Sr. Nick Mellusi (16-8), SC, 7-5.
285 -- 1-Sr. Nadeem ElMahroukey (26-10), NP, p. 4-Jr. Steven Gordon (15-18), P, 2:40; 3-Jr. Richard Herrera (20-9), S, d. 2-Jr. Cody Cruts (12-20), Pb, 3-1.
Quarterfinals
106 -- 1-So. Logan Maczko (27-9), Pb, forfeit; 4-Fr. Sean Hunnewell (16-7), B, p. 5-Fr. Issac Salinas (14-21), P, 3:57; 3-Jr. Tanner Donato (25-6), S, p. 6-So. Juan Bolanos (4-9), SC, :49; 2-Sr. Xavier Laracuente (26-5), W, forfeit.
113 -- 1-Sr. Gabriel Leo (25-6), RP, forfeit; 5-Fr. James Day (26-10), Pb, md. 4-So. Evan Wooby (16-13), S, 11-3; 3-So. Alexis Irizarry (23-11), W, p. 6-Fr. Anthony Arias (4-9), P, 4:27; 2-Jr. Justin Villani (26-4), B, forfeit.
120 -- 1-Jr. Tylik Epps (25-10), P, md. 8-So. Danny Luc (12-11), RP, 10-0; 4-Jr. James Kessler (19-12), B, p. 5-So. Jack Wichtendahl (14-20), NP, 4:56; 6-Fr. Joey Innamorato (12-18), Pb, md. 3-So. John Rohe (19-11), SC, 12-2; 2-So. Nick Chabrak (21-8), S, d. Fr. Anthony Zecchino (17-9), W, 9-4.
126 -- 1-So. Eddie Hummel (29-4), RP, p. 8-Fr. Xavier Villalongo (7-20), C, :46; 4-Fr. Jaimen Bryant (21-9), S, injury over 5-Fr. Tyler Austin (16-13), B, :13; 3-Sr. Johnny Cruz (29-6), P, d. 6-Fr. Nicholas Di Lauro (18-15), W, 4-1; 2-Sr. Bryce Parenti (23-12), Pb, p. 7-So. Christopher DiSibio (9-16), SC, :15.
132 -- 1-Sr. Mark Montgomery (28-2), RP, forfeit; 4-Sr. Wilson Carrillo (23-13), P, p. 5-So. Jack See (9-13), S, 5:17; 3-Sr. Will Kauffman (19-13), B, md. 6-So. Julian Santana (13-14), C, 9-0; 2-Sr. Travis Jones (31-3), Pb, p. 7-Sr. Dylan Schaffer (4-13), SC, :46.
138 -- 1-Sr. Kyle Tino (26-10), Pb, p. 8-So. Anthony Castellano (3-24), NP, :41; 4-So. Patrick Nevins (22-8), SC, d. 5-Sr. Drew Graves (15-14), RP, 13-7; 3-Sr. Skyler Frye (19-4), P, p. 6-Fr. Thomas Coghan (9-19), C, 1:08; 2-Sr. Jaden Catalano (18-6), W, d. 7-Sr. Jayson Rosales (6-8), S, 7-0.
145 -- 1-Sr. Elvin Guerrero (27-6), RP, p. 8-So. Trey Richardson (10-4), SC, :38; 4-Sr. Shaeed Greene (28-7), P, md. 5-Fr. Kenny Coghan (23-13), C, 19-6; 3-Sr. Joseph Brucato (20-6), W, p. 6-Jr. Tyler Diamond (8-15), B, 1:33; 2-Sr. Luke Hardin (10-18), Pb, tf. 7-Jr. Wellington Ardila (10-16), S, 16-0, 5:05.
152 -- 1-Sr. Cody Harrison (30-2), Pb, p. 8-Fr. Aedan Bautista (3-12), C, :28; 4-Sr. Brendan Aldrich (18-6), S, p. 5-So. Tyler Job (5-13), W, :48; 3-Sr. Justin D'Angelo-James (25-6), SC, p. 6-So. Gabriel Elliot (2-3), P, 1:05; 2-So. Luke Burns (28-3), B, p. 7-Sr. Sebastian Rodriguez (2-8), RP, 3:22.
160 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Vega (33-1), C, tf. 8-Fr. Kevin Simpson (3-17), S, 15-0, 1:59; 5-Sr. TJ Abode (20-12), Pb, p. 4-Sr. Drew Mastronardi (25-8), B, :35; 3-Sr. McRae Nkellefack (29-7), P, d. 6-Sr. Patrick Gergich (15-16), RP, 5-2; 2-Sr. Joseph Delia (31-3), NP, p. 7-Sr. Dante Hauer (3-9), SC, 1:05.
170 -- 1-Jr. Ki'zuran Casey (29-7), P, forfeit; 4-Fr. David Pierson (15-17), Pb, p. 5-Sr. Patrick Chisholm (14-11), B, 3:56; 3-Sr. Jordan Malanga (21-9), S, p. 6-Sr. Omar Elshamy (15-16), NP, 3:20; 2-Sr. Sergio Cespedes (23-7), W, p. 7-Sr. Landon Dixon (13-17), SC, 2:39.
182 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Wicks (21-13), Pb, p. 8-Fr. Brandon Mora (5-7), NP, :19; 4-Sr. Eswin Orellana (13-12), P, p. 5-So. Gerard Zukowitz (13-11), S, 4:23; 3-Jr. Jonathan Estivene (16-15), RP, p. 6-Jr. Colin Walsh (4-23), B, 2:56; 2-Sr. Yusuf Elbayar (25-9), W, p. 7-So. Diego Toral (7-20), C, 1:00.
195 -- 1-Sr. Jackson Burns (26-7), B, forfeit; 4-Sr. Andrew Diodato (24-5), S, p. 5-Sr. Johnny Vasquez (16-15), P, 3:50; 3-Sr. Jack Hedges (17-10), SC, forfeit; 2-Sr. Austin Roth (28-5), Pb, forfeit.
220 -- 1-So. Gage Horvath (17-17), Pb, p. 8-Jr. Youssof Osman (0-14), B, 1:12; 5-So. Emmanuel Sutton (18-16), P, p. 4-So. Charlie Palmer (12-19), NP, 3:57; 3-Sr. Nick Mellusi (16-7), SC, d. 6-So. Alex Blomquist (7-19), S, 5-1; 2-Jr. Stefane Ruiz (27-9), C, d. 7-Sr. Christopher Costales (4-13), W, 5-1.
285 -- 1-Sr. Nadeem ElMahroukey (25-10), NP, forfeit; 4-Jr. Steven Gordon (15-17), P, p. 5-Jr. Immanuel Rivera (12-11), W, 1:58; 3-Jr. Richard Herrera (19-9), S, p. 6-Sr. Isaiah Rodriguez (17-13), C, 1:47; 2-Jr. Cody Cruts (12-19), Pb, p. 7-Fr. Brice Kuate (1-16), B, :34.
Preliminaries
138 -- 8-So. Anthony Castellano (3-23), NP, md. 9-So. Christian Arbo (1-5), B, 12-3.
145 -- 8-So. Trey Richardson (10-3), SC, md. 9-So. Gavin Trippichio (3-18), NP, 9-0.
152 -- 8-Fr. Aedan Bautista (3-11), C, p. 9-Jr. Christopher Robertson (1-15), NP, :36.
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