Wrestling: Delaware Valley at Warren Hills preview

What: Delaware Valley Terriers at Warren Hills Blue Streaks.

Where: Warren Hills Regional High School, Washington Twp.

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Live feed: Warren Hills YouTube channel

Conference: Skyland Valley Division.

Records: Delaware Valley 15-5, 3-0 division; Warren Hills 16-5, 3-0.

Area rankings (Open Mike): Delaware Valley No. 5; Warren Hills No. 7.

Coaches: Andy Fitz (218-81, 13th season, 9-2 vs. WH); Dave Sbriscia (32-9, 2nd season, 0-1 vs. DV).

Series history: Delaware Valley owns a 31-19 edge dating to 1963, and has won three consecutive meetings, including a 35-24 victory at home last season on Jan. 30, 2019. Terriers, who had their six-match winning streak in the series snapped by a 40-18 loss at Warren Hills on Jan. 6, 2016, have won 17 of the previous 19 meetings since the Streaks (who also scored a 38-36 victory at home on Feb. 5, 2009) rattled off four in a row from 1995-98. The schools did not meet in 2007 or '08 after wrestling continuously from 1972 to 2006.

Note: Delaware Valley wrestlers listed first with season records in parentheses.

106 -- Sr. Derek Schepens (17-11) vs. Fr. Kevin Riedinger (8-19).

113 -- So. Robert Groogan (15-11) vs. Fr. Shawn Redfield (15-12).

120 -- Jr. Cooper Gill (18-9) vs. Sr. Greg Slivka (21-6).

126 -- Sr. Gage Crater (24-4) or Fr. Chris Colasurdo (7-8) vs. So. Jared Lee (17-10) or Fr. Michael Drazek (2-2).

132 -- Sr. Chase Christie (15-12) vs. Sr. Logan Nauta (21-6).

138 -- Jr. Corey Crater (16-12) vs. Sr. Geir Nemeth (20-7).

145 -- Sr. Shane Reynolds (15-10) or Jr. Ben Brown (3-7) vs. Jr. Reese Manfredi (5-12) or So. Caden Crawford (3-10).

152 -- Fr. Garett Tettemer (19-7) vs. So. Stephen Malia (22-5).

160 -- Jr. Tyler Lagun (9-10) or Sr. Nick Ferri (7-6) vs. So. Owen Frizzell (21-6).

170 -- Sr. Andrew Larsen (9-10) vs. Sr. Nick Hildebrant (15-6) or Fr. Jarett Pantuso (2-0).

182 -- Sr. Matt Zdepski (7-14) vs. Jr. Brandon Riggs (4-14) or So. Ryan Galka (2-0).

195 -- Sr. Zach Zuchowski (16-8) or So. Matt Schneider (10-7) vs. So. Michael Galka (11-10).

220 -- Sr. Nick Moose (18-10) vs. So. Tyler McCatharn (24-3) or Jr. Logan Polcari (13-11) or Jr. Ian Kean (0-2) or Jack Carman (3-7).

285 -- Sr. Ryan Sutter (11-2) or Jr. Gabe Templeton (0-2) vs. Polcari or McCatharn or Carman.

Warren Hills logged the program's 760th win on Wednesday. 

Breakdown: It should be quite a night -- it's great to just have a Saturday evening match which is extremely rare these days outside of Phillipsburg -- with Warren Hills set to honor its No. 1 ranked and unbeaten Group 3 championship team from 1989-90 prior to the match. The two storied programs have combined for 1,550 wins, with Del Val sitting at 790 and Warren Hills at 760. ... This match, which is for the Valley Division title, has all the makings to be a nip-and-tuck affair. Straight up, Del Val will be favored at 106, 113, 126, 145, 195 and 220 (Moose vs. Polcari, who was noticeably absent from the lineup against Hackettstown). Warren Hills has the edge at 120, 132, 138, 152, 160 and 170. The tossups are 182 and 285 (Sutter vs. McCatharn). There could be quite a bit of movement as the Streaks could bump Lee -- who has two tight losses to Crater, 3-1, in the John Goles Invitational and, 6-5, in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament -- to go for a sweep from 132 through 170. Malia decked Tettemer in the John Goles quarterfinals, while Nauta and Nemeth have pinned Christie and Corey Crater, respectively, this season. In all, Del Val has a 6-5 edge in prior head-to-head meetings this season. One significant absence from the Terriers' lineup has been Sutter, who has been sidelined  since the HWS Tournament on Jan. 11. There, he scored a 5-4 win over McCatharn. Depending on who wins the flip, McCatharn, who weighed in at 220 for the Patriot Duals last Saturday, may face Moose, with Sbriscia looking to get at least one of the last two weights. Del Val could also run Tettemer to 160, and Zuchowski and Moose up a weight each if Sutter isn't available to return. Fitz may want to make those moves in any case and he could also counter at 126 with Colasurdo if Sbriscia bumps Lee to 132. Del Val probably gets four wins no matter the matchups and Warren Hills five, so it boils down to what happens in the remaining five bouts and it's why both teams will likely make some moves. I think it's tight no matter the matchups, but the Streaks should be able to come away with a few more bonus points and that's the difference in what projects to be a 7-7 split.

Prediction: Warren Hills, 30-29.

Wrestling: Voorhees hangs tough in coach's absence

LEBANON TWP. -- As far as wins and losses, it's been a tough go for Voorhees' wrestling team in what was expected to be a rebuilding season. But three Vikings tasted victory on their Senior Night in a 40-27 loss to Newton in an independent match on Wednesday evening.

Newton is now 1-6 all-time vs. Voorhees dating to 1986.

Voorhees (1-14), which featured four seniors in the lineup, actually prevailed, 6-3, in contested bouts as Newton (9-7), which got its first victory in seven career meetings with the Vikes, received four forfeits among its seven wins. But what stood out more than the match was the continued absence of Eric Hall from the home bench. Assistant Ricky Kurtz, who is also the Hunterdon County school's head football coach, once again served as the interim head wrestling coach just as he did on Saturday for a tri-match at Belvidere -- losses to the County Seaters (48-30) and Livingston (54-16).

School officials are not commenting about Hall's job status, despite the noticeable fact that he hasn't been with the team since a 45-30 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan last Thursday.

"It's a personnel matter and I can not comment on it," Voorhees athletic director Brian Baumann, a former assistant on Hall's staff, said during a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon and again after Wednesday's match.

Both principal Ron Peterson and Hall have not returned phone messages seeking comment.

Hall had guided the Vikings to three sectional championships over the previous seven seasons and to nine straight winning campaigns before this season. Kurtz, a former Delaware Valley state placewinner, finishing fourth at 160 pounds as a senior in 2004, said he has not been given any information about Hall's situation.

"I have no clue," said Kurtz, now 1-3 as interim coach, including a victory over Bernards last season while filling in for Hall. "Right now, I'm just doing my thing. I've got to get the kids ready to wrestle and finish out the season."

Returning state qualifier Seven Rich, who finished fourth in Region 4 last season, was one of the winning Voorhees seniors. Rich used a third-period reversal for a 4-2 win over junior Danny Cleary, a Region 1 qualifier, in the final bout of the night at 126, while both Garrett Loescher (160) and Zach Tong (220) prevailed in one-point bouts. In addition, sophomore Luke Bush earned his third career varsity win by pinning Valerio Sanchez at 106.

"That was a big win for [Bush]," Kurtz said. "When you give up 24 points [in forfeits] your chances [to win the dual meet] are slim, especially against a tough team like Newton. We try to get the best matches for the kids at this point. They wrestled well tonight."

Newton jumped out to a 16-0 lead and never trailed as freshman Thaylor Sibblies (132) and sophomore Takeo Sibblies (138) started it off with a pin and a major decision. Voorhees opted to bump sophomore Mike Mosier, a district fourth-place finisher as a freshman, away from a matchup with Region 1 qualifier JoJo Lotruglio, who received a forfeit at 145. Mosier scored an 8-3 win over Ryan Pappas at 152.

After Loescher's 3-2 win over Melkart Abou-Jaoude, a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament medalist, Newton received three straight forfeits from 170-195 to stretch the lead to 34-6 through eight bouts before Voorhees ran off four in a row, capped by a forfeit win at 113. Junior Nathan Fitt, who is looking like a state medal contender at 120 this season, sealed it for the Braves in the next-to-last bout by decking Josh Evers in 1:09.

"It's nice to get a win over Voorhees," said veteran Newton coach Eric Bollette, who was informed that the program had lost six previous meetings (1986, '87, '88, '90, '91 and '92) in the series. "We're looking forward to North Warren [an NJAC cross-divisional matchup at home on Thursday]."

NEWTON 40, VOORHEES 27
132 -- Fr. Thaylor Sibblies (14-9), N, p. Jr. Myles Murphy (2-14), :59.
138 -- So. Takeo Sibblies (2-1), N, md. Sr. Kyle Bryan (6-17), 10-2.
145 -- Jr. JoJo Lotruglio (22-4), N, forfeit.
152 -- So. Mike Mosier (15-9), V, d. Jr. Ryan Pappas (6-14), 8-3.
160 -- Sr. Garrett Loescher (15-7), V, d. So. Melkart Abou-Jaoude (9-12), 3-2.
170 -- Sr. Trevor Aughenbaugh (14-5), N, forfeit.
182 -- Fr. Brody Guerra (5-6), N, forfeit.
195 -- Sr. Julian Sibblies (21-5), N, forfeit.
220 -- Sr. Zach Tong (17-4), V, d. Jr. Jabari Oxley (7-15), 1-0.
285 -- Fr. Jack Mosier (11-12), V, d. Sr. Isaiah Wilkins (4-14), 3-0.
106 -- So. Luke Bush (1-5), V, p. Sr. Valerio Sanchez (4-14), 4:28.
113 -- So. Hunter Cryan (13-10), V, forfeit.
120 -- Jr. Nathan Fitt (24-2), N, p. So. Josh Evers (5-13), 1:09.
126 -- Sr. Seven Rich (10-8), V, d. Jr. Danny Cleary (15-10), 4-2.
Records -- Newton 9-7; Voorhees 1-14.
Official -- Frank Leitner.

Wrestling: 3 takeaways from High Point-P'burg

Phillipsburg's wrestling team just completed a brutal run of five tough matches over 12 days, including four against state-ranked teams and another against archrival Easton (Pa.). So what else is new, right?

"When we made the schedule the previous season, we knew [this stretch] was going to be a grind," said Post, whose squad went 3-2 in that span with wins over Toms River North (29-28 on Jan. 16), Easton (42-22 on Jan. 23) and High Point (34-24 on Monday) and losses to North Hunterdon (30-24 on Jan. 15) and Southern (36-24 on Jan. 18). "[High Point] was supposed to be in the middle [originally slated for Saturday, Jan. 18], but it's now the bookend to it. When you wrestle in close matches, our kids know how important every takedown is. It teaches them and they learn a lot."

P'burg returns to the new gym on Saturday vs. Newton.

Those tough stretches also put the Stateliners, ranked No. 10 in the New Jersey Writers Association Top 20, in position for team success and the program's annual run at sectional and Group 4 state championships. No. 12 High Point has the same designs in Group 2 and a rugged schedule as well. That matchup on Monday night at The Pit certainly did not disappoint those who expected a tightly-contested match (Open Mike had it a seven-point margin of victory for the 'Liners).

"This one lived up to the billing," said P'burg coach and former wrestler Dave Post, now 3-0 in these "Return to The Pit" matches, which began when the new high school opened across town for the 2017-18 season.

"This place brings back a lot of memories for me personally. We had everything set up and [assistant coach Scott] Silvis and I sat in our two [customary chairs on the bench] waiting for [High Point to arrive] and he turned to me and said, 'Feels like we never left.' I'm very thankful to the [P'burg school] administration for allowing us to do this every year."

Here are three takeaways from Monday night's big independent matchup:

1. Missed it by that much

To get an idea of just how close this one was for those who didn't see it, consider that five of the 14 bouts were decided by two points or fewer -- all wins for P'burg, which High Point coach John Gardner lamented in a postmatch interview session. That stretch included a key 5-3 decision from 'Liners sophomore James Day over state qualifier Clayton Utter, who got in deep twice on double-leg takedown attempts in the final 11 seconds of their bout at 113 pounds. That win avenged a 10-3 loss to Utter last season in the Stateliners' 30-27 dual-meet victory in Wantage.

"I was really worried about the team aspect [against High Point]," Day said. "I wanted to do what I can for the team."

Post credited his wrestlers for pulling out the close ones, particularly in the third period. Sophomore David Pierson executed a reversal with 31 seconds left for a 2-1 decision over PJ Soldano at 182, senior Jacob Wicks with a takedown and two back points with 57 seconds to go en route to a 6-4 win against Sean Van Wingerden at 195, senior Cody Cruts converted a takedown with seven seconds left for a 4-2 win over Troy Van Orden at 285, and junior Logan Maczko hit a merkle to collect four decisive points in the final seconds of a 7-5 win over Charles Antcliff.

"We had a couple come-from-behind victories," Post said. "The fans are so close [to the mat] here and as a wrestler, you can start to feel the crowd and you get like this second wind. The crowd gets loud and you find this extra gear."

2. It's all about the matchups

High Point got the flip in hopes of matching up sophomore stud Brian Soldano against Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex champion Nate Zastowny at 160, but P'burg sent out James Palitto and the 'Cats were not in an advantageous position to chase Zastowny at 170. With junior Alex Buchwald coming off early-season injuries, Gardner instead opted to send out reserve sophomore Troy Tiger and the teams traded pins.

"Even winning the flip, the guys [opposing coaches sent out on the mat] dictate what happens," Gardner said. "That's why it takes 14 guys to be successful."

3. Eyes on the prize

High Point will likely be the top seed in North 1, Group 2 when the official sectional tournament pairings are released early next week following Saturday's cutoff. Phillipsburg, which was No. 2 in North 2, Group 4 this week, will most certainly have to go on the road in its bid for an eighth straight championship and the program's 39th overall with that loss to No. 1 North Hunterdon.

"We look to make a run through [team] states," Day said. "The individual goals will be put off until March."

The 'Cats, who are the overwhelming favorite in Group 2 after a runner-up finish last season, should receive a boost when junior Nick Douma returns, most likely at the start of sectional week on Monday, Feb. 10. His return will also lend some needed flexibility to the lineup as he can be inserted around 132 and enable junior Josh Gervey (132) and senior Billy Talmadge (138) to maneuver up for desired matchups with the loss of freshman Shane Woolf (145), who is out with a knee injury.

The emergence of freshman Roman Citro (103) and sophomore Charles "Chuck" Antcliff (113-120), who could be a major factor in the postseason, down low, is also good news for High Point. This gives the 'Cats, who also feature state medal contender and senior Devon Liebl (126), a formidable run from 106 through 138. Throw in Soldano, a state qualifier last season, and that's seven wrestlers who can be counted on for wins in most matches. The upper weights also look to be turning the corner as the efforts from 182 on up were good in tough losses against P'burg. Three juniors -- Sean Van Wingerden, Justin Klass (220) and Troy Van Orden will be counted on heavily in 2020-21.

"We have a number of guys, like Sean Van Wingerden, Van Orden, Chuck Antcliff and Buchwald, who can compete and provide six minutes or longer," Gardner said.

Wrestling: P'burg enjoys good Day vs. High Point

PHILLIPSBURG -- Nothing seems sweeter for a Phillipsburg wrestler than getting a big victory at The Pit.

And sophomore James Day was beaming about keeping his record perfect at the fabled gym following his key decision at 113 pounds that helped the Stateliners secure a 34-24 victory over High Point on Monday night in an independent clash between state-ranked teams at Phillipsburg Middle School.

The Stateliners (8-2), ranked No. 10 by the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association, held a 28-21 lead through 11 bouts before Day converted a pair of takedowns en route to scoring a thrilling 5-3 decision over returning state qualifier Clayton Utter, who got in deep twice on double-leg attempts in the final 11 seconds, in what many figured was a pivotal bout heading into the contest.

P'burg is 19-1 all-time against High Point dating to 1989.

"I had taken him down last year," said Day, who avenged a 10-3 loss to Utter in last season's dual meet at High Point and improved to 2-0 lifetime at The Pit, including an 8-3 win over Kittatinny's Shane Nelson here as a freshman. "I just wanted to get good attacks to the left side, because I knew that was the side where I could finish. I knew if I could scratch through -- it would be big for me and even bigger to lock down the dual meet. To do it in this environment in front of the fans and the big crowd is special."

P'burg is now 3-0 in these "Return to The Pit" matches, which began early in the 2017-18 season when the new high school opened across town. Coach Dave Post, who wrestled for the 'Liners and went unbeaten here while also recording his 100th career win at The Pit, was happy for Day and his team to come out on top.

"This is an opportunity to wrestle, to me, in the most special place," said Post, who improved to 4-0 all-time against High Point and 155-25 overall in his 10 seasons. "The [crowd] capacity is 1,200 or 1,250, and every person here knows how special this place is. James knows how important our team is and he wasn't going to be denied tonight."

No. 12 High Point (6-3), which won just five bouts and lost as many by two points or fewer, couldn't find a way to pull out the close ones. Junior Josh Gervey (132) and state placewinner Billy Talmadge (138) got the 'Cats off to a strong start in the first two bouts, but coach John Gardner, who was looking for his second win against P'burg and first since winning here in 2009, couldn't get the matchups that he wanted at 160 and 170. P'burg was able to avoid state qualifier Brian Soldano, who decked James Palitto in 30 seconds, and get a pin from Nate Zastowny to win seven of the next eight to control the match.

"We felt it was a better option for us to go out and get the win at 160," said Gardner, who opted not to chase after Zastowny despite winning the flip while also choosing to sit junior Alex Buchwald (170) as he continues to work back from some early-season injuries. "It's easy to look back after a match at what you should have done. We make the best decisions at the time. We just came up a little short."

This match was decided in the upper weights as P'burg ran the table from 170 through 285. Sophomore David Pierson (182) and senior Jacob Wicks (195) both delivered crucial decisions by scoring decisive points late in the third period. Pierson got a reversal with 31 seconds to go for a 2-1 win over PJ Soldano, while Wicks converted a takedown and two backs for a 6-4 victory over Sean Van Wingerden, a returning district finalist. Junior Gage Horvath (220) followed with a major and senior Cody Cruts got a short-time takedown for a 4-2 win at 285.

Post said he had debated earlier in the day with assistant coach Scott Silvis about whether to flip Pierson and Wicks, who both weigh-in at 182.

"It's stylistics with Jacob and David," Post said. "David is a leg rider and Soldano is so good with legs. Wicks is very strong and he does well against taller guys. Wrestling in close matches, our kids know how important every point is."

Good thing for P'burg that the big guys came through because High Point, which finished with a 21-19 edge in takedowns, won two of the last four bouts and nearly pulled off an upset at 120, where Charles Antcliff gave returning state qualifier Logan Maczko all he could handle in a 7-5 loss. Maczko needed four points off a merkle in the final 10 seconds to pull it out, as he got the takedown and two flags from official Bill Dickson, which Gardner argued were never signaled at the time.

But it was that kind of night for the visitors, now 1-19 overall as a program in this series dating to 1989.

"I think in four or five matches, we were winning as time ran out, and we didn't win any of them," said Gardner, who is 1-6 against P'burg in his 22 seasons. "We have to do a little better in those situations, and I have to do a better job of coaching and getting them ready."

PHILLIPSBURG 34, HIGH POINT 24
132 -- Jr. Josh Gervey (18-3), HP, md. Jr. Jason Tino (13-12), 14-6.
138 -- Sr. Billy Talmadge (24-0), HP, tf. Fr. Hunter Cleaver (2-5), 21-6, 5:21.
145 -- Sr. Jared Kukor (12-9), P, tf. Jr. Clay Sytsema (2-5), 15-0, 4:30.
152 -- So. Matt D'Onofrio (12-11), P, md. So. Noah Ripley (7-15), 14-5.
160 -- So. Brian Soldano (18-1), HP, p. So. James Palitto (1-2), :30.
170 -- So. Nate Zastowny (20-5), P, p. So. Troy Tiger (2-10), :27.
182 -- So. David Pierson (14-10), P, d. Sr. PJ Soldano (15-8), 2-1.
195 -- Sr. Jacob Wicks (18-8), P, d. Jr. Sean Van Wingerden (8-11), 4-2.
220 -- Jr. Gage Horvath (15-9), P, md. Jr. Justin Klass (10-11), 12-4.
285 -- Sr. Cody Cruts (16-7), P, d. Jr. Troy Van Orden (3-5), 4-2.
106 -- Fr. Roman Citro (10-5), HP, p. So. Sean Stasiulaitis (7-12), 4:33.
113 -- So. James Day (20-6), P, d. So. Clayton Utter (13-4), 7-5.
120 -- Jr. Logan Maczko (13-6), P, d. So. Charles Antcliff (13-9), 7-5.
126 -- Sr. Devon Liebl (21-3), HP, d. So. Joey Innamorato (16-6), 7-2.
Records -- High Point 6-3; Phillipsburg 8-2.
Officials -- Bill Dickson and Chris Rebels.

Wrestling: North holds steady in NJWWA Top 20

Fresh off beating two state-ranked opponents at the Patriot Duals, North Hunterdon remains at No. 4 in this week's New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20 released on Monday night.

The Lions (14-0), who claimed the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title for the program's first championship since the 1994-95 season with a win at home against Montgomery last Wednesday, scored an impressive 38-23 victory over No. 12 High Point -- winning eight bouts, including four pins and two major decisions -- in the final and a 35-28 win against No. 17 West Essex in the semifinals of the Patriot Duals on Saturday at North Warren Regional High School.

"West Essex wasn't our best performance. We wrestled OK," said third-year North coach Chris Hrunka, who said his team is improving with each match. "We wrestled them in the summer a little bit and we knew they had balance, and tough kids through the lineup. We put together a lot of good efforts [against High Point]. As the tournament went on, we wrestled better and better."

Against High Point, seniors Kyle Anderson (160), Nate Fossett (182) and Evan Klimas (145), along with sophomore Liam Akers (285) all had pins, while freshman Daniel Delusant (126) scored a key decision victory.

North will take on two county rivals this week as it hosts Delaware Valley on Tuesday before traveling to The Field House for a Skyland Conference cross-divisional match against Hunterdon Central on Friday.

High Point (6-3), which also has a 32-31 criteria loss (most first points) to No. 7 Howell, fell, 34-24 to No. 10 Phillipsburg at The Pit on Monday night. Coach John Gardner's Wildcats will travel to No. 9 Southern, which scored a 36-24 win over the Stateliners on Saturday, in a key independent clash on Thursday.

Phillipsburg (8-2), which gave up five pins in the loss to Southern, caps its week at home against Newton on Saturday -- the sectional tournament cutoff date.

Pope John (8-4), which suffered losses to No. 1 Bergen Catholic and No. 6 Kingsway on Saturday, checks in at No. 13 this week. The Lions will face No. 19 Montville in a key NJAC American Division clash on Tuesday and No. 5 St. Joseph-Montvale on Wednesday before taking on national power Wyoming Seminary on Saturday. 

Bergen Catholic (14-2) avoided its first loss to an NJSIAA school since 2012 with a 36-29 win over St. Joseph-Montvale last week.

Despite a loss, St. Augustine made the biggest jump this week -- moving up four spots to No. 8 -- with victories against No. 11 Toms River North (37-26) and No. 15 St. Peter's Prep (35-28) on Saturday. The Hermits dropped a 29-28 decision on criteria to Kingsway, which won eight bouts, on Friday. 

Rank	School	Record	Previous
1	Bergen Catholic	(14-2)	1
2	Delbarton	(12-2)	2
3	Camden Catholic	(12-2)	3
4	North Hunterdon	(14-0)	4
5	St. Joseph-Montvale	(4-3)	10
6	Kingsway	(12-2)	5
7	Howell	(18-1)	6
8	St. Augustine	(11-3)	12
9	Southern	(10-1)	9
10	Phillipsburg	(8-2)	7
11	Toms River North	(14-4)	8
12	High Point	(6-3)	11
13	Pope John	(8-4)	13
14	Paulsboro	(12-2)	14
15	St. Peter's Prep	(5-5)	15
16	Seton Hall Prep	(11-1)	16
17	West Essex	(13-2)	18
18	Brick Memorial	(13-3)	17
19	Montville	(10-1)	19
20	Mount Olive	(11-2)	NR

Others receiving votes: Williamstown.

NJWWA voting members listed in alphabetical order: Donald J. Brower (GardenStateHSWrestling.com); Frank D’Esposito (theshoreconference.com; Steven Falk (Asbury Park Press and APP.com); Sean Farrell (The Record of Hackensack and NorthJersey.com); Jane Havsy (Daily Record and DailyRecord.com); “Screwy” Louie Lazzari (New Jersey wrestling historian); John Lewis (Burlington County Times and phillyburbs.com); Ron Mazzola (NJWWA president and Region V ranking chairman); Tom McGurk (Courier Post of Cherry Hill); Andy Mendlowitz (Courier News and MyCentralJersey.com); Greg Tufaro (Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com); Michael Weilamann (Open Mike).

Wrestling: Patriot Duals wrap, notes (HWS rankings)

Give High Point's wrestling team credit for not shying away from taking some losses. The end result is what matters for the Wildcats and veteran coach John Gardner as they keep their eyes on the big prize in February -- winning a Group 2 state title.

"This is just part of our process," Gardner said following a 38-23 loss to North Hunterdon in the title match at the Patriot Duals on Saturday. 

High Point (6-2), ranked No. 11 in the state by the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association, gets right back at it on Monday night with an independent clash against No. 7 Phillipsburg at The Pit. The 'Cats have beaten the Stateliners just once (2009) in 19 meetings, but the goal for any team worth its salt is to be better at the end of the season than in December and January.

"You have to face good teams to reach your potential," said Gardner, whose team is looking to atone for a 46-26 loss to South Plainfield in last season's Group 2 final. I'm not going to complain about where we are at."

The 'Cats are led by seniors Devon Liebl (20-3 at 126) and Billy Talmadge (23-0 at 138), fifth in the state tournament last season, along with sophomore stud Brian Soldano (17-1 at 160). Sophomore Clayton Utter (13-3 at 113) and junior Josh Gervey (17-3 at 132) are also returning state qualifiers, while freshman Roman Citro (9-5) has solidified the lower weights since dropping to 106, scoring a 1-0 win over North Hunterdon's Logan Wadle, a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament champion.

"We have some guys who make it difficult for people and cause problems, and we have some spots where we will continue to work," Gardner said.

The upper weights continue to be a work in progress, while injuries have also impacted the lineup, including the loss of talented freshman Shane Woolf (6-5 at 138-145) for the season with a knee issue. Gardner hopes to get junior Nick Douma back soon to help out around 132 and give the team some much needed flexibility. Junior Alex Buchwald (4-2 at 170) is being counted on up top after missing most of the season with injuries.

North Hunterdon coach Chris Hrunka also liked what he saw from his team in the win over High Point. The Lions continued the march toward their goal of winning North 2, Group 4 and Group 4 state titles -- winning eight bouts against High Point, including four pins and two major decisions.

"I think our guys are getting better," Hrunka said. "As the [Patriot Duals] went on, we wrestled better and better. There was not too much more I could ask from these guys."

The Lions (14-0) have certainly been battle tested -- beating Kingsway and Paulsboro, the reigning state champions in Group 4 and 1, at the Boresch Duals on Jan. 4 -- while ending a 13-year drought against Phillipsburg with a 30-24 win on Jan. 15. Including a 35-28 victory over West Essex in the Patriot Duals semifinals, North has knocked off five ranked teams in the NJWWA Top 20. That's a tough gauntlet this early for any team, but the Lions have responded well to the grind.

"It helps that they're having success," Hrunka said. "We thought we could have a couple losses by now. But we wanted them to see [tough teams] because that's what sections and groups are going to be like. We're trying to keep it light and fun with them."

Hrunka maintains that his team has not hit its peak this season.

"We're getting closer," he said.

Now, onto this week's rankings:

North celebrates its title at the Patriot Duals.

1. North Hunterdon (14-0) -- Lions cruised to wins over Warren Hills (58-10) and Montgomery (69-7) on Wednesday, as the latter secured the program's fourth Skyland Conference title (this one in the Raritan Division) overall and first since the 1994-95 season. Coach Chris Hrunka's team, ranked No. 4 in the state, collected another trophy at the Patriot Duals on Saturday with victories over High Point (38-23), West Essex (35-28) and Morris Catholic (84-0). Junior Frank DiEsso (18-3 at 120) picked up his 75th career win with a major decision in the title match.

Up next: Delaware Valley at home on Tuesday; at Hunterdon Central on Friday.

2. Phillipsburg (7-2) -- Stateliners opened last week with a 61-9 thumping of Ridge in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash before knocking off Easton (Pa.), 42-22, in the 83rd meeting of that historic rivalry -- giving the 'Liners, who have won five of the last seven matchups vs. the Red Rovers, back-to-back wins in the series for the second time since 2014-15 and the third time overall since winning nine straight from 1963-71. Coach Dave Post's team suffered a 36-24 loss to Southern on Saturday, as P'burg yielded five pins and lost the flip to control 160 and 170, which also hurt. 

Nice n Quiet now at the PIT n @Pburgstudsec but in 30 Hours the PIT n @Pburgstudsec Will Rocking n Rolling!!

Tomorrow Night is SOLD OUT!!

Doors open at 5pm

JV-5:30pm
Varsity- 7pm@StatelinerSport Air time is 6:50pm on @YouTube @HighPointHSWres at @PBurgHSWrestlin pic.twitter.com/NbJU43lmSe

— PBurg HS Wrestling (@PBurgHSWrestlin) January 26, 2020

Up next: High Point at The Pit on Monday; at Hanover Park on Wednesday; Hillsborough at home on Thursday; Newton at home on Saturday.

3. High Point (6-2) -- Wildcats picked up a pair NJAC cross-division wins against West Morris (48-21) on Tuesday and Mount Olive (32-23) on Thursday before going 2-1 and finishing second at the Patriot Duals on Saturday. Coach John Gardner's team posted victories over North Warren (65-9) and Westfield (52-16) before dropping a 38-23 decision to North Hunterdon in the title match. Senior Billy Talmadge went 3-0 on Saturday in improving to 23-0 on the season and 123-26 for his career. -- moving him into a tie with Gavin Tarsa (123-24 from 2004-08) for ninth place on the program's all-time list. 

Up next: at Phillipsburg on Monday; Jefferson at home on Tuesday; at Southern on Thursday; Watchung Hills at Hunterdon Central on Saturday.

4. Pope John (8-4) -- After opening last week with wins over Don Bosco Prep (54-14) and West Morris (45-28) on Tuesday and Thursday, the Lions went 1-2 at the Kingsway Duals on Saturday, with losses to defending Group 4 champion Kingsway (36-28) and top-ranked Bergen Catholic (54-20), along with a win over Jackson Memorial (50-24).

Up next: at Montville on Tuesday; St. Joseph-Montvale at home on Wednesday; at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on Saturday.

5. Delaware Valley (14-4) -- Terriers, who are dealing with the flu bug, went 3-3 last week with wins against Bernards (60-16) and Hillsborough (48-18) after a loss to Watchung Hills (33-28). In a quad on Saturday, coach Andy Fitz's team dropped decisions to Manalapan (65-9) and Sayreville (42-28) before getting a win over Perth Amboy (57-24). The victory over Bernards set up a showdown with Warren Hills on Saturday for the Skyland Conference Valley Division title. Senior Gage Crater (23-4) enters the week needing three wins to become the 13th wrestler in program history to reach 100.

DV 48, Hillsborough 18

Win #788

Brian Matthews changed the number! pic.twitter.com/wHopIM6LZM

— Del Val Wrestling (@DVRWrestling) January 25, 2020

Up next: at North Hunterdon on Tuesday; New Brunswick at home on Wednesday; at Warren Hills on Saturday.

6. Hunterdon Central (8-5) -- Red Devils rolled to a 38-21 win over Morris Knolls on Wednesday as the program honored the life of former head coach Russ Riegel, who died at the age of 89 last November. Riegel, a four-time state finalist for Washington High School under the legendary John Goles, led Central to eight of its 22 sectional titles and the Group 4 championship in 1989 -- its only state title -- while compiling a career mark of 533-89-6. Coach Jon Cantagallo's team closed out the week by going 2-1 in a quad at home with wins against Roxbury (52-27) and Westwood (30-21) -- program wins 992 and 993, along with a loss to Woodstown (31-30).

Up next: at Bound Brook on Wednesday; North Hunterdon at home on Friday; High Point and Watchung Hills at home on Saturday.

7. Warren Hills (14-5) -- Blue Streaks finished fifth at the Patriot Duals -- scoring wins over Bound Brook (51-23) and North Warren (38-34) after a tough loss to Westfield (34-32) in the opening round. Coach Dave Sbriscia's team opened the week with a win against Montgomery (59-13) and a loss to North Hunterdon (58-10) in a tri-meet on Wednesday before staying unbeaten in Skyland Conference Valley Division action with a 41-18 win at Somerville on Friday. Senior Logan Nauta (19-6 at 132) picked up his 70th and 71st career victories on Saturday. The program is set to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the 1989-90 team's unbeaten season, Group 3 state title and No. 1 state ranking prior to the Del Val match on Saturday.

Up next: Manville at home on Wednesday; at Hackettstown on Friday; Delaware Valley at home on Saturday.

8. Kittatinny (7-4) -- Cougars scored a 35-33 win over Newton on Thursday to snap a two-match skid in the series and swept a quad against Pascack Valley (48-19), Ramapo (58-15) and Dumont (51-27) on Saturday. Against Newton, senior Gian Knippenberg escaped at the buzzer in the ultimate tiebreaker for a 4-3 win in a key bout at 160 pounds as coach John Gill went up against his friend and former wrestler Eric Bollette, now 6-16 against his mentor as Newton coach. "I'm competitive and so is Eric, I didn't want [wins in the series] to start slipping away," Gill said. "We've gotten used to getting beat by P'burg [which has won 10 in a row against the Cougars]. We've beaten them, but they've gotten on a run and then no one remembers when you have."

Up next: at West Morris on Monday; Hackettstown at home on Tuesday; at Sparta on Friday; Wayne Hills, Paramus Catholic and Ridgewood at home on Saturday.

9. Sparta (9-5) -- Spartans rebounded from a 49-21 loss to Montville in an NJAC American Division clash on Thursday by going 2-1 in a quad on Saturday with wins over Demarest (58-20) and Wallkill Valley (69-3) around a loss to Pascack Hills (37-35) as coach Frank Battaglia took the opportunity to rest several starters. Senior Garrett Stewart (20-1 at 138) is two wins shy of becoming the school's all-time leader, while junior Spencer Stewart (21-0 at 132), a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament champion, enters the week with 94 career wins.

Up next: Roxbury at home on Tuesday; Kittatinny at home on Friday; Waldwick at Pascack Valley on Saturday.

10. Newton (8-7) -- Braves dropped a tough 35-33 decision to crosstown rival Kittatinny before a packed house at Henry Boresch Memorial Gym on Thursday -- snapping the program's two-match winning streak in the series. Coach Eric Bollette's team bounced back with independent victories against New Brunswick (47-21) and Montgomery (71-8) in a tri-meet on Saturday.

Up next: at Voorhees on Wednesday; North Warren at home on Thursday; at Phillipsburg on Saturday.

On the bubble

North Warren (7-7) -- Patriots finished seventh in their dual tournament on Saturday with a 71-12 win against Morris Catholic following losses to High Point (65-9) and Warren Hills (38-34). Coach Kellen Bradley and the staff did a great job with the tournament, which looks to remain a featured event for 2021. North, which got two key wrestlers -- senior Justin Gerkhardt (126) and Austin Collett (170) back in the lineup -- also took another step toward the NJAC Colonial Division title with a 78-6 victory over Wallkill Valley on Thursday.

Up next: Vernon at home on Tuesday; at Newton on Thursday; Glen Rock, Paramus and West Milford at home on Saturday.

Wrestling: High Point at Phillipsburg preview, lineups

What: High Point Wildcats at Phillipsburg Stateliners.

Where: The Pit at Phillipsburg Middle School.

When: Monday, 7 p.m.

Conference: Independent.

Live feed: Stateliner Sports

State rankings (New Jersey Writers): High Point No. 11; Phillipsburg No. 7.

Area rankings (Open Mike): High Point No. 3; Phillipsburg No. 2.

Records: High Point 6-2; Phillipsburg 7-2.

Coaches: John Gardner (368-105-2, 22nd season, 1-5 vs. P'burg); Dave Post (154-25, 10th season, 3-0 vs. HP).

Series history: Phillipsburg owns an 18-1 edge dating to 1989, including six postseason meetings and a 62-6 rout in the last matchup at The Pit on Jan. 30, 2015. High Point's lone win came in a regular-season dual meet -- 30-22 at The Pit on Jan. 31, 2009. Stateliners are 6-0 on the road, including a 30-27 win last season on Jan. 18, 2019.

Note: High Point wrestlers listed first with season records in parentheses.

106 -- Fr. Roman Citro (9-5) vs. So. Sean Stasiulaitis (7-11).

113 -- So. Clayton Utter (13-3) vs. So. James Day (19-6).

120 -- So. Charles Antcliff (13-8) vs. Jr. Logan Maczko (12-6) or So. Hakeem Ransdell (5-10).

126 -- Sr. Devon Liebl (20-3) or So. Andrew Brevot (2-9) vs. So. Joey Innamorato (16-5).

132 -- Jr. Josh Gervey (17-3) or Jr. Nick Douma (0-0) vs. Jr. Jason Tino (13-11).

138 -- Sr. Billy Talmadge (23-0) or Jr. Clay Sytsema (2-4) vs. Fr. Hunter Cleaver (2-4).

145 --  Sytsema or Talmadge vs. Sr. Jared Kukor (11-9).

152 -- So. Noah Ripley (7-14) vs. So. Matt D'Onofrio (11-11).

160 -- So. Brian Soldano (17-1) vs. So. Nate Zastowny (19-5) or Sr. Denny Perez (7-10) or So. James Palitto (1-1).

170 -- Jr. Alex Buchwald (4-2) vs. Palitto or Perez or Zastowny.

182 -- Sr. PJ Soldano (15-7) vs. Sr. Jacob Wicks (17-8) or So. David Pierson (13-10).

195 -- Jr. Sean Van Wingerden (8-10) vs. Pierson or Wicks.

220 -- Jr. Justin Klass (10-10) or Jr. Troy Van Orden (3-4) vs. Jr. Gage Horvath (14-9).

285 -- Van Orden or Jr. Robert Juliano (4-3) vs. Sr. Cody Cruts (15-7).

P'burg is 278-53-3 all-time vs. HWS opponents.

Breakdown: This "Return to The Pit" matchups has all the makings to be a good one. Both lineups look markedly different from December. High Point is getting healthy, though not having freshman Shane Woolf (out for the season with a knee injury) at 138 or 145 is a big loss for the 'Cats, especially in this one. Citro down at 106 makes this team much better and the return of Douma, who has been out all season with an injury, will help lengthen the lineup in Woolf's absence. Maczko, Innamorato and Tino are all down a weight to make room for Cleaver, who came up with a big pin in the win over Toms River North on Jan. 16. Both teams are coming off losses -- High Point to North
Hunterdon, 38-23, which also owns a 30-24 win over P'burg, and the 'Liners to Southern, 36-24, on Saturday. Straight up,  High Point is favored at 106, 126, 132, 138 and 160. Give P'burg the edge at 120, 145, 152, 170 (Zastowny), 182, 195, 220 and 285. Call 113 a tossup, though Utter scored a 10-3 win when they met in last season's dual. Day has been wrestling well and the rematch could be a swing bout -- certainly one that High Point needs if P'burg runs the table up top and is able to get Zastowny away from Brian Soldano. The 'Cats need the flip there and 113, unless they can steal one somewhere else. Both teams will have opportunities for bonus points, while there should be little if any movement of the lineups, other than to get the desired matchups at 160 and 170. P'burg will find a way to win eight bouts -- perhaps an upset somewhere along the way since it is The Pit -- and it should get the better of the bonus-point battle. If High Point wins the flip, it's a lot tighter.

Prediction: Phillipsburg, 30-23.

Wrestling: HWS schedule for Jan. 27-Feb. 1

Monday, Jan. 27

(Both matches 7 p.m.)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Kittatinny at West Morris

Independent

High Point vs. Phillipsburg at The Pit

Tuesday, Jan. 28

(All matches 7 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Jefferson at High Point

Hackettstown at Kittatinny

Vernon at North Warren, 5:30 p.m.

Hopatcong at Lenape Valley, 4 p.m.

Pope John at Montville

Roxbury at Sparta

Skyland Conference

Delaware Valley at North Hunterdon

Wednesday, Jan. 29

(All matches 7 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Lenape Valley at Pequannock, 5 p.m.
Hopatcong at Madison

Skyland Conference

Belvidere at Pingry, 5 p.m.

Hunterdon Central at Bound Brook

Manville at Warren Hills

Independent

St. Joseph-Montvale at Pope John

New Brunswick at Delaware Valley

Newton at Voorhees, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 30

(All matches 7 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

North Warren at Newton

Skyland Conference

Hillsborough at Phillipsburg

Independent

High Point at Southern, 6:30 p.m.

Belvidere at Hackettstown

Waldwick at Vernon, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 31

(All matches 7 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Kittatinny at Sparta

Skyland Conference

North Hunterdon at Hunterdon Central, 6:30 p.m.

Voorhees at Manville

Independent

Warren Hills at Hackettstown

Saturday, Feb. 1

(Sectional cutoff)

(All events 9 a.m., unless noted)

High Point, Watchung Hills at Hunterdon Central

Paramus Catholic, Wayne Hills, Ridgewood at Kittatinny
Hackettstown, Bayonne, West Orange at Orange

Bridgewater-Raritan, Paramus, West Milford at North Warren
Hopatcong, Governor Livingston. Hillsborough at Manville

Vernon, Dwight Morrow, Tenafly at Manchester Regional

Sparta, Waldwick at Pascack Valley
Belvidere, DePaul at Newark Prep, 10 a.m.

Skyland Conference

Delaware Valley at Warren Hills, 7 p.m.

Independent

Newton at Phillipsburg, 6 p.m.

Pope John at Wyoming Seminary

Wrestling: Lions claw past 'Cats to win Patriot Duals

BLAIRSTOWN -- North Hunterdon freshman Alex Uryniak welcomes the opportunity to face some of the toughest teams in New Jersey. As he tells it, dual meets are a picnic compared to everyday life in the Lions' practice room.

North Hunterdon improved to 14-0 on the season.

Uryniak and North's solid group of upper weights once again led the charge in an impressive 38-23 victory over High Point on Saturday afternoon in the championship match of the Patriot Duals at North Warren Regional High School.

North Hunterdon (14-0), ranked No. 4 in the state by the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association, won eight bouts, including four pins and two major decisions, as Uryniak staked the Lions to an early 10-point lead with a 9-0 major of returning district finalist Sean Van Wingerden at 195 pounds.

"We work so hard," Uryniak said of his fellow upper weights, which helped North get out to a 25-6 lead through six bouts behind pins from senior Nate Fossett (182) and sophomore Liam Akers (285), along with a decision win from senior Ian Gaburo (220). "We beat each other up [in practice]. It's really intense inside the room. We're not enemies, but we're all trying to be the best. We're all trying to win."

Winning certainly is the trend for North Hunterdon, which also won the rugged Boresch Duals at Newton High School on Jan. 4, with victories over defending state champions Kingsway (Group 4) and Paulsboro (Group 1). Third-year coach Chris Hrunka, a tough grader, rated his team's performance as a "nine" out of 10 against No. 11 High Point coming off a 35-28 win over No. 18 West Essex in the semifinal round.

Trophy by Colin Bradley.

"[Dual tournaments] are fun. We haven't been to that many before this season," Hrunka said. "[The win over West Essex] wasn't our best performance. We wrestled OK. We got pinned at 170 and that was a nine-point swing. That put us in a tough spot, but some other kids picked it up. West Essex is a tough team. but we didn't put together 14 performances. We came close against High Point. We put together a lot of good efforts."

Uryniak (16-3), who usually weighs in around 180 pounds, was among them, as the baby-faced ninth grader got two back points off a bar in the first period and a takedown in the third to secure the major.

"We were a little sluggish in a couple of areas, but that happens," Uryniak said of his team's 3-0 day. "As a freshman, I do what I do. It's a big transition from middle school to [high school], wrestling upperclassmen. I just try to wrestle with confidence every match."

Senior Kyle Anderson got the ball rolling with a pin at 160 in the opening bout, while fellow freshman Daniel Delusant also delivered a clutch win with his 9-4 decision over Charles Antcliff at 126 -- giving North a 32-13 lead with four bouts to go. Delusant (10-10), who has faced a number of tough wrestlers at 126 this season, got to the .500 mark with that victory.

"Some kids we don't always count on in big matches came through in some tossup bouts," Hrunka said. "Danny is at a weight where you don't see too many cupcakes. He's a good freshman. Today, he had an opportunity [to win] and he seized it."

High Point, which features six wrestlers who can be absolute matchup nightmares, won three of the final four bouts and five of the last eight as state qualifiers Devon Liebl (132) and Josh Gervey (138) scored decisions against quality opponents, while returning state placewinner Billy Talmadge (152) capped the meet with a major. Gervey's 4-1 win over Drew Doscher actually sealed it for North, which led 32-19 with two bouts left. Freshman Roman Citro escaped in the third period for a 1-0 win over North's Logan Wadle, a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament champion, at 106.

"[North] is very good and a well-coached team," said veteran 'Cats coach John Gardner, whose team cruised to a 52-16 win over previously unbeaten Westfield in the semifinals and will next be at No. 7 Phillipsburg at The Pit on Monday night. "They have 14 quality kids to send out. In some matches, they were just better than us. That's the sign of a good team. They just have too much balance, too many good kids. Hats off to them."

Streaks bounce back for fifth

Warren Hills' day got off to the toughest of starts by dropping a 34-32 decision to Westfield in a first-round matchup between the 3-6 seeds. The Blue Streaks (14-5) rebounded with a 38-34 win over North Warren, which went 1-2 and finished seventh, before routing Bound Brook, 51-23, in the fifth-place match.

"I wasn't very happy with the way we responded against North Warren," said second-year coach Dave Sbriscia, whose team had scored a 50-18 win over the Patriots on Jan. 3. "We came out flat. I chalk that up to inexperience."

Against Westfield, Warren Hills appeared to be in decent shape holding a 29-22 lead with three bouts to go after Greg Slivka's pin at 120. But sophomore Jared Lee, who was hanging tough against state qualifier Luke Hoerle at 126, got taken down to his back and pinned in 4:54. Hoerle led, 12-4 at the time, but that extra three team points proved huge as the Blue Devils pinned at 132 to take a 34-29 lead before Streaks senior Logan Nauta, a slight favorite, capped the match with a 10-6 win at 138.

"We can't get pinned," said Sbriscia, whose team earlier couldn't capitalize for bonus points despite being heavy favorites at 145 and 285. "There were a couple of key matchups, but we can't go to our back. We won the flip and got [every matchup] we wanted. We knew we had to count on Logan Nauta beating a quality kid. If we didn't give up bonus points in other spots the decision wins it."

Sbriscia and his staff also got a good look at West Essex, the defending Group 3 state champion and a major roadblock for Warren Hills in the North 2 section as the Streaks seek their first title since 2007.

"They are a tough team," Sbriscia said. "We can be a tough team, too. Do I think that's a winnable match? Absolutely. But we have to pull out all the stops. The goal next week is to win a [Skyland Conference Valley Division] title [vs. Delaware Valley at home on Saturday, Feb. 1]. After that, it turns to winning a sectional title."

Championship

NORTH HUNTERDON 38, HIGH POINT 23
160 -- Sr. Kyle Anderson (12-6), NH, p. So. Noah Ripley (7-14), 3:08.
170 -- So. Brian Soldano (17-1), HP, p. Jr. James Holder (15-7), 1:39.
182 -- Sr. Nate Fossett (19-2), NH, p. Sr. PJ Soldano (15-7), 1:48.
195 -- Fr. Alex Uryniak (16-3), NH, md. Jr. Sean Van Wingerden (8-10), 9-0.
220 -- Sr. Ian Gaburo (16-1), NH, d. Jr. Troy Van Orden (3-4), 7-4.
285 -- So. Liam Akers (19-2), NH, p. Jr. Robert Juliano (3-3), :37.
106 -- Fr. Roman Citro (9-5), HP, d. Fr. Logan Wadle (19-3), 1-0.
113 -- So. Clayton Utter (13-3), HP, md. So. Nick DeLorenzo (12-9), 9-1.
120 -- Jr. Frank DiEsso (18-3), NH, md. So. Andrew Brevot (2-9), 16-5.
126 -- Fr. Daniel Delusant (10-10), NH, d. So. Charles Antcliff (13-8), 9-4.
132 -- Sr. Devon Liebl (20-3), HP, d. Jr. Connor Quinn (14-6), 11-7.
138 -- Jr. Josh Gervey (17-3), HP, d. Sr. Drew Doscher (12-5), 4-1.
145 -- Sr. Evan Klimas (17-3), NH, p. Jr. Clay Sytsema (2-4), :58.
152 -- Sr. Billy Talmadge (23-0), HP, md. So. Luke Yager (4-2), 13-2.
Records -- North Hunterdon 14-0; High Point 6-2.
Officials -- Dave Marotta and Rich Solofsky.

Fifth-place consolation

WARREN HILLS 51, BOUND BROOK 23
160 -- Brett Miller, BB, d. Owen Frizzell, 9-4.
170 -- Brandon Riggs, WH, forfeit.
182 -- Nick Hildebrant, WH, forfeit.
195 -- Jahman McNeil, BB, md. Michael Galka, 13-5.
220 -- Tyler McCatharn, WH, forfeit.
285 -- Carlos Angel, BB, disq. Logan Polcari.
106 -- Kevin Riedinger, WH, p. Sean Markey, 3:55.
113 -- Shawn Redfield, WH, p. Dylan Avila, 2:57.
120 -- Michael Drazek, WH, forfeit.
126 -- Greg Slivka, WH, forfeit.
132 -- Max Pagano, WH, forfeit.
138 -- Geir Nemeth, WH, d. Mark Venson, 5-1.
145 -- Maximus Parra, BB, p. Caden Crawford, 1:36.
152 -- Alexander Martinez, BB, md. Stephen Malia, 10-1.
Records -- Warren Hills 14-5; Bound Brook 5-8.

Seventh-place consolation

NORTH WARREN 71, MORRIS CATHOLIC 12
160 -- Rob Fletcher, NW, p. Charles Hooey, 2:54.
170 -- Austin Collett, NW, p. Ray Valle, :25.
182 -- Dylan Belding, NW, p. Dreveon Eddleman, :49.
195 -- Thomas Tsangoropolos, MC, p. Jack Moritz, 1:23.
220 -- Dylan Lobycz, NW, forfeit.
285 -- Mathew Garcia, MC, p. Jacob Smith, 1:26.
106 -- Tanner Thatcher, NW, forfeit.
113 -- Thomas Dugan, NW, tf. Jonathan Duarte, 17-2, 5:05.
120 -- Sean Bodine, NW, forfeit.
126 -- Justin Gerkhardt, NW, p. Charles Domin, 1:18.
132 -- Michael Castles, NW, forfeit.
138 -- Luke Scarmack, NW, forfeit.
145 -- Nikolas Pagano, NW, forfeit.
152 -- Brandon Casey, NW, p. Mateo Rivera, :50.
Records -- North Warren 7-7; Morris Catholic 0-16.

Semifinals

NORTH HUNTERDON 35, WEST ESSEX 28
152 -- William Cole, NH, d. Anthony Lombardi, 8-6.
160 -- Kyle Anderson, NH, p. Nicholas Lagreca, 1:44.
170 -- Matt Zaccaria, WE, p. James Holder, :59.
182 -- Nate Fossett, NH, p. Ricky Behar, 2:54.
195 -- Alex Uryniak, NH, d. Samuel Carsillo, 7-3.
220 -- Ian Gaburo, NH, p. Luca Salvatoriello, 1:05.
285 -- Bardyhl Gashi, WE, p. Andrew Franklin, 1:16.
106 -- Logan Wadle, NH, md. Joey Macrino, 9-0.
113 -- Mike Pescatore, WE, d. Nick DeLorenzo, 10-6.
120 -- Frank DiEsso, NH, md. Jack Ruane, 14-3.
126 -- Ricky Cassidy, WE, d. Daniel Delusant, 7-4.
132 -- Connor Quinn, NH, d. Carson Barry, 5-3.
138 -- Darren Jones, WE, p. Drew Doscher, :58.
145 -- Alex Jones, WE, d. Evan Klimas, 13-5.
Records -- North Hunterdon 13-0; West Essex 12-1.

HIGH POINT 52, WESTFIELD 16
152 -- Daniel Moriaru, W, md. Noah Ripley, 16-6.
160 -- Brian Soldano, HP, p. Luke Scanlan, 4:17.
170 -- Alex Buchwald, HP, tf. James Greco, 16-1, 5:28.
182 -- PJ Soldano, HP, p. James McDermott, :57.
195 -- Sean Van Wingerden, HP, p. Jack Price, 4:36.
220 -- Jonathan Heard, W, p. Justin Klass, 1:35.
285 -- Robert Juliano, HP, d. Abdul Kharboutli, 6-3.
106 -- Roman Citro, HP, md. Ethan Composto, 9-0.
113 -- Clayton Utter, HP, d. Luke Jacobs, 3-0.
120 -- Charles Antcliff, HP, p. Brandon Ribiero, 1:32.
126 -- Luke Hoerle, W, p. Andrew Brevot, 3:07.
132 -- Devon Liebl, HP, d. Jeremy Silber, 15-9.
138 -- Josh Gervey, HP, md. Michael Murphy, 12-3.
145 -- Billy Talmadge, HP, p. Anthony Ciotta, 3:35.
Records -- High Point 6-1; Westfield 11-1.

Wrestlebacks

WARREN HILLS 38, NORTH WARREN 34
152 -- Brandon Casey, NW, md. Reese Manfredi, 11-2.
160 -- Rob Fletcher, NW, p. Luke Dugan, 1:55.
170 -- Owen Frizzell, WH, p. Austin Collett, 3:55.
182 -- Nick Hildebrant, WH, p. Connor Dolinsky, 1:07.
195 -- Michael Galka, WH, p. Jack Moritz, 4:35.
220 -- Dylan Lobycz, NW, p. Logan Polcari, 2:33.
285 -- Tyler McCatharn, WH, p. Jacob Smith, 1:35.
106 -- Tanner Thatcher, NW, d. Kevin Riedinger, 7-3.
113 -- Thomas Dugan, NW, d. Shawn Redfield, 9-6.
120 -- Greg Slivka, WH, p. Sean Bodine, 2:43.
126 -- Jared Lee, WH, d. Justin Gerkhardt, 4-2.
132 -- Logan Nauta, WH, tf. Michael Castles, 17-1.
138 -- Luke Scarmack, NW, p. Max Pagano, 4:44.
145 -- Nikolas Pagano, NW, p. Caden Crawford, :48.
Records -- Warren Hills 13-5; North Warren 6-7.

Quarterfinals

WESTFIELD 34, WARREN HILLS 32
145 -- Geir Nemeth, WH, d. Anthony Ciotta, 11-4.
152 -- Stephen Malia, WH, p. Daniel Moriaru, 2:23.
160 -- Luke Scanlan, W, p. Luke Dugan, 1:18.
170 -- Owen Frizzell, WH, tf. James Greco, 15-0, 6:00.
182 -- Nick Hildebrant, WH, p. James McDermott, 1:11.
195 -- Jack Price, W, p. Michael Galka, 1:47.
220 -- Jonathan Heard, W, d. Logan Polcari, 2-1.
285 -- Tyler McCatharn, WH, d. Abdul Kharboutli, 2-0.
106 -- Ethan Composto, W, md. Kevin Riedinger, 12-3.
113 -- Luke Jacobs, W, d. Shawn Redfield, 4-2.
120 -- Greg Slivka, WH, p. Brandon Ribiero, 1:41.
126 -- Luke Hoerle, W, p. Jared Lee, 4:54.
132 -- Jeremy Silber, W, p. Max Pagano, 2:54.
138 -- Logan Nauta, WH, d. Michael Murphy, 10-6.
Records -- Warren Hills 12-5; Westfield 11-0.

HIGH POINT 65, NORTH WARREN 9
145 -- Billy Talmadge, HP, p. Nickolas Pagano, :31.
152 -- Brandon Casey, NW, d. Noah Ripley, 8-2.
160 -- Brian Soldano, HP, tf. Austin Collett, 16-0, 3:13.
170 -- Alex Buchwald, HP, p. Connor Dolinsky, 1:27.
182 -- PJ Soldano, HP, p. Dylan Belding, 1:09.
195 -- Sean Van Wingerden, HP, p. Jack Moritz, :52.
220 -- Justin Klass, HP, p. Dylan Lobycz, 3:46.
285 -- Troy Van Orden, HP, p. Jacob Smith, 3:31.
106 -- Tanner Thatcher, NW, p. Ryan Mangano, :39.
113 -- Clayton Utter, HP, p. Thomas Dugan, 2:18.
120 -- Charles Antcliff, HP, p. Sean Bodine, 1:41.
126 -- Andrew Brevot, HP, d. Alex Davila, 4-2.
132 -- Devon Liebl, HP, p. Michael Castles, 1:15.
138 -- Clay Sytsema, HP, d. Luke Scarmack, 4-2.
Records -- High Point 5-1; North Warren 6-6.

NORTH HUNTERDON 84, MORRIS CATHOLIC 0
145 -- Brendan Raley, NH, forfeit.
152 -- Kyle Anderson, NH, p. Mateo Rivera, :34.
160 -- William Cole, NH, p. Charles Hooey, :41.
170 -- James Holder, NH, forfeit.
182 -- Nate Fossett, NH, p. Dreveon Eddleman, :12.
195 -- Alex Uryniak, NH, p. Thomas Tsangoropolos, :51.
220 -- Ian Gaburo, NH, forfeit.
285 -- Liam Akers, NH, p. Mathew Garcia, :48.
106 -- Ben Makaritis, NH, forfeit.
113 -- Nick DeLorenzo, NH, p. Jonathan Duarte, 1:55.
120 -- Ian Hewitt, NH, forfeit.
126 -- Daniel Delusant, NH, p. Charles Domin, :22.
132 -- Connor McGeary, NH, forfeit.
138 -- Aaron Wysocki, NH, forfeit.
Records -- North Hunterdon 12-0; Morris Catholic 0-14.

Wrestling: Patriot Duals preview, lineups, info

Where: North Warren Regional High School, Blairstown, Twp.

When: Saturday.

Teams: Bound Brook; High Point; Morris Catholic; North Hunterdon; North Warren; Warren Hills; West Essex; Westfield.

State rankings (New Jersey Writers): North Hunterdon, No. 4; High Point, No. 11; West Essex, No. 18.

Quarterfinals, 9 a.m.

1-North Hunterdon (11-0) vs. 8-Morris Catholic (0-13)
4-West Essex (11-0) vs. 5-Bound Brook (4-6)

Quarterfinals, 10:30 a.m.

3-Warren Hills (12-4) vs. 6-Westfield (10-0)
2-High Point (4-1) vs. 7-North Warren (6-5)

Semifinals and wrestlebacks, noon

North Hunterdon-Morris Catholic winner vs. West Essex-Bound Brook winner
North Hunterdon-Morris Catholic loser vs. West Essex-Bound Brook loser

Semifinals and wrestlebacks, 1:30 p.m.

Warren Hills-Westfield winner vs. High Point-North Warren winner
Warren Hills-Westfield loser vs. High Point-North Warren loser

Consolation round, 3 p.m.

Fifth- and seventh-place matches.

Championship round, 4:30 p.m.

First- and third-place matches.

Probable lineups: Season records and 2019 postseason placements where applicable in parentheses (Warren Hills records do not include Friday's match at Somerville).

North Hunterdon Lions (11-0)

North Hunterdon is the top public school in the state.

106 -- Fr. Logan Wadle (18-2)/Fr. Ben Makaritis (3-3); 113 -- So. Nick DeLorenzo (11-7, D2, R2v3); 120 -- Jr. Frank DiEsso (16-3, D1, R3, SWB2); 126 -- Fr. Daniel Delusant (8-9); 132 -- Jr. Connor Quinn (13-5, D3, R2v3)/Jr. Connor McGeary (4-5); 138 -- Sr. Drew Doscher (12-3, D4); 145 -- Sr. Evan Klimas (16-2, D3, R5); 152 -- Sr. Kyle Anderson (9-6, D2, R2v3); 160 -- So. William Cole (12-5); 170 -- Jr. James Holder (14-5); 182 -- Fr. Alex Uryniak (13-3)/Sr. Nate Fossett (16-2, D1, R1, SWB2); 195 -- So. Kyle Schultz (6-3); 220 -- Sr. Ian Gaburo (13-1, D2, R4, SWB1)/Jr. Andrew Franklin (7-1); 285 -- So. Liam Akers (17-2).

High Point Wildcats (4-1)

106 -- Fr. Roman Citro (7-5); 113 -- So. Clayton Utter (10-3, D2, R4, SWB4)/So. Charles Antcliff (11-7); 120 -- So. Andrew Brevot (1-7); 126 -- Sr. Devon Liebl (17-3, D2, R2, SWB3); 132 -- Jr. Josh Gervey (15-3, D3, R4, SWB2)/Jr. Nick Douma (0-0); 138 -- Sr. Billy Talmadge (20-0, D1, R3, S5)/Jr. Clay Sytsema (1-3); 145 -- Sytsema or Talmadge; 152 -- So. Noah Ripley (7-11); 160 -- So. Brian Soldano (14-1, D1, R1, SWB4); 170 -- Jr. Alex Buchwald (2-2)/So. Troy Tiger (2-9); 182 -- Sr. PJ Soldano (13-6); 195 -- Jr. Sean Van Wingerden (6-9, D2, R2v3); 220 -- Jr. Justin Klass (9-9, D4)/Jr. Troy Van Orden (2-3); 285 -- Jr. Robert Juliano (3-2).

Warren Hills Blue Streaks (12-4)

106 -- Fr. Kevin Riedinger (6-15); 113 -- Fr. Shawn Redfield (12-10); 120 -- Sr. Greg Slivka (15-6, D2, R5); 126 -- So. Jared Lee (15-8, D3, RWB1); 132 -- Sr. Logan Nauta (16-6, D2, RWB1); 138 -- Sr. Geir Nemeth (16-6, D4)/So. Max Pagano (3-4); 145 -- So. Caden Crawford (3-7)/Jr. Reese Manfredi (4-9); 152 -- So. Stephen Malia (19-4, D2, R2v3); 160 -- So. Owen Frizzell (16-5); 170 -- Sr. Nick Hildebrant (10-5, D3, RWB1); 182 -- So. Ryan Galka (1-0)/Jr. Brandon Riggs (3-14); 195 -- So. Michael Galka (9-7); 220 -- Jr. Logan Polcari (11-8); 285 -- So. Tyler McCatharn (18-3, D3, R2v3).

North Warren Patriots (6-5)

106 -- Jr. Tanner Thatcher (13-6); 113 -- Fr. Thomas Dugan (9-10); 120 -- So. Sean Bodine (8-9); 126 -- Jr. Alex Davila (10-6); 132 -- So. Michael Castles (9-10); 138 -- Jr. Luke Scarmack (9-11); 145 -- Sr. Ben Lilly (18-2, D4, RWB1); 152 -- Sr. Brandon Casey (16-5, D4); 160 -- Sr. Rob Fletcher (17-3, D4); 170 -- Sr. Connor Dolinsky (10-10); 182 -- Jr. Dylan Belding (2-9); 195 -- Fr. Jack Moritz (1-6); 220 -- Jr. Dylan Lobycz (11-10); 285 -- Sr. Jacob Smith (3-11).

West Essex Knights (11-0)

106 -- Fr. Joey Macrino (14-4)/Chris Kenny (4-1); 113 -- So. Mike Pescatore (13-4, D4)/Fr. Anthony Barra (4-5); 120 -- Jr. Jack Ruane (9-8); 126 -- So. Ricky Cassidy (16-2, D3, RWB1)/Jr. Carson Barry (16-3, D4); 132 -- So. Michael Demiro (2-8); 138 -- Sr. Darren Jones (18-2, D3, R2, SWB2); 145 -- Sr. Alex Jones (19-0, D2, R5); 152 -- Fr. Anthony Lombardi (11-5); 160 -- Jr. Nicholas Lagreca (11-6); 170 -- So. Matt Zaccaria (7-4); 182 -- Sr. Samuel Carsillo (13-4, D2, R5)/Sr. Ricky Behar (6-5); 195 -- Behar or Carsillo; 220 -- Fr. Luca Salvatoriello (3-8); 285 -- Sr. Bardhyl Gashi (17-0, D2, R1, S2).

Westfield Blue Devils (10-0)

106 -- Fr. Ethan Composto (19-5)/Jr. Luke Bowen Cupri (3-1); 113 -- So. Luke Jacobs (14-3, D1, RWB1); 120 -- Sr. Quinn Gimblette (15-6, D1, R4, SWB1);  126 -- Sr. Luke Hoerle (20-0, D1, R1, SWB4); 132 -- Sr. Jeremy Silber (16-4, D2, R2v3); 138 -- Fr. Michael Murphy (17-4)/So. Tyler Sontz (2-4); 145 -- Jr. Anthony Ciotta (15-8); 152 -- So. Daniel Moriaru (3-7); 160 -- Sr. Luke Scanlan (21-4, D2, R6); 170 -- So. James McDermott (11-11); 182 -- Sr. James Greco (5-5); 195 -- So. Jack Price (12-11); 220 -- Jr. Jonathan Heard (14-7, D2, RWB1); 285 -- Jr. Will Ricca (9-8)/Sr. Abdul Kharboutli (2-6).

Bound Brook Crusaders (4-6)

106 -- Fr. Sean Markey (7-9); 113 -- Fr. Dylan Avila (4-9); 120 -- Fr. Erik Silverman (0-6); 126 -- So. Randall Gonzalez (7-11, D3, R2v3); 132 -- Sr. Xavier Pena (11-3, D1, R3, SWB2)/Jr. Jeremy Lamberty (0-4); 138 -- Sr. Mark Venson (15-3, D4); 145 -- Jr. Maximus Parra (14-2, D1, R4, SWB2); 152 -- So. Alexander Martinez (16-1); 160 -- Mike Meola (8-5, D3, R2v3); 170 -- Jr. Brett Miller (14-4, D4); 182 -- So. Jesus Sanchez (2-6); 195 -- Jr. Jahman McNeil (15-4, D2, RWB1)/Fr. Carlos Zamora (0-5); 220 -- So. Carlos Angel (10-8); 285 -- So. Ronald Chinchilla (7-9).

Morris Catholic Crusaders (0-13)

106 -- Open; 113 -- Jr. Jonathan Duarte (13-7); 120 -- Open; 126 -- Fr. Charles Domin (3-12); 132 -- Sr. Cameron Weissberg (11-8, D3, RWB1); 138 -- Open; 145 -- Jr. Colton Lehrer (0-2); 152 -- Jr. Mateo Rivera (6-12); 160 -- Fr. Charles Hooey (0-2); 170 -- Open; 182 -- So. Dreveon Eddleman (4-14); 195 -- Jr. Thomas Tsangoropolos (5-2); 220 -- Jr. Daniel Bennett (0-2); 285 -- Jr. Mathew Garcia (6-6)/So. Timothy Liebhauser (0-6).

Breakdown: This should be an outstanding day of wrestling with three teams in the field that are ranked in the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20. North Hunterdon, which won the rugged Boresch Duals on Jan. 4, with wins over Kingsway and Paulsboro, is looking to cement its status as the top-ranked public school program. Third-year coach Chris Hrunka's Lions feature a balanced lineup with no glaring weakness, and that's a major problem for the Lions' opponents. An anticipated matchup with West Essex in the semis should provide some interesting bouts in the middle weights, where the Knights are strong, but North can hold its own there as it did against Kingsway's tough middle of the lineup. Other than 285, North will have the edge up top to carry the Lions to the final. High Point, which has been hampered by injuries, will likely have a much tougher road in the bottom half of the draw. Provided Warren Hills, which is up against match limits with several starters, gets past Westfield (projects as a 7-7 split) in the opening round, the Blue Streaks will be able to match up against the Wildcats (who match up much better with Westfield) up top, with 195 and 220 being enormous bouts. Look for Hills to bump away from Talmadge at 138 (Nemeth and Malia would be big favorites at 145 and 152) and Brian Soldano at 160 to try and win from 170 through 285. With Slivka the only favorite from 106-138, the Streaks would probably need seven of the eight from 145 up to pull off the upset -- given the likely bonus advantage for High Point. In the final, North's balance should be too much for High Point, which will be favored at 113, 126, 132 and 138, but only at 160 from 145 on up. I think the Lions could win as many as nine bouts and will win the bonus points battle as well.

Predictions: North Hunterdon over High Point, 37-23 (first place); High Point over Warren Hills, 33-26 (semifinals); North Hunterdon over West Essex, 37-22 (semifinals).