Friday, January 31, 2020

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment