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.