Wrestling: 3 sectional finals to watch (HWS area)

We've got the anticipated rematch between North Hunterdon and Phillipsburg in North 2, Group 4, while High Point aims for its fourth straight title in North 1, Group 2 as it takes on Westwood as the sectional finals are on tap for Friday at 6 p.m.

In all, nine teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area are still standing as Delaware Valley (17-7), which seeks its 19th title and second straight in North 2, Group 1 is set to host Bound Brook, while Kittatinny (14-5) heads to Emerson for the North 1, Group 1 championship. The Cougars are eyeing their 23rd title -- all under veteran coach John Gill -- and fourth in five seasons. Warren Hills (20-6), which is the first in program history to reach 20 wins, will look to dethrone West Essex, the reigning Group 3 champion, in North 2, Group 3, and in North 2, Group 2, Hackettstown seeks its first title in 13 years as the Warren County school travels to Caldwell.

Hunterdon Central (13-9), which is sitting on 998 wins as a program, will meet Manalapan for the Central Jersey, Group 5 championship, while Pope John (10-7) bids for a third straight title in its showdown with St. Thomas Aquinas (formerly Bishop Ahr) in the Non-Public North B final.

Here's a look at three intriguing sectional finals involving teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area. Winners advance to the Group championships on Sunday at Toms River North.

North 2, Group 4

 2-Phillipsburg (15-2) at 1-North Hunterdon (20-0)

Lineups

P -- So. Sean Stasiulaitis (11-15) 106; So. James Day (24-7, D3, R6) 113; Jr. Logan Maczko (18-7, D1, R1)/So. Hakeem Ransdell (5-12) 120; So. Joey Innamorato (23-6, D1, R5) 126; Jr. Jason Tino (20-12) 132; Fr. Hunter Cleaver (6-7) 138; Sr. Jared Kukor (18-10) 145; So. Matt D'Onofrio (19-11) 152; So. Nate Zastowny (27-5)/So. James Palitto (6-4) 160; Palitto or Zastowny 170; Sr. Jacob Wicks (24-8, D1, R6)/So. David Pierson (21-10, D4) 182; Pierson or Wicks 195; Jr. Gage Horvath (21-10, D1) 220; Sr. Cody Cruts (22-8, D3, R5) 285.

NH -- Fr. Logan Wadle (24-4) 106; So. Nick DeLorenzo (16-11, D2) 113; Jr. Frank DiEsso (24-3, D1, R3) 120; Fr. Daniel Delusant (14-12) 126; Jr. Connor Quinn (20-6, D3) 132; Sr. Drew Doscher (15-8, D4) 138; Sr. Evan Klimas (21-5, D3, R5) 145; Sr. Kyle Anderson (17-7, D2) 152; So. William Cole (16-8) 160; Jr. James Holder (19-9) 170; Sr. Nate Fossett (24-2, D1, R1)/Fr. Alex Uryniak (22-3)/So. Kyle Schultz (7-3) 182; Uryniak or Fossett or Schultz 195; Sr. Ian Gaburo (20-1, D2, R4) 220; So. Liam Akers (25-2) 285.

Sectional titles: North Hunterdon 14 (1980, '82, '84, '93, '94, '95, '96, '97, '99, 2000, '02, '03, '09, '15. Phillipsburg 38 (1980, '81, '82, '83, '84, '85, '86, '87, '88, '89, '91, '92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, '19).

North is 0-5 against P'burg in sectional contests.

Breakdown: North Hunterdon, ranked No. 4 in the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20, finds itself in the unfamiliar spot as the favorite following a 30-24 win at Phillipsburg on Jan. 15 -- snapping the Lions' 17-match skid in the series with their first victory over the 'Liners since 2007. Phillipsburg, which is seeking its seventh straight sectional title, is 7-3 all-time in postseason matches with North (5-0 in sectional meetings), including a 28-19 win in the 2019 sectional final. Both teams have been tough on Middletown North, which dropped a 43-20 decision to P'burg in the sectional semifinals after losing to the 'Liners in the three of the last five title matches -- 45-16 in 2016, 36-27 in '17 and 32-30 in '18. North Hunterdon, which advanced to its second straight final with a 46-18
victory over Cranford, rolled to a 55-12 win over Middletown North in last year's semifinals. Should Brick Memorial (Central Jersey) and Kingsway (South Jersey) advance as expected, North would be the top seed by virtue of its 40-21 win over Kingsway on Jan. 4, and face the North 1 winner (likely Mount Olive) in the Group 3 semifinals on Sunday. If P'burg wins the section, it would be the No. 2 seed and face the No. 3 seed (Brick Memorial), while Kingsway would take on the North 1 champ. The 'Liners, who are 38-2 all-time in section finals and own a 56-9-1 edge in the overall series dating to 1961, have shuffled their lineup since that meeting last month -- with Maczko, Innamorato and Tino dropping a weight class to allow a spot for Cleaver at 138. My hunch is that coach Dave Post, whose teams are 13-1 overall against North and 8-1 in sectional finals, and ace assistant Scott Silvis will go back to the original lineup -- Ransdell gave DiEsso fits before giving up a pin in OT, Innamorato scored a big 4-1 win in the second tiebreaker over Quinn, while Maczko is 0-3 against DiEsso in their careers -- though Post indicated his staff had a few other scenarios in mind after that first meeting. I think the North lineup is pretty much what it is, though Anderson could drop to 145 (weight is 147 and he's been right around that mark most of the season), while Schultz was recently inserted at 182. Coach Chris Hrunka may be considering swapping Klimas and Anderson, who lost a tight 3-2 decision to D'Onofrio last time, in order to try and win both weights. For P'burg to win the rematch, it needs the flip, which it lost last time, to control the matchups at 182 and 195 in order to get Pierson against Fossett and Wicks on Uryniak. North won both last time as Fossett beat Wicks, 7-2, and Uryniak, who lost to Wicks at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Jan. 11, defeated Pierson, 4-3. And that's also assuming that Innamorato and Cruts, who dominated Akers in an 8-1 decision, both prevail in rematches. If they don't get the flip, the 'Liners would likely need to get all three from 152-170 or two and an upset elsewhere. That's a lot to have happen, but it's not out of the question. Both teams really haven't been tested of late as the Lions' average margin of victory in their previous six matches was 43.5 points, including two sectional contests, while P'burg has gone 8-0 (with a 44-point average margin) since a 36-24 loss to Southern over that same stretch since Jan. 25. To me it's still all about balance and that's why North, which received a huge confidence boost after coming out a bit tentative in the last meeting and will benefit greatly from being in its home gym, will move on to the Group 4 championships.

Prediction: North Hunterdon, 28-23.

North 2, Group 2

3-Hackettstown (15-6) at 1-Caldwell (17-5)

Lineups

H-- So. Austin Zellars (20-6) 106; So. Matthew Finer (10-16) 113; Fr. Matt Francis (3-11) 120; Fr. Joe Bencivengo (17-8) 126; Sr. Michael Sullivan (8-17, D4) 132; Sr. Christian Bremner (17-11) 138; Jr. Anthony Funes (3-7) 145; Sr. Garrett Meyer (13-12) 152; Sr. Zebulon Burke (23-4, D3, R5) 160; Sr. Alejandro Castro (24-7, D3) 170; Jr. Tyler Yanoff (13-9)/Jr. Bruno Dougherty (3-1) 182; Jr. Matthew Bremner (21-6, D2) 195; So. Jack Gordon (19-11) 220; Sr. Cody Motto (7-7, D4) 285.

C -- Fr. Ian Flanagan (15-10) 106; Sr. Ricardo Caamano (29-3, D2, R6)/Jr. Maurice Leonardo (1-4) 113; So. Joshua Eng (14-14, D2) 120; So. Pasquale Capozzoli (13-16) 126; Jr. Mark Fano (6-9)/So. Kayleb Egoavil (6-8)/So. Mark DeJesus (4-4) 132; Sr. Dominic Perna (5-13) 138; Sr. Joseph Jenkins (12-11)/So. Sean Haas (6-6) 145; Jr. Nick Conforti (2-5)/Fr. Dylan Mooney (1-4) 152; Sr. Jack Askling (20-11) 160; Jr. Luke Schaffer (25-7) 170; Jr. Max Ruiz (19-11, D4) 182; Jr. John Casale (23-7) 195; Jr. Ben Rivera (25-5, D4) 220; Sr. David Zerrei (6-10) 285.

Sectional titles: Hackettstown 2 (2006, '07). Caldwell 5 (1983, '85, '86, '90, 2011).

Breakdown: This anticipated final has the makings for a tight affair. Hackettstown, which is seeking the program's third title and first in 13 years, doesn't quite have Caldwell's balance, so the Tigers will need to get some favorable matchups, particularly at 160 and 170, as Burke dropped an 8-4 decision to Schaffer at the Caldwell Tournament in December. They'd also like a Meyer-Perna rematch. The Chiefs went 5-1 in head-to-head matchups and prevailed in two other bouts that we won't likely result in rematches here -- Caamano p. Finer, 1:04; Meyer md. Perna, 13-3; Schaffer d. Burke, 8-4; Ruiz d. Yanoff, 3-2; Casale d. M. Bremner, 3-1; Rivera p. Gordon, 5:16. The teams also share a common loss to Mendham (45-24 and 45-25), while both have wins against West Orange, Bloomfield, Orange, Verona and Morristown. The key bouts look to be at 106, 182, 195 and 285 -- with Hackettstown possibly needing at least three. It will be interesting to see if Caamano goes up to 126 to potentially give Caldwell a shot to sweep from 106-126. Those middle bouts may very well hold the key as Hackettstown needs to capitalize on some opportunities for bonus points.

Prediction: Hackettstown, 27-26.

North 2, Group 3

2-Warren Hills (20-6) at 1-West Essex (24-3)

Lineups

WH -- Fr. Kevin Riedinger (11-20) 106; Fr. Shawn Redfield (18-14) 113; Sr. Greg Slivka (24-8, D2, R5) 120; So. Jared Lee (21-10, D3)/So. Max Pagano (5-8) 126; Sr. Logan Nauta (25-6, D2) 132; Sr. Geir Nemeth (22-10, D4) 138; Jr. Reese Manfredi (6-14)/So. Caden Crawford (3-10) 145; So. Stephen Malia (26-6, D2) 152; So. Owen Frizzell (25-7) 160; Sr. Nick Hildebrant (18-8, D3) 170; Fr. Jarett Pantuso (7-0) 182; So. Michael Galka (12-14) 195; So. Tyler McCatharn (28-4, D3) 220; Jr. Logan Polcari (13-12)/Jr. Matthew Moreno (0-3) 285.

WE -- Fr. Joey Macrino (21-9)/Chris Kenny (5-2) 106; So. Mike Pescatore (16-5, D4)/Fr. Anthony Barra (9-9) 113; Jr. Jack Ruane (15-15) 120; So. Ricky Cassidy (25-6, D3)/Jr. Carson Barry (27-5, D4) 126; So. Michael Demiro (2-10) 132; Sr. Darren Jones (29-3, D3, R2) 138; Sr. Alex Jones (31-1, D2, R5) 145; Fr. Anthony Lombardi (15-13) 152; Jr. Nicholas Lagreca (12-14) 160; So. Matt Zaccaria (13-7) 170; Sr. Samuel Carsillo (21-9, D2, R5)/Sr. Ricky Behar (8-8) 182; Sr. Vin Rubino (5-6) 195; Fr. Luca Salvatoriello (4-14) 220; Sr. Bardhyl Gashi (30-0, D2, R1, S2) 285.

Sectional titles: Warren Hills 5 (1982, '90, '97, '98, 2007). West Essex 6 (1981, '82, '84, 2010, '11, '19).

Warren Hills is 31-20 all-time in sectional matches.

Breakdown: We didn't get to see this matchup at the Patriot Duals on Jan. 25, as the teams were in opposite brackets. West Essex finished third, while Warren Hills dropped a tough 32-21 decision to Westfield in the opening round and wound up in fifth place. West Essex, which  scored a 42-22 win against Westfield in the third-place match, lost to North Hunterdon, 35-28, in the semifinals. Warren Hills also lost to North, 58-10, on Jan. 22, but the Streaks, who have gone 0-4 in previous finals appearances since their last title in 2007, were missing several starters due to match limits. Based on those common results, West Essex, the top seed, would seem to rate a solid favorite, but the Knights narrowly escaped an upset in the sectional semifinals with a 31-30 victory on criteria (most first points) over No. 4 West Morris. No. 2 seed Warren Hills, which has been wrestling fairly well, sans a 31-25 loss to Monroe on Feb. 5, advanced to the program's 14th sectional final and its fifth since 2012, with a 37-24 win over No. 3 Mendham. The other question is whether the Streaks will have their best lineup as we saw in a 49-16 win over Delaware Valley -- with Redfield (106), Slivka (113) and Lee (120) all down a weight. If so, that could mean a seven-point swing in the match and a Warren Hills win. If they go with the regular lineup, I see West Essex as a two-point favorite as opposed to an underdog. Look for West Essex, which has a bit more lineup flexibility, to bump Alex Jones to 152 for a matchup with Malia. Straight up, the critical bouts are 106, 113 and 182, and I give the visitors a strong chance to win all three. Warren Hills, which looks to have the decisive edge at 160, 170 and 220, should also have the opportunity for more bonus points. I'm sensing a mild upset here which would throw a wide open Group 3 state title race -- Montville is the favorite after a recent 36-31 victory over West Essex -- into even more chaos.

Prediction: Warren Hills, 34-30.