Wrestling: Depth is surely King for loaded P'burg

Opening day in New Jersey is just days away, but Phillipsburg's wrestling team has been building for this moment since last season wrapped in its home gym with the individual state tournament in late April.

P'burg will open home dual season on Jan. 4.

The Stateliners, considered among the preseason favorites to win the Group 5 title in February, won't exactly ease into this new season. First-year coach Brad Gentzle's team begins its quest for the program's 23rd state championship on Friday morning in the two-day King of the Mountain Tournament in Mill Hall, Pa. 

"We're healthy and our weights are under control," said Gentzle, a former star at Easton (Pa.) and longtime assistant coach who took over under difficult circumstances in May. "We've had four really good weeks of training leading into one of the toughest tournaments this side of the Mississippi River, if not the country."

• Check out the full Phillipsburg 2021-22 preview

P'burg, which finished 8-1 overall during a pandemic-shortened 2021 season, returns nine starters and a host of talented newcomers. The 'Liners feature a deep set of upper weights, led by state qualifier David Pierson (215 pounds) and fellow senior Nate Zastowny (165), a former Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament champion.

That depth will get put to the test this weekend. Senior James Palitto (175) will have to sit this one out since the King of the Mountain will be conducted under Pennsylvania's 13 weight classes instead of the National Federation of High School's set of 14, which New Jersey adopted for this season. Sophomore Caleb Rivera and junior Connor Hille are also capable of competing at 175, but Rivera will be at 189 for King of the Mountain and the Bethlehem Holiday Classic at Liberty High School in Pa., Dec. 28-29. 

"They're all 175-pounders, but Rivera is the biggest," Gentzle said. "That's difficult to tell two that you aren't going. That's anywhere from four to 15 matches in these two tournaments."

Sophomore Rorey Packer, who returned to the sport this season, junior Logan Kries and sophomore Nate Smith are also in the mix for New Jersey's 190-pound class.

"We have three athletic bodies at 190 who know how to wrestle. That gives us a lot of flexibility," Gentzle added. "The New Jersey weights help us this year. Only a couple are really cutting weight period. Caleb is not as big as we thought he'd be and 165 is not an issue for Zastowny. [Junior Hunter] Cleaver [at NJ's 157] is in a little bit of a tough spot for him, but he's doing just fine."

Flexibility is a precious commodity these days, but not limited to the Phillipsburg upper weights. The 'Liners will be able to mix and match from 132 on up.

Among the challenges Gentzle, who does not teach at the high school, and his staff have faced is getting practice going until his arrival. Tim Longacre, a longtime youth coach and No. 1 assistant, handles that duty and Gentzle said the wrestlers have made the adjustment.

"The kids have responded very well to it," Gentzle said. "Sometimes a change of pace can be a good thing. We've been focused on drilling and technique this preseason."

P'burg is set to open the dual-meet season at Livingston on Wednesday, Dec. 22. A victory there would put the Stateliners at 999 overall, setting up a chance to get No. 1,000 against Hunterdon Central in front of what should be a packed house in the home opener on Jan. 4.

King of the Mountain lineup:

106 -- Antonio Garcia; 113 -- Miguel Lopez; 120 -- Gavin Hawk; 126 -- James Day; 132 -- Luke Geleta; 138 -- Joey Innamorato; 145 -- Liam Packer; 152 -- Matt D'Onofrio; 160 -- Hunter Cleaver; 172 -- Nate Zastowny; 189 -- Caleb Rivera; 215 -- David Pierson; 285 -- John Wargo.