Wrestling: North Hunterdon at Phillipsburg preview

What: North Hunterdon Lions at Phillipsburg Stateliners.

Where: Phillipsburg High School, Lopatcong Township.

When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Live feed: Stateliner Sports.

Conference: Skyland Raritan Division.

Records: North Hunterdon 8-2, 2-0; Phillipsburg 4-1, 1-0.

Area rankings: (Open Mike): North Hunterdon No. 1; Phillipsburg No. 3.

Coaches: Chris Hrunka (72-10, fifth season, 3-4 vs. P'burg); Brad Gentzle (4-1, first season, 0-0 vs. NH).

Series history: Phillipsburg owns a 56-11-1 edge dating to 1961, including a 7-4 mark in postseason meetings. North won three straight for the first time with a 32-23 victory in the last matchup on March 23, 2021. The Lions, who logged consecutive wins on only one other occasion in 1961-62 snapped their 17-match skid in the series with a 30-24 win on the road in 2020 and added a dominating 37-12 win in the North 2, Group 4 sectional final en route to the Group 4 state title and the program's first unbeaten season. P'burg's last win in this series was a 28-19 victory in the North 2, Group 4 title match on Feb. 8, 2019. North's other wins came in the Group 3 finals (1982, '84 and '93), and regular-season dual meets in 1961, '62, '65, '75 and 2007.

Note: North Hunterdon wrestlers listed first with season records in parentheses.

106 -- Jr. Logan Wadle (11-5) or So. Shane Wysocki (6-4) vs. So. Dawson McWilliams (3-6).

113 -- Wysocki or Wadle vs. Sr. Miguel Lopez (9-9).

120 -- Sr. Ben Makaritis (10-8) or Jr. John Van Doren (8-8) vs. Fr. Gavin Hawk (18-5).

126 -- Van Doren or Makaritis vs. Sr. James Day (17-2).

132 -- Sr. Nick DeLorenzo (10-4) vs. Fr. Luke Geleta (13-6).

138 -- Jr. Daniel Delusant (17-4) or Sr. Ian Hewitt (4-4) vs. Sr. Joey Innamorato (14-5).

144 -- Fr. Evan Kinney (2-6) or Delusant vs. So. Liam Packer (4-6) or So. Johnathon Roth (1-1). 

150 -- So. Brian Wilson (10-7) vs. Sr. Matt D'Onofrio (9-8).

157 -- Sr. Tucker Lewis (10-9) vs. Jr. Hunter Cleaver (13-6).

165 -- Jr. James Wachenheim (1-6) or Jr. Aaron Yarnell (2-2) vs. Sr. Nate Zastowny (7-5) or Sr. James Palitto (1-0).

175 -- Sr. Luke Yager (7-8) vs. So. Caleb Rivera (11-8) or Jr. Connor Hille (7-7).

190 -- Jr. Alex Uryniak (18-2) vs. Hille or Rivera.

215 -- Jr. Brendan Raley (19-1) vs. Sr. David Pierson (15-4).

285 -- Sr. Liam Akers (18-1) vs. So. John Wargo (12-6).

Breakdown: The 69th meeting, one of the most anticipated duals in our area, will likely decide the division title. Can North, which will be prepared and ready to battle, make it four straight? Well, the matchups certainly favor Phillipsburg, which bounced back from a tough 35-15 loss to Warren Hills on Friday with Monday's 37-22 win over Livingston. North Hunterdon, which scored a 61-18 win over Voorhees on Monday, handed Warren Hills a 33-22 loss on Jan. 7 and saw the program's 29-match win streak dating to that memorable 2020 campaign end with a 44-27 loss to St. Peter's Prep on Dec. 23. Coach Chris Hrunka's team, which knocked off Kingsway twice in 2020, including a 34-22 win in the Group 4 final, and the Dragons are the top two seeds for Saturday's North Warren Patriot Duals (High Point, Livingston, St. John Vianney and West Essex are also in the eight-team field). Shifting back to P'burg, the 'Liners are favored at 120, 126, 138, 150, 157, 165, 175 (Rivera). That's seven and you could certainly make the case for 132 and 215, though I think they rate as tossups despite the hosts winning both (Geleta 6-4 and Pierson 2-0)

P'burg is 282-57-3 all-time vs. HWS schools.

matchups at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Jan. 8. North will likely need to reverse both (I think they do) to win. Lions are the favorites at 106 or 113 (wherever Wadle goes), 144 (Delusant), 190 and 285. That leaves 106 (Wysocki vs. McWilliams) as another tossup. Could Delusant reverse a 5-1 loss to Innamorato at HWS (North believes he can) and if so, can the Lions win at 144? That's a tough call and the visitors may have to make that move to try and win the dual. North can get to seven by winning the tossups, but I think it comes up short on the bonus side. P'burg has the potential for bonus at several weights (120, 126, 138 if the Lions bump Delusant, 157 and 165). Uryniak pinned Hille at HWS, but my guess is that Hille goes 175 and Rivera bumps to try and save points at 190 since P'burg is favored to get a split of those two weights no matter the matchups. Of course, it also depends on the starting weight. I could see this being a 7-7 split if North gets 106, 113, 132 and all three up top, but P'burg could win only six and still be in good shape with the potential for five bonus-point victories. That's the difference to end the series skid.   

Prediction: Phillipsburg, 33-20.