High Point ace Brian Soldano is making it look way too easy. But he can't help it. The two-time state champion is head-and-shoulders above the field at 190 pounds.
Soldano, who decked Middle Township senior David Giulian in 1:40, salvaged what was an otherwise tough semifinal round for the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area on Friday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. With his 99th career pin, Soldano (37-0), a sure frontrunner for the Outstanding Wrestler Award, advanced to face North Bergen junior Joshua Palacio in Saturday's championships at approximately 3 p.m.
"I would love to get [the OW Award]. That would be pretty cool," Soldano said after his semifinal win. "I'm feeling good, but one step at a time. First is to win the state title and get that 100th pin."
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| Soldano improved to 126-5 overall. |
All four can place as high as third as HWS secured a total of nine medals (North with an area-high three). North Hunterdon junior Brendan Raley (215) and Lenape Valley senior Daniel Haws (126) will wrestle for seventh place, while Pope John senior Jack Stoll (215) and Warren Hills senior Tyler McCatharn (285), both in the consolation semis, can finish no lower than sixth place.
Soldano, who is looking to join Nick Francavilla (2009-11) as High Point's only three-time champions and become just the seventh in Sussex County history to do it, started his day by pinning Mount Olive junior Anthony Moscatello for the third time this season in the quarterfinals. That one took just 1:10.
"He's unbelievable," said coach John Gardner, a 1990 champion at 189 pounds for the 'Cats, who has stated numerous times that Soldano is the best to ever don a High Point singlet.
In the semifinals, Soldano, a four-time region champ and the Wildcats' career pins leader, converted a single-leg takedown and used a merkle for two back points before stacking Giulian (35-5), a Region 8 runner-up, for the fall, which extended the Rutgers recruit's overall win streak to 74 and 13 straight in the state tournament since a 17-8 defeat to West Orange's Colin Morgan in the 2019 Blood Round.
"My [older] brother, PJ, said I had to switch it up a little and do something else," Soldano said of using the winning stack move rather than locking his opponent around the chest and just horsing them over, which he's done quite a bit among his 33 pins this season -- three shy of heavyweight Kevin Williams' season mark of 36, then a New Jersey record set during his run to a third-place finish in 1991.
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| Soldano after winning his second state title at P'burg. |
"I don't really feel much pressure," said Soldano, whose last high school loss was to Lower Dauphin's Clayton Ulrey, a former PIAA Class AAA state finalist, 11-8, in the 2020 Sam Cali Tournament finals.
"I've been here before. My job is to get it done, whatever I have to do. It will be a special moment [winning three titles] if I'm able to come out on top. All I've dreamed about is being the best to wrestle for High Point and showcase what I can do."
Tough times
Wadle, who was looking to become North's first repeat finalist since Jack Delia, a two-time runner-up at heavyweight in 2010-11, dropped a 4-1 decision to St. John Vianney freshman Patrick O'Keefe. Down, 1-0, heading into the third period, Wadle took bottom and was turned with a half nelson. O'Keefe (35-6), a Region 5 champion, then switched to a double-arm bar for three huge back points and finished the bout in that position. Wadle's only losses in 24 bouts since dropping to 106 in mid-January are to O'Keefe (35-6), who scored a 5-3 victory when they met at the Patriot Duals on Jan. 22.
Walsh (24-3), who was bidding to become the just the second Pope John freshman to reach the finals, a distinction held by three-time state champion Mike Frick (1969, '71 and '72), dropped a 3-1 decision to Eastern senior Jared Brunner, a three-time medalist. A first-period takedown was the difference.
In one of the most entertaining semifinals, Peake, a sixth-place finisher in 2021, lost a heartbreaker to Kingsway senior Dakota Morris -- 3-1 in sudden-victory overtime. Morris, who converted the winning single-leg takedown at the buzzer, nearly ended it in regulation when he put Peake to his back with a cradle as they rolled out of the circle with just under 30 seconds left on the clock. Peake escaped with 16 ticks left to force OT.
Akers, who earned his second career medal after a seventh-place finish in 2020, was no match for St. Joseph-Montvale junior Jim Mullen, a 2020 champion, who rolled to a 12-2 major. Akers' lone points was a reversal down, 7-0, in the second period, as he joined Delia as the only two-time placers at heavyweight for the Lions. Akers will face McCatharn in the consolation semis and is 3-0 all-time against the Blue Streak dating to 2020, including two wins this season (6-0 in the dual meet and 1-0 in the HWS Tournament finals).
Back points
Haws (35-6), who will face Bergen Catholic's Aidan Wallace in the seventh-place bout, roared back from a second-round technical-fall loss to Kinnelon senior Evan Mougalian, a three-time finalist and 2020 state champion. to secure Lenape Valley's 23rd medal. It's Haws' first in three state appearances and the Patriots' first since Nick Palumbo became the Sussex County school's first state champion in 2017 after his third-place finish at 145 in '16. Haws, who is 109-26 overall, is tied with Mike LaBell (109-41 from 2007-11 and D.J. Barrett 109-46 from 2011-15) for sixth on the Pats' career wins list -- passing Gary Mikolay and Derek Nagy, both state medalists, as well as Paul Grogan, whose brother, Anthony, is the head coach.
The Blood Round was rough on the locals (who went 4-7) as North Hunterdon junior Alex Uryniak came up a win shy of his second medal at 190 pounds after a seventh-place finish at 182 in 2021. Phillipsburg's Gavin Hawk (120), James Day (126), Joey Innamorato (138) and David Pierson (215), Hunterdon Central sophomore Anthony Rossi (106) and Warren Hills senior Owen Frizzell (175), all were seeking their first.
P'burg and Warren Hills, which each had an area-best eight qualifiers, combined for one medal as McCatharn, who finished sixth last season, became the first Blue Streak since Dan Slack (third in 1976 and first in '77) to place twice at heavyweight (though back then you had to reach the semis to medal for at least a fourth-place finish). Stoll, who finished sixth at 220 last season, one-upped his older brother, Kyle, who placed sixth at 195 in 2013 for High Point, as a two-time medalist.
Phillipsburg had no state placewinners for a third straight year -- a program first -- and the sixth time since 2005, which snapped a run of 26 straight tournaments with at least one since missing in 1978. P'burg, which became a varsity program in 1947-48, came up empty for the first time in '50 as well as '55. Last year was the first time that the 'Liners went back-to-back without a medal since 1961-62 and 1964-65.
Warren County did not have a wrestler in the semifinals for a third straight year and the fifth time since 2013. Cody Harrison (third at 152 in 2019) was the last for Phillipsburg, while Andrew Pacheco (sixth at 285 in 2014) was the last to reach the semis for Warren Hills, which has not produced a state champ since Justin Colaluce went back-to-back in 1997-98. Brandon Hull (220 in 2012) is the last male to win a title for the 'Liners.
Region 2 flexed its muscles again with a tourney-high 12 semifinalists, followed by Region 3 and Region 6 with nine each and Region 8 with seven. Region 1 and Region 5 were next with six, while Region 4 had four and Region 7 had three. Of the 56 wrestlers in the semis, 29 represented Non-Public schools.
As for the championships, Region 2 advanced seven to the finals, followed by Region 6 with five and Region 3 and Region 8 with four apiece. Region 1 and Region 5 have three and Region 4 and Region 7 each have one finalist.
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