Wrestling: State powers headline Boresch Duals

It's that time again for one of the most anticipated events on the high school calendar as several of New Jersey's top teams are slated to compete in the 17th Henry Boresch Duals on Saturday, Jan. 7 at Newton High School.

North Hunterdon, ranked No. 19 by the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association and 2020 champion, makes its fourth Boresch Duals appearance since 2010 as the No. 3 seed. Two other NJWWA Top 20s are set to vie for the title as Delsea (No. 8), the reigning Group 3 champion, and South Plainfield (No. 14), a four-time Boresch Duals winner and seeking its first title since 2017, drew the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds. 

Newton has crowned the most NJ state champs (82)

Paulsboro, which won back-to-back titles in 2018 and '19, also returns, along with reigning champion Howell, last season's Group 5 runner-up. Hanover Park, Pascack Hills and host Newton round out the eight-team field.


North Hunterdon (2-0), which is sitting on 799 wins as a program, will face No. 6 seed Howell (2-1) as the Lions look to avenge a 39-28 loss to the Rebels in last year's championship match. Paulsboro (1-0), the No. 5 seed and last repeat winner, takes on No. 4 Hanover Park (1-0), which is coached by former Kittatinny standout Tyler Branham, on the adjacent mat at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Delsea (1-0), the reigning Group 3 champion, squares off against No. 8 Pascack Hills (4-1), while South Plainfield (2-0) battles No. 7 seed Newton (1-1) in the opening round at 9 a.m.

North Hunterdon, which began its dual meet season with wins over Old Bridge (38-25) and Somerville (52-30), is led by senior state placewinners Logan Wadle (8-1 at 113, second in 2021 and third in '22), Alex Uryniak (8-1 at 190, seventh in 2021) and Brendan Raley (7-2 at 215, eighth in 2022). All were runners-up at the prestigious Sam Cali Invitational earlier this week.

Newton, which won its fourth and last Boresch Duals title in 2010, features seniors Michael Melillo (6-3 at 144), a state qualifier last season, and Thaylor Sibblies (10-1 at 157), a Sam Cali Invitational third-place finisher.

In all there are 11 state medal winners in the field, including Hanover Park sophomore Vincenzo LaValle, who placed third at 190 pounds in Atlantic City last season. Delsea, which returns 9 state qualifiers, features sophomore Jamar Dixon Jr. (10-0 at 144), a Sam Cali champ in 2022 and fifth-place state medalist last season, senior Jared Schoppe (10-0 at 175), a three-time state medal winner and runner-up as a junior, and Danny Digiovacchino (7-3 at 190), a state eighth in 2022. 

Howell, which has been missing several starters in its early duals and dropped a 48-27 decision to Middletown South, returns five state qualifiers, including Sebastian Ortega (7-2 at 126). The junior was a seventh-place finisher at the Beast of the East this season and state fifth-place medalist in 2021.

South Plainfield is led by senior J.J. Giordano (8-2 at 144), a state seventh in 2022 and junior Nicholas Campagna (8-1 at 150), a Sam Cali runner-up in 2022 and eighth in the state last season. Paulsboro returns junior Roman Onorato (6-2 at 157), who placed eighth in the state as a sophomore.

Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Here is the schedule (All times approximate as a new round will begin following the completion of the previous session):

Quarterfinals, 9 a.m.

1-Delsea (1-0) vs. 8-Pascack Hills (4-1)
2-South Plainfield (2-0) vs. 7-Newton (1-1)

Quarterfinals, 10:30 a.m.

3-North Hunterdon (2-0) vs. 6-Howell (2-1)
4-Hanover Park (1-0) vs. 5-Paulsboro (1-0)

Wrestleback semifinals, noon

Delsea-Pascack Hills loser vs. Hanover Park-Paulsboro loser

South Plainfield-Newton loser vs. North Hunterdon-Howell loser

Semifinals, 1:30 p.m.

Delsea-Pascack Hills winner vs. Hanover Park-Paulsboro winner

South Plainfield-Newton winner vs. North Hunterdon-Howell winner

Consolation round, 3 p.m.

Fifth- and seventh-place matches.

Championship round, 4:30 p.m.

First- and third-place matches.

Memory lane of champions

2006 -- Don Bosco 50, Haddonfield 24

2007 -- Newton 54, Pequannock 9

2008 -- Newton 36, Haddonfield 31

2009 -- Newton 43, Haddonfield 18

2010 -- Newton 34, Don Bosco 32

2011 -- Raritan 41, Newton 24

2012 -- South Plainfield 47, Raritan 18

2013 -- South Plainfield 62, Raritan 8

2014 -- Hanover Park 35, Raritan 29

2015 -- Howell 40, South Plainfield 15

2016 -- South Plainfield 45, Howell 20

2017 -- South Plainfield 43, Hanover Park 23

2018 -- Paulsboro 48, Hanover Park 20

2019 -- Paulsboro 37, South Plainfield 17

2020 -- North Hunterdon 40, Kingsway 21

2021 -- No event due to COVID-19

2022 -- Howell 39, North Hunterdon 28