Wrestling: Five to rep HWS in public state finals

Trust in the process. That's basically been the message delivered by iconic High Point coach John Gardner to his Wildcats prior to each season since the program won its first state title in 2008.

Since that time, High Point has enjoyed great success having twice been named the No. 1 team in New Jersey (2008 and '11) to go with 12 sectional titles and an additional five state championships. All of this while navigating one of the most brutal schedules among public schools in preparation for this time of year.

'Cats celebrate their semifinal win (Rhonda Gaccione)

Well, High Point is once again on the brink of a state title as the 'Cats earned their fifth consecutive berth in the Group 2 final with a 40-23 win over Haddonfield in one semifinal clash on Friday night.

High Point (11-9) will square off against upstart Governor Livingston in the title match at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Rutgers University's Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway. Governor Livingston (17-3), which was coming off the program's third sectional title, handed 2022 Group 2 champion Raritan a 37-30 loss in the other semifinal to send the Highlanders to their first state final. 

Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex schools, which have crowned an area-best three champions on six occasions including 2022, landed spots in all five public state finals as the locals went 5-1 in the semis, where  Phillipsburg (Group 5), North Hunterdon (Group 4), Warren Hills (Group 3) and Delaware Valley (Group 1) also extended their dual seasons. 

Gardner will be the first to admit that his team's schedule -- an annual gauntlet -- was a bit ambitious given this was such a young squad coming off last year's tough 37-27 loss to Raritan in the Group 2 final. The season record may not be pretty, but it's not about regular-season wins.

High Point ranks 3rd in NJ with 30 sectional titles

The 'Cats, who seek their seventh state championship (only Kittatinny (8) and Pope John (7) have more among Sussex County programs), were primed for postseason success having wrestled in duals against state powers Southern and Delsea -- both title favorites in Group 5 and 3 -- as well Mount Olive (last year's Group 4 champion), Warren Hills (Group 3 runner-up in 2002), Hunterdon Central (a 2022 sectional runner-up) and St. John Vianney (tops in Non-Public B this season).  

And who can argue with Gardner's methods, which included a trip to a local park in Haddonfield prior to the match for a little team bonding and a friendly game of frisbee, which would surely please the legendary Gary "Gimp" Brownell. And what's more, High Point wrestlers focus solely on this time of year more than any other and will gladly take a team title over any individual success.

'Liners, Streaks eye redemption

Phillipsburg and Warren Hills have some scores to settle on Super Bowl Sunday as both earned state rematches with semifinal wins. 

The Stateliners, who cruised to a 47-23 victory over Howell, will battle for the program's 24th state championship (No. 23 came with a 51-8 waxing of Howell in 2022) and second straight in Group 5 against Southern at 1:30 p.m. That will be no easy task as the Rams, ranked as the state's top public school, handed P'burg a 42-12 loss on Jan. 19.

Star sophomore Gavin Hawk ignited the P'burg bench and sent the team on its way to the finals by decking Giovanni Scafidi, a fellow 2022 state qualifier, in 5:54 in a key matchup at 132 pounds.

P'burg last won back-to-back titles in 2014-18

Phillipsburg (15-2), which hosted its first semifinal since 1999 as the tournaments moved from host schools to one site in 2002, is 1-2 in its last three title appearances (losing to Kingsway in 2019 and North Hunterdon in '20) after previously winning five straight from 2014-18. Southern owns a 9-7 overall edge in a series dating to 1997, but the teams have split six previous postseason meetings including a 27-25 win for P'burg in last year's Group 5 semifinals. The 'Liners are also 2-1 in title matches -- winning Group 4 championship clashes with the Rams in 1997 (53-9) and 2014 (32-21).

Warren Hills, coming off its second straight sectional championship, rolled to a 60-9 thumping of Old Tappan in a Group 3 semifinal clash in Washington Township. The Blue Streaks (18-3) collected six pins (including senior Jarett Pantuso (27-2) who picked up his 79th career win with a fall in one minute even at 285) and dropped only two bouts to the Bergen County school, which captured the program's first sectional title on Wednesday.

Hills, which won state titles in 1990 and '97, faces South Jersey power Delsea for a third time in two seasons in the Group 3 final on Sunday at 11 a.m. The Crusaders (25-1), who are 3-9 all-time in title matches, handed the Streaks their first finals loss in three appearances with a 29-28 victory in 2022 and followed that up with a 39-15 win when the teams met earlier this season in the Jack Welch Duals semifinals on Jan. 21.

Hunterdon heavyweights

Delaware Valley and North Hunterdon are carrying the county flag as each seeks titles in Group 1 and Group 4, respectively.

Del Val knocked off Hanover Park for the second time this season with a 45-24 semifinal win at Daniel Hutchins Memorial Gymnasium. The Terriers (17-3), who have won nine state titles and beat the Hornets 46-22 on Jan. 21, look to go back-to-back against Paulsboro in a rematch of last year's Group 1 semifinal on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Del Val looks to repeat for the first time since winning four straight Group 2 titles from 1987-90 under Vince Fitz. Current coach Andy Fitz wrestled for his father during those championship seasons.

Paulsboro (20-3), which has won an astounding 33 titles in Group 1 including 25 straight from 1983-2007, ended Kittatinny's bid for a ninth championship and the program's 670th win with a 39-21 victory in the other semifinal despite a long trek from South Jersey to Hampton Township. The Red Raiders, now 37-3 all-time in Group 1 semifinals, suffered just their third semis loss since the event formed in 1982, when Del Val prevailed 33-27 a year ago in Alexandria Township. Veteran coach Paul Morina's teams handed the Terriers lopsided losses in the 2019 semis (61-9) and '20 final (50-9).

North celebrates its 17th sectional title. (NH social media)

Kittatinny (12-6), which captured its last state title in 2008, won just five bouts against Paulsboro as the Red Raiders held a 29-9 lead after taking six of the first eight bouts, including a rare disqualification victory for stalling at 138. The match also featured a pair of legendary coaches as the Cougars' John Gill (637) and Morina (768) have combined for 1,405 victories, 66 sectional and 41 state titles.     

North Hunterdon stayed in the title hunt with a 36-31 win over Shawnee in a Group 4 semifinal at the Lions Den in Clinton Township. North (14-5), which won the last of its five championships (second only to Del Val's nine in the county) to cap the program's only unbeaten season by going 20-0 in 2020, is set to face red-hot Jackson Memorial in Sunday's title match at 11 a.m.

North, which dropped a 38-27 decision to Brick Memorial in last year's Group 4 semifinals, issued forfeits in the final three bouts with the match clinched against Shawnee. Lions ace Alex Uryniak, a 2021 state medalist who joined the program's 100-wins club with a pin in Wednesday's sectional title win against Watchung Hills, had one of the team's three falls against Shawnee. 

Coach Chris Hrunka's team is seeing several unheralded starters rise to the occasion, including seniors Aaron Yarnell (8-16) with a key pin vs. Watchung and senior Thales Gondim (6-19), who scored a 7-4 decision at 175 pounds against Shawnee.  

Sunday's schedule and matchups:

Group 5

1-Southern (18-1) vs. 2-Phillipsburg (15-2), 1:30 p.m.

Group 4

3-Jackson Memorial (16-6) vs. 1-North Hunterdon (14-5), 11 a.m.

Group 3

2-Warren Hills (18-3) vs. 1-Delsea (25-1), 11 a.m.

Group 2

4-Governor Livingston (17-3) vs. 3-High Point (11-9), 11 a.m.

Group 1

3-Paulsboro (20-3) vs. 1-Delaware Valley (17-3), 1:30 p.m.

Non-Public A final

1-Delbarton (15-3) vs. 2-St. Joseph-Montvale (16-2), 1:30 p.m.

Non-Public B final

1-St. John Vianney (12-2) vs. 2-Camden Catholic (13-5), 11 a.m.