Wrestling: HWS sends 8 to public sectional finals

Delaware Valley, Kittatinny and Phillipsburg were nearly perfect as all three easily advanced through Monday night's quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the NJSIAA sectional wrestling tournaments.

In all, eight public schools (Pope John fell in the Non-Public A opening round on Tuesday) from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area advanced to Wednesday's championship round. Local teams captured an area-best seven titles for the first time in 20 years last season -- a feat previously done on just four other occasions (1988, 1994, 1995 and 2002) since the tournaments commenced in 1980.

High Point, Hunterdon Central, North Hunterdon, Sparta and Warren Hills also moved on to the finals in their respective brackets.

Big 5

P'burg won its only North 2, Group 5 title in 2022

Phillipsburg (13-2), which is seeking its area-best 40th sectional title, lost just two bouts overall in routs over Elizabeth (74-3) and Bayonne (72-6) in North 2, Group 5 as star sophomore Gavin Hawk logged his 59th and 60th career wins with pins in 46 and 49 seconds at 132 pounds. The top-seeded Stateliners, who are 39-3 all-time in title matches (missing in 1990, 2013 and 2020), will square off against No. 3 seed Westfield on Wednesday night in Lopatcong Township. P'burg is 6-0 all-time in that series, including a 47-9 win in the last meeting at The Pit in a North 2, Group 4 sectional semifinal on Feb. 14, 1985. The 'Liners also prevailed 39-12 on Feb. 16, 1979, 31-12 on Feb. 18, 1977 and 23-20 at The Pit on Feb. 21, 1975, along with two road victories (26-15 on Feb. 17, 1978 and 31-12 on Feb. 20, 1976). 

Hunterdon Central (16-3), which had been idle since a 47-12 win over Central Bucks East (Pa.) on Jan. 28, rolled to a 62-18 victory over Freehold Township in the quarters before slipping past Old Bridge with a 39-37 win in a semifinal clash between teams in the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20. After three straight pins gave Old Bridge a 37-33 lead, junior Thomas Brunetti's fall in the final bout at 190 pounds sent the top-seeded Red Devils, who are seeking the program's 23rd title overall and first since 2019, to Wednesday's championship match against No. 3 seed Howell.

Lions roar in 4

Three of North's 16 titles have come in N2, G4

North Hunterdon, which captured its second North 2, Group 4 championship in three years last season (no postseason team tournaments were held in 2021 due to COVID-19), took another step in its quest for the program's 17th sectional title with wins over Colonia (78-6) and Middletown South (45-24) in the opening rounds.

The top-seeded Lions (12-5), who capped the school's first unbeaten season (23-0) with a Group 4 title in 2020, will take on No. 2 seed Watchung Hills in an all-Skyland Conference finals matchup on Wednesday in Clinton Township. North senior ace Alex Uryniak (26-1 at 190), a seventh-place medal winner in the 2021 state tournament, is one win shy of becoming only the 13th Lions wrestler to hit the century mark. Uryniak, who is 99-16 overall, would be the first to do so since former state placewinner Andrew Gapas (109-26 from 2014-18). 

3 is a magic number

Hills improved to 805-534-11 in its 86th season

Warren Hills (16-3) is back in a familiar spot as the Blue Streaks cruised to wins over Becton-Wood-Ridge (79-0) and West Essex (45-21) on Monday, the latter a rematch of last year's North 2, Group 3 title match. Hills thumped West Essex, 51-12, in 2022 for the program's sixth sectional championship and first since 2007 (snapping a string of five straight finals losses), while avenging a 34-31 loss to the Knights in the 2020 title match. The top-seeded Streaks, who are 6-9 all-time in sectional finals and finished as the Group 3 runners-up last season, will host No. 2 seed Cranford on Wednesday in Washington Township.

Sparta (18-5), a No. 3 seed in North 1, Group 3, cruised past Paramus (48-19) in the quarterfinals and ousted No. 2 seed Ramapo with a 37-34 win in the semifinals to avenge a 54-18 loss when the teams met earlier this season on Dec. 27. The Spartans, who won their only sectional titles in 1983, 2000 and 2017, were missing several starters in that previous loss to Ramapo, which made program history in the quarters with its first sectional victory, including junior Logan Hrenenko (22-3 at 144 prior to Monday) and freshman Ryan Hrenenko (18-8 at 132) as the Sussex County school reached the finals for the first time since a 50-18 loss to Pascack Valley in '18. Current head coach Dan Trappe then served as an assistant under Frank Battaglia, who brought the program back from near extinction. Next up is top-seeded Old Tappan, which dropped a 29-25 decision when the teams met in the 2017 title match. 

'Cats just two good

You know it's sectional time as High Point continued its march to a Sussex County-best 30th title with wins over Manchester Regional (59-12) and West Milford (48-25) in North 1, Group 2. Coach John Gardner's top-seeded Wildcats teams won titles in five of the program's prior tournament appearances (2017-22, no postseason team events in '21) and will face a familiar foe for this year's championship in No. 2 seed Jefferson, which dropped a 39-27 decision when the schools met on Jan. 5.

HP  celebrated Gardner's 400th coaching win on Jan. 24

High Point (9-9), which has not won six straight titles since 2010-14 (program record is seven from 1986-92), rolled to a 48-19 win over Jefferson in last year's North 1, Group 2 final -- beating the Morris County school for a second time in eight days after securing the NJAC Freedom Division title with a 52-18 victory on Feb. 1, 2022. The Falcons, who won their seventh and last sectional championship in 2000, also lost to the 'Cats in the 2017 and '18 finals.

The good news for High Point is that Monday's wins saw the returns of senior Roman Citro (20-3 at 126), who had his right thumb heavily taped, and junior Carson Citro (14-8 at 106-113) after several absences in from the lineup in recent weeks.  

No. 1s have fun

Kittatinny is sitting on 668 wins (636 under Gill)

Delaware Valley (15-3), which is seeking the program's seventh sectional title since 2015 and its 21st overall, dropped just two bouts in blowouts of New Egypt (84-0) and previously-unbeaten Manville (69-9) in Central Jersey, Group 1. The top-seeded Terriers, who also won the Group 1 title in 2022, will take on Point Pleasant Beach in a rematch of last year's sectional final (a 68-6 rout for Del Val) on Wednesday at Daniel Hutchins Memorial Gymnasium.

Kittatinny (11-5), which has losses to both Del Val and North 2 top seed Hanover Park this season, also lost just two bouts in romps over No. 8 seed Hawthorne (74-3) and No. 5 Pompton Lakes (66-3) in Hampton Township. Legendary coach John Gill, who has guided the Cougars to 23 sectional titles in his marvelous 45-year career (two as an assistant under program founder and former Phillipsburg wrestler Carl Bateman), goes for a second straight championship in a rematch against No. 2 Emerson-Park Ridge, which fell 39-27 in last year's final. The Cavos slipped past Newton (39-36) in the semifinals. 

Here are Wednesday's public school championship matchups and Thursday's Non-Public semifinals with records and power point totals in parentheses:

Group 5

North 1

2-Clifton (21-3, 30.10) at 1-Passaic Tech (16-6, 31.70)

North 2

3-Westfield (18-4, 30.60) at 1-Phillipsburg (13-2, 34.90)

Central Jersey

3-Howell (21-6, 32.30) at 1-Hunterdon Central (17-3, 36.30)

South Jersey

3-Kingsway (16-8, 31.60) at 1-Southern (16-1, 36.60)

Group 4

North 1

3-Morris Knolls (11-7, 28.80) at 1-Mount Olive (10-4, 32.90)

North 2

2-Watchung Hills (15-6, 31.40) at 1-North Hunterdon (12-5, 34.10)

Central Jersey

2-Jackson Memorial (14-6, 32.20) at 1-Brick Memorial (16-4, 32.70)

South Jersey

6-Cherry Hill West (18-10, 27.90) at 1-Shawnee (20-4, 31.20)

Group 3

North 1

3-Sparta (18-5, 29.90) at 1-Old Tappan (15-4, 31.00)

North 2

2-Cranford (21-2, 34.90) at 1-Warren Hills (16-3, 35.50)

Central Jersey

2-South Plainfield (10-5, 28.90) at 1-Hopewell Valley (17-4, 29.90)

South Jersey

3-Jackson Liberty (11-5, 30.10) at 1-Delsea (22-1, 37.10)
 

Group 2

North 1

2-Jefferson (15-6, 30.00) at 1-High Point (9-9, 30.80)

North 2

2-Governor Livingston (15-3, 28.80) at 1-Caldwell (20-4, 30.50)

Central Jersey

2-Point Pleasant Boro (15-1, 30.50) at 1-Raritan (21-5, 34.40)

South Jersey

2-West Deptford (16-11, 28.80) at 1-Haddonfield (16-4, 31.30)

Group 1

North 1

2-Emerson-Park Ridge (14-7, 29.40) at 1-Kittatinny (11-5, 32.00) 

North 2

2-Hasbrouck Heights (16-4, 28.20) at 1-Hanover Park (14-5, 31.00)

Central Jersey

3-Point Pleasant Beach (14-9, 27.40) at 1-Delaware Valley (15-3, 34.60)

South Jersey

3-Gloucester City (20-7, 30.20) at 1-Paulsboro (18-3, 31.40)

Non-Public A

4-St. Peter's Prep (17-1, 35.20) at 1-Delbarton (14-3, 35.20)

3-Bergen Catholic (13-3, 32.80) at 2-St. Joseph-Montvale (15-2, 34.30)

Non-Public B

4-Red Bank Catholic (10-6, 29.40) at 1-St. John Vianney (11-2, 30.40)

3-St. Thomas Aquinas (14-6, 29.40) at 2-Camden Catholic (12-5, 28.90)