Wrestling: Gardner, Smith shifting roles at High Point

You could call it a changing of the guard somewhat for High Point's wrestling program as iconic head coach John Gardner is transitioning from his everyday duties with the boys to be more involved on the the girls side -- effective at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Gardner informed Open Mike late Wednesday evening that this winter will be his last in charge of a boys program that became a consistent New Jersey powerhouse during his 25 seasons at the helm.

Smith and Gardner 

The plan is for former Wildcats state champion Billy Smith, who's been the heir apparent since joining the staff seven years ago straight out of Rutgers University, to be promoted from assistant to boys head coach for the 2024-25 season. 

Longtime boys assistants Mickey Thomas and Mark "Otto" Veltri are also expected to remain in their current roles beyond 2023-24 -- meaning the entire staff essentially remains in tact. Erin Bang will continue as Gardner's assistant on the girls' side.

A wrestling room dedicated solely to the girls is also in the works at the Wantage-based school.

"I think it's the perfect time," said Gardner, who led the High Point boys to a Sussex County-best 30th North 1, Group 2 sectional title and its seventh state championship this past season. "We have a lot of horses coming up [in the youth program on the boys side] and I think it's one of the best decisions in the interest of the program."

It's the second major coaching change in the area this offseason as Chris Hrunka stepped down as head boys coach at North Hunterdon. The Lions captured their third sectional title and second Group 4 state championship in four years. 

As first reported by Open Mike, former Somerville head coach and Rutgers alum Brent McGuinness was the favorite to succeed Hrunka, but the sides were recently unable to come to terms, according to sources, and the search has opened back up. This past Tuesday's Board of Education meeting had no candidates for approval on the agenda and the next regular session is scheduled for June 27.

Gardner, whose teams have gone 406-122-2, wanted to make it clear that he isn't going anywhere. But he feels this move is necessary in order to get the girls program where it needs to go, while also giving Smith a long-awaited and deserved opportunity to be a head coach.

High Point celebrates its 7th state team title

High Point (12-9), which stood at 5-5 on Jan. 21 and took on Group 5 kingpin (Southern) and the Group 3 (Delsea) champion and runner-up (Warren Hills) along the way, rallied to reclaim the Group 2 title with a 36-34 win over Governor Livingston at Jersey Mike's Arena.

In doing so, the 'Cats earned the program's 780th victory in 57 seasons and its seventh state championship -- matching Pope John and moving one back of archrival Kittatinny, which ranks 10th on the state's all-time list with eight, for the Sussex County lead. Sparta (Group 2 in 1983) is the only other county program to win a state title.

"The goal is not to go undefeated in [dual meets], but to be ready when it comes time for Groups," Gardner said leading up to the 2023 postseason.

Gardner, a four-time region and 1990 state champion at 189 pounds for the 'Cats who ranks seventh on the school's all-time wins list as a wrestler (131-8-1 from 1986-90), joined Kittatinny's John Gill (629), Hunterdon Central's Russ Riegel (533 with the Red Devils and another 305 with Harrison County High School in Kentucky) and Phillipsburg Hall of Famer Rick Thompson (477 overall and 347 in New Jersey with P'burg, Hackettstown, Voorhees, Franklin and Mountain now West Orange) as the only Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex coaches to log 400-plus wins.

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

"I've been very lucky. I really enjoy what I do," Gardner said earlier this season after that milestone victory.

In all, High Point, which sits behind only Paulsboro (42) and Phillipsburg (40) with 30 sectional titles in New Jersey wrestling history, is now 7-11 in state championship matches -- winning its first in 2008 and all seven (two in Group 3) under Gardner, a member of four sectional championship teams guided by former coach Jeff Hull.

Smith, 29, a special education and history teacher, has been on staff at his alma mater since the 2016-17 season. He was a key member of those great High Point teams (98 wins in his four years) in the mid-to-late 2000s -- going 138-20 overall from 2007-11. The 'Cats finished No. 1 in New Jersey for the 2007-08 and 2010-11 seasons. The only public school since to rank No. 1 was South Plainfield in 2011-12.

During that time, High Point won three sectional and two Group 3 championships, including the program's first in '08. Smith was a three-time district and two-time region champion, capturing the 285-pound state title in '11, one of three 'Cats seniors to win gold medals, along with three-timer Nick Francavilla, two-timer Ethan Orr and Drew Wagenhoffer during that magical 2011 state tournament in Atlantic City. 

All four will be inducted into the High Point Athletic Hall of Fame next month. Gardner's nephews and former 'Cats state placewinners, Joe and Jason Gaccione, are now serving as coaches at the youth level.

Smith went on to a successful collegiate career at Rutgers -- one of just four wrestlers for the Scarlet Knights at the time to make four consecutive national tournament appearances, joining Scott Winston (2009, 2011-13), Dan Rinaldi (2010-13) and Andy Roy (2002-05). Smith, who finished a round shy of All-American status at 285 pounds as a senior, went 105-39 overall and was one of just 16 to record 100 wins at the school upon graduation.

Gardner's teams were consistently ranked among the best in New Jersey from 2006-11, with the 2007-08 club arguably the best of them all. That team finished No. 1 in the state with a school-record 30 victories against one loss and captured the Group 3 title. The 'Cats have won 17 sectional titles under Gardner, who has coached 81 district ( a school-record nine in 2008 and at least one every year but 2000, '01 and '03), 34 region and 11 of the Sussex County program's 13 individual state champions since winning his own, including the only three-time winners in Brian Soldano (2020-22), now a starter at Rutgers University and Top 16 finisher at 184 pounds in this year's NCAA Division I Tournament, and Francavilla (2009-11). Gardner, Francavilla and Soldano are the school's only four-time region champs.

Additionally, Gardner's second region champion David Zabriskie, a 2005 district and state champion as well that season, made collegiate history as the first three-time heavyweight All-American at Iowa State, where he became the only NCAA Division 1 champion (2010) produced by the 'Cats. Zabriskie, who placed fifth (2009) and sixth ('08) his junior and sophomore seasons, finished 116-22 overall for the Cyclones.