Wrestling: Hills wins dual thriller; P'burg quad on tap

It's been an eventful first week in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area and it's set to close with a bang as Phillipsburg hosts a powerhouse quad on Saturday that includes two other teams ranked in the season's first New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20.  

Warren Hills is now 24-41 all-time vs. North.

Before we get to that one, how about Warren Hills' thrilling 32-30 win over North Hunterdon in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division clash on Wednesday night? I'm not a fan of the top locals meeting this early in the season, same with Hills vs. Hunterdon Central on opening weekend, but this was a dandy.

The Blue Streaks prevailed on blue-chip freshman Aidan Webb's pin in the final bout at 113 pounds. Webb, who trailed 6-3 against Lions junior Joseph Celentano, sent the home crowd into a frenzy by hitting a tight headlock for the stunning fall in 4:54.

Warren Hills (1-1), which is coming off back-to-back Group 3 runner-up finishes, is in somewhat of a rebuilding mode, much like reigning Group 4 champion North Hunterdon (1-1). Now under first-year head coach K.C. Wanamaker, the Streaks have battled some injuries and inexperience from 157-285, where they are a combined 5-26 in their careers on the varsity level. But from 106-150, this is a team that can be a handful for opponents.

Hills, which won eight bouts and finished with a 21-14 edge in takedowns, also got critical wins from Tyler O'Neill (4-2 at 150), Cyles Oyarce-Santiago (2-3 at 190) and Paul Hamas, who scored a 7-2 decision in his season debut at 285, to set the stage for Webb's heroics. The Streaks won consecutive meetings with the Lions (35-34 on most bouts won criterion last season) for the first time since a three-peat in 1989-91. North is 24-7 since '92, winning a series-tying-best six in a row from 1998-2003. 

Quad city

It's extremely rare for Phillipsburg to take part in a quad meet, but the Stateliners will be tested early against two-time defending Group 3 champion Delsea and North 1, Group 4 champion Mount Olive, which won its first state title in '22.

North Hunterdon will also join in the fun, though the Lions will not wrestle Delsea -- presumably because the teams could meet in a few weeks in the Henry Boresch Duals at Newton on Jan. 6.

P'burg (1-0), which is sitting on 1,030 wins overall, began its quest for the program's 24th state team championship with a 69-3 win in a Skyland Conference clash at Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday. Unfortunately for the 'Liners, senior state qualifier Caleb Rivera (33-12 as a junior and 64-25 overall),  was lost for the season due to a knee injury sustained during the football season.

A strong group of upper weights hasn't missed a beat as junior Derek Stone is 5-0 at 190, while senior Nathan Smith is 4-1 at 215. 

Phillipsburg is 58-11-1 all-time vs. North dating to 1961, and 1-0 vs. Mount Olive (48-12 in the 2003 North 2, Group 3 sectional final), which features a pair of state medal winners in Tyeler Hagensen (6-0 at 120, fourth in 2022) and Tyler Bienus (5-0 at 190, seventh in 2023). 

This will be the Stateliners' first meeting against Delsea, which is led by junior Jamar Dixon Jr. (3-0 at 150), a seventh-place finisher in last season's state tournament.

Here's the schedule for Saturday: 

Round 1 at 10 a.m.: Phillipsburg vs. Delsea; North Hunterdon vs. Mount Olive

Round 2: Phillipsburg vs. North Hunterdon; Delsea vs. Mount Olive

Round 3: Phillipsburg vs. Mount Olive

Now, onto the season's first set of area rankings:

P'burg celebrates its 40th sectional title in 2023.

1. Phillipsburg (1-0) -- Stateliners, ranked No. 10 in the first New Jersey Wresting Writers Association Top 20, gave Tim Longacre his first win as a head coach with a 69-3 waxing of Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday. Sophomore Gavin Geleta (4-0 at 132) and senior Liam Packer (5-0 at 175) are off to fast starts, while junior Luke Geleta (4-0 at 144) and senior John Wargo (4-0 at 285) picked up their 70th career victories.

Up next: Delsea, Mount Olive and North Hunterdon at home on Saturday.

2. Hunterdon Central (2-0) -- Red Devils, ranked No. 12 in the NJWWA Top 20, followed up an impressive 48-22 season-opening victory over Warren Hills with a 44-28 win vs. Hillsborough on Wednesday. Sophomore Rhett Washleski (5-0 at 150) and seniors Anthony Rossi (5-0 at 120 and Thomas Brunetti (5-0 at 190) anchor a fairly balanced lineup.

Up next: Bridgewater-Raritan, Governor Livingston, Jefferson at home on Saturday.

3. Delaware Valley (2-0) -- Terriers, ranked No. 13 in the NJWWA Top 20, cruised to a 64-6 win over Hopewell Valley on Tuesday before a 63-9 victory against Pingry on Wednesday. Leading the way were seniors Matt Roche (5-0 at 132), Kevin Roman (5-0 at 175) and Anderson Olcott (5-0 at 190), along with junior Jackson Bush (5-0 at 144). 

Up next: Bernards at home on Saturday.

4. Pope John (1-0) -- Lions rolled to a 58-18 win over West Morris on Tuesday to open the dual meet season. Junior Jake Holly (4-2 at 106) picked up a 7-2 win over talented Wolfpack freshman Brody Neill, while junior Carson Walsh (7-2 at 132), a two-time state placewinner with 68 career wins, finished fourth at the rugged Beast of the East Tournament to open the season.

Up next: at Sam Cali Tournament on Dec. 27-28.

5. Warren Hills (1-1) -- Blue Streaks evened their record against Hunterdon County teams this season with a thrilling 32-30 win against North Hunterdon on Wednesday after dropping a 48-22 decision to Hunterdon Central in Friday's opener. Senior captain Josh Lee (5-0 at 144) sits at 68 career victories. Should be an interesting match with West Morris on Friday as the Wolfpack can match up in spots down low and figure to have an advantage up top.

Up next: Hanover Park and West Morris at Randolph on Friday.

6. North Hunterdon (1-1) -- Lions gave new head coach Dave Bell his first win at the helm with a 43-28 victory over rival Voorhees on Monday before losing in heartbreaking fashion, 32-30 at Warren Hills on Wednesday. Sophomore Reid Buzby (6-0 at 106) put North in a great spot with his 4-3 decision vs. Augie Szamreta in the next-to-last bout before yielding a decisive pin at 113. The schedule doesn't get any easier with two NJWWA Top 20 teams on tap this weekend.

Up next: Mount Olive at Phillipsburg on Saturday.

7. High Point (1-0) -- The reigning Group 2 champion Wildcats rolled to a 53-19 victory over West Morris on Wednesday to open the dual season in coach John Gardner's final campaign as the boys coach. This match figured to be tighter on paper as seniors Ty Woods (138) and Dalton Yetter (175) are out with injuries. Gardner was pleased with the overall effort, especially from juniors Michael Tidona (144) and Donald Weiss (215), who both saved team points in losses. Junior Nick Clayton (4-1 at 138) is one win shy of 60 in his career.

Up next: Mustang Classic at Brick Memorial on Wednesday.

Reece Smith won a Caldwell Tournament title at 157.

8. Kittatinny (2-0) -- Cougars began their dual meet campaign in legendary head coach John Gill's 44th season at the helm with a 59-12 victory at Hackettstown on Tuesday and followed that up with a tight 33-25 win over Morris Hills on Thursday (No. 639 for Gill). From 157 up, this team will be a problem for opponents with a combined record of 21-7 thus far -- seniors Reece Smith (5-0 at 157), Bryce Coesfeld (3-2 at 175), Kaleb Ogar (4-1 at 190), Tucker Lockburner (3-1 at 215-285), Alex Laoudis (2-2 at 215-285) and junior Ethan Dalling (4-1 at 165).

Up next: Wayne Valley, Passaic Tech at West Milford Duals on Friday.

9. Voorhees (1-2) -- Vikings followed a 60-18 season-opening win over Pingry with back-to-back losses to North Hunterdon (43-28 on Monday) and Bernards (45-31 on Wednesday). Coach Ricky Kurtz's team can pose problems for opponents with the Vikes' strong group up top led by seniors Logan Wiecoreck (5-0 at 165), Travis Cryan (4-2 at 175), Trevor Zabroski (6-0 at 215) and Cameron Baumann (6-0 at 285). Sophomore Christian Bollette (4-1 at 120) anchors a promising group down low.

Up next: at Monroe Township on Friday. 

10. Sparta (2-0) -- Spartans opened their dual meet season with a pair of 42-24 wins against Pompton Lakes (Dec. 14) and Roxbury (Tuesday). Sophomores Ryan Hrenenko (5-0 at 132) and Liam Hassloch (4-1 at 190), junior Logan Hrenenko (5-0 at 144) and senior Eugene Donnelly (4-1 at 138) are off to strong starts.

Up next: Randolph at home on Jan. 4.