Wrestling: Shane Metzler set to guide Voorhees

Let's face it, October isn't the most ideal time to conduct the search for a head wrestling coach. 

Metzler

But Voorhees High School may have knocked it out of the park with the addition of former West Morris star and Rutgers University wrestler Shane Metzler for the fast-approaching 2024-25 season.

Metzler was approved as the sixth head coach for a storied Voorhees program that is set to embark on its 50th season during Tuesday night's Board of Education Meeting. It didn't take long for the Hunterdon County school, which opened in 1975 and is sitting on 686 dual-meet wins, to find Ricky Kurtz's successor.

Voorhees rescinded the previous appointment of Kurtz, a former star athlete and state medalist for Delaware Valley, as its head coach during the previous BOE meeting on Sept. 24. All coaching positions are contracted on a year-by-year basis. No reason was made public as to why Kurtz, 38, was removed after guiding the Vikings to an overall mark of 53-48 from 2020-24, including a 12-15 campaign last season.  

It's also unclear if any assistants on Kurtz's staff, which previously included former Vikes stars Greg Evans and Eric Zobian, will return this season.  

Metzler was one of West Morris' most decorated wrestlers and a three-time state placewinner under former coach Ken Rossi, who now serves as an NJSIAA tournament coordinator. Metzler, who's the Wolfpack's career wins leader (144), placed fourth, fifth and seventh in Atlantic City, the latter after suffering a quarterfinal loss at 126 pounds in 2017. He finished 39-5 in his final high school season.

Metzler went onto wrestle for Scott Goodale at Rutgers, where he went 22-33 overall and 2-6 in two Big 10 Tournament appearances.  

Kurtz took over the Voorhees program on an interim basis during the 2019-20 season, when former coach and Voorhees star wrestler Eric Hall was suspended following an unspecified incident that occurred during a dual meet at Bridgewater-Raritan in late January 2020. Hall was ultimately not retained that spring, and Kurtz was named as the Vikes' fifth head coach in October of that year. 

Voorhees celebrates its sectional title in 2018

Hall's teams went 183-73 overall in his nearly 10 seasons, capturing three of the school's 17 sectional titles -- two in North 2, Group 3 (2015 and '18) and one in North 2, Group 2 (2013), which ended the program's nine-year title drought.

Eric's father, Bob Hall, built the program into a state powerhouse as his teams went 332-99-5 over his 23 seasons, while capturing 13 sectional titles along with its only four state championships in Group 2 (1982 and '95) and Group 3 (1985 and '87). In 2010, Eric Hall was hired as the program's fourth head coach, following stints by former Phillipsburg coach Rick Thompson (30-26 in three seasons from 1998-2001) and Bob Angstadt (88-86 in nine seasons from 2001-10), who led the Vikes to their only other sectional title in 2004.

When Kurtz took over, Voorhees was struggling with numbers and did not produce a district champion that 2019-20 season for the first time since 2005. After going 4-9 during the COVID season in 2021, the Vikes enjoyed back-to-back winning campaigns in 2021-22 (15-8) and 2022-23 (19-10) before last season's sub-.500 season.

Voorhees also produced six district champs during Kurtz's tenure, including junior Christian Bollette (126 pounds), one of three winners last season and the team's top returning wrestler with a career mark of 55-24. No other returnee has more than 25 career victories. The trio of district golds were the most since the Vikes had four in back-to-back tournaments in 2017 and '18.

Wrestling: Thompson resigns post at North Warren

Rick Thompson's tenure as North Warren's head wrestling coach lasted about one month.

Thompson, 69, who was approved at a Board of Education meeting on July 15, told Open Mike on Thursday night that he submitted a resignation letter approximately two weeks ago. 

The Phillipsburg Hall of Famer, who resides year-round in Myrtle Beach, S.C., cited concerns over not being in the building and living arrangements in-season up north.

North recently approved Mike Lascari as its new head coach and former fellow Patriots wrestler Michael Castles as his assistant.

"I was only going to be there three months [during the season] and that's not how you run a program," said Thompson, who said his resignation had nothing to do with the school's leadership or any other circumstance. "I hope they can find [a coach] worthy of the program. I'm just sorry it didn't work out."

Thompson joined the Slippery Rock HOF in 2021

Thompson said he's already committed to coaching cross country and wrestling once again at Myrtle Beach High School for the 2024-25 seasons. The Seahawks produced one wrestling state champion last season in Mako Musilunas, who won the 4A title at 113 pounds. 

Thompson has not ruled out applying for future positions in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area.

The former P'burg head coach and wrestling icon, also had stints in the HWS area with Hackettstown and Voorhees, is often spotted at area dual meets and the New Jersey state tournament in Atlantic City.

"I just want to help kids," Thompson said during an interview with Open Mike when his name surfaced for a potential fourth stint with the Stateliners a few years ago.

North Warren, which went 2-20 in 2023-24 and has won just nine dual meets in the past three seasons, began the coaching search when former Kittatinny state placewinner and High Point assistant coach Kellen Bradley resigned as a teacher and head wrestling coach in late March. His teams went 43-83 overall in his six seasons with the Blairstown-based school. 

Bradley, who was hired in January as a teacher at Kittatinny for the 2024-25 school year, will reunite with his former coach John Gill as an assistant on the Cougars' staff this coming winter. Former High Point star and North Warren head coach Chris Jones, who was Bradley's ace assistant, also won't return to the Patriots' staff.

It's unclear where North Warren will now turn to find its next head coach,

Thompson is the Phillipsburg wrestling program's all-time winningest coach with a mark of 268-54-1 in 15 seasons across three stints (1980-88, 1991-95 and 2003-06). He guided the 'Liners to 15 sectional titles, the most under any head coach, and eight state championships (five in Group 3, three in Group 4), as well as six runner-up finishes. He won the Wilfred E. Cann Award as New Jersey's Coach of the Year in 1988 and coached 96 district, 39 region and nine individual state champions.

Considered one of the sport's premiere motivators, Thompson stepped down after nine seasons as the head coach at Bangor Area High School in Pennsylvania following the 2016-17 campaign and took over at Bethlehem Catholic for a short 6-1 stint in 2018-19.

"Wrestling is so demanding mentally," said Thompson, a retired health and physical education instructor, during an interview in 2022. "I had people who motivated me. My job was to make a better athlete and find a way to push those buttons in a positive way. 

"Our kids may lose because the other guy is more talented, but not because they were in better shape or stronger. Some kids I coached went on to college and have been successful [off the mat], and I'm proud of that."

Thompson is 477-232-4 overall, with wrestling stops at Mountain High School (now West Orange), Hackettstown, Franklin and Voorhees in addition to his Pennsylvania stints. As a wrestler, he won two state titles (1971 and '73) and placed third ('70), to go with four district and three region championships for the Stateliners under Thad Turner (1970) and later Jan Dutt (132-25 from 1970-80). 

Both coaches also attended Thompson's Hall of Fame induction at Slippery Rock.

'We think highly of him': Veneziano impresses Royals

(Open Mike caught up with Anthony Veneziano shortly before he left for Spring Training in late January. Excerpts from that conversation were used for this story)

It's been a whirlwind five days for Anthony Veneziano as the former Warren Hills and Coastal Carolina University star left-hander shuffled between Triple-A Omaha and the Kansas City Royals.

Veneziano, who was called up to the Majors for the second time in his career to serve as the Royals' 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader vs. the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, did not see action in either game, though he was warming up in the 'pen late in Game 1.

Veneziano owns a 2.08 career ERA in 4 MLB outings

After being sent down to Omaha, by Major League rules, following the twin bill, Veneziano was summoned back to Kansas City on Saturday. He pitched one inning in relief in each the final two games of a series against the reigning American League champion Orioles before being returned to Omaha on Monday.  

Veneziano, 26, who's been working in a hybrid role after beginning the season as a starter for Omaha, yielded two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk to go with two strikeouts in two frames (45 pitches, 18 strikes) against the O's. But the Royals' No. 13 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, left a good impression during his most recent stint in the bigs.

"I think Anthony did a good job," Royals manager Matt Quatraro told Ryan Lefebvre during a pregame radio interview prior to Monday night's game against the Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. "That was the first time in his life that he's pitched back-to-back days -- not just pro ball or the big leagues. That's a learning experience for a guy that's been a starter his whole life and now he's in the bullpen, and coming up to do it in the big leagues.

"He handled himself well. We think highly of him. We think he can be somebody that can get Major League hitters out consistently going forward."

Veneziano, following a successful debut in the Majors at the tail end of 2023, began this season at Triple-A, where he's 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in five appearances (two starts for the Storm Chasers). Veneziano, who ranked among Kansas City's Minor League leaders in wins (10, T-2nd), ERA (3.55, 4th) and strikeouts (127, 5th) in 2023,, has yielded six runs on 13 hits and six walks to go with 10 strikeouts in 13 innings in '24.

Veneziano, who went 10-5 with a 3.55 ERA and 127 K's across 132 innings in 26 appearances (25 starts) between Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2023, entered Major League Spring Training in '24 with the mindset of being a starter. 

But he was also ready to do whatever was asked of him at Triple-A or in the Majors.

"They said be ready for any role," Veneziano said in late January. "Could be starter, could be long relief, could be back-end bullpen. It all depends on the situation."

Veneziano was an organizational All-Star in '23

In the offseason, Veneziano throws at Total Arm Care in Wharton, where pitchers from the Cardinals, Cubs and Pirates also train during the winter. He met there with Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney around last Thanksgiving to catch up. Sweeney also wanted to see Veneziano in action, particularly throwing his bread-and-butter pitch.

"He watched me throw a bullpen and gave me some good feedback," Veneziano said. "He wanted to see some of the stuff with the slider, just kind of dialing in with the analytical numbers matching with what I'm feeling, with the slider especially. They want the slider to move seven inches. If you can chase that seven in the bullpen, every time, that's what [the Royals] want to see. They want the changeup to be the same. 

"In the big leagues, you have to throw all three, four pitches, consistently."

Veneziano, who gives back tirelessly to the Warren Hills community and beyond, said he also worked with high school players at Total Arm Care. Former Major Leaguer and Rutgers star Pete Zoccolillo, now the head coach at Mount Olive High School, owns the building. A connection was made through Veneziano's uncle, Joe, to train there in the offseason.

Last year, Veneziano said he was not used to working out of the bullpen, and admittedly more tired after games, especially mentally. But it turned out to be the perfect primer when he did get to the Majors for the first time last September, because he was able to study other reliever and how they want about their business. He made his MLB debut on Sept. 26 in Detroit.

"I didn't pitch the first four games so I got to see the process of the true relievers and what they did to get ready for a game, pregame, during the game, when their name's called and what to do. I took a lot of good information and [Royals bullpen coach] Mitch Stetter, I've known him. He's been on the Minor League side for awhile, and he's been super helpful. 

"So, I think I made the transition pretty easy. Obviously, everyone wants to be a starter, but whatever gets me to the big leagues, I am happy."

Wrestling: HWS state roundup by the numbers

As we put a bow on the high school wrestling season, let's take one final look by the numbers at the 91st New Jersey State Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City -- boys and girls edition. 

Lots of interesting stuff involving wrestlers from Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area, plus some statewide stats and info, as well as the never-ending Public vs. Non-Public debates.

Hawk (fourth from left) is 110-19 overall

11 -- Pope John junior Carson Walsh (132) and Phillipsburg junior Gavin Hawk (150) were the only local finalists on the boys side, but they'll have another shot at state gold next season. It won't get any easier as there were 11 underclassmen who won titles, including four from St. Joseph-Montvale. Two juniors -- Adrian DeJesus and Zach Ballante -- kept HWS off the board as DeJesus, a two-time champ, handed Walsh an 8-4 loss in their 132-pound final, while Ballante, a three-time medalist, knocked off Hawk for the second straight week with an 8-4 victory following a 3-1 win in overtime in the Region 2 finals a week earlier. Juniors Ryan Burton (175) and Rocco Dellagatta (285) also won title for St. Joe. Delbarton has three champs returning in freshmen Cameron Sontz (106) and Ryan DeGeorge (126), as well as junior Alessio Perentin (165). St. John Vianney junior and three-time champion Anthony Knox (120) and Brick Memorial junior Harvey Ludington (190), a two-timer, also return along with a pair of first-time champs in St. Peter's Prep junior Caedyn Ricciardi (138) and Rumson-Fair Haven freshman Sonny Amato (144).

7 -- High Point freshman Ella Poalillo became the second at her school to win a state title in the six-year history of the girls tournament -- scoring a 3-1 win over Sussex County-rival and Newton sophomore Eva Barry in their final 138 pounds. Poalillo, who went 4-2 vs. Barry this season and is just the second freshman girl from the area to win a title (Sparta's Paige Weiss won at 107 in 2023), became the sixth winner from HWS overall. Noelle Gaffney was the first champion for the Wildcats with her victory at 165 in 2022. Phillipsburg's Jewel Gonzalez (2019-20), the area's only OW, and Hunterdon Central's Stephanie Andrade (2019-20), the first champ for HWS, are the lone two-time winners. 

Rossi is HC's first top-three placer since 2019 (Brett Ungar first at 106)

53 -- Wrestlers from public high schools accounted for 54 of a possible 112 medals (48 percent), including seven from the HWS area as Hunterdon Central seniors Anthony Rossi (third at 120) and Thomas Brunetti (fourth at175) placed for the first time in their fine careers after entering the tournament unbeaten. Delaware Valley junior Jaden Perez (fifth at 126), Hackettstown senior Nicolas Balella (fifth at 132) and Voorhees senior Logan Wiecoreck (sixth at 157) also became first-time medalists, along with Hawk, while Phillipsburg senior John Wargo (fifth at 285) became the first Stateliner "heavyweight" to place at least twice since Robert Melise captured three medals (fifth at 220 in 2015 and '17 and second in '16). P'burg now has an area-best 152 placewinners (61 finalists) in its illustrious history.  

32 -- Though the number of medals was a 58-54 split favoring the Non-Public schools, consider this: among the top-four finishers at each weight, Non-Publics accounted for 32 of the 56 (57 percent) medals. It revealed what we already knew in that the talent level is top-heavy in favor of the wrestlers from private schools. Pope John junior Jake Holly (eighth at 106) and sophomore Dalton Weber (third at 126) were among that group, along with Walsh, a three-time placewinner who broke his 0-for-2 skid in state semifinal bouts this season. Non-Publics, which accounted for seven medals at 138 and six at 175, had no fewer than three at every other weight but 144 (one). Region 7 led the way with 20 medals, followed by Region 2 and Region 5 with 19 apiece. Region 3 was next with 16, while Region 4 had 12. Region 1 had 10, Region 6 had nine and Region 8 rounds out the list with seven. 

Coesfeld is the 105th member of Sussex's 100-wins club

233 -- Rossi and Brunetti became the 28th and 29th wrestlers at Hunterdon Central to reach the century mark in wins -- no small feat as this year's seniors were the last of the COVID era in 2021. Rossi (43-1), whose only loss was 3-0 to Donovan Catholic runner-up Kurt Wehner in the state semis, picked up his first medal with a third-place finish. At 125-16 overall, the Virginia-bound Rossi ranks tied for sixth place with Vincent Romaniello (125-36 from 2015-19) on the Red Devils' all-time victories list, while Brunetti (43-2), who also reached the semis at 175 and got No. 100 in AC, finished at 102-22.

"That makes me really happy," Rossi said of putting his name up with some of the Central greats. "I wish it could've been higher, but things happen, COVID. Didn't get a lot of matches [9-3 as a freshman]. Just tried my best and gave my full effort." 

There are now 233 wrestlers from the HWS area to reach this milestone, including Phillipsburg's Hawk (110-19), Luke Geleta (102-25) and Wargo (102-18). This was the first time in program history that three Stateliners hit this mark in the same season. Former state runner-up Brian Meyer (131-35 from 2014-18) ranks first for the 'Liners in career wins. On the Sussex side, Kittatinny senior Bryce Coesfeld became the 19th at his school to hit the century mark (100-28) and first since Jackson Crawn (106-33 from 2017-21) with a 6-3 victory over Madison's Jack McCaffrey in the third round of wrestlebacks at 175. 

Weber and Perez on the podium at 126

44 -- Perez, who got hot at the right time during the postseason, added the 44th state medal to Delaware Valley's collection with his run to fifth place at 126 pounds. He's the Terriers' highest finisher since Kyle Lightner won the title at 195 in 2017 -- the school's ninth championship. Perez also gave his school medals in consecutive seasons (senior Matt Roche was eighth at 132 in 2023) for the first time since 2012-13. Along the way, Perez, who's 85-18 overall, avenged an earlier 16-9 loss to Weber in a highly-entertaining HWS Tournament final with a 10-9 decision in their Region 4 title bout. We were one win away from Round 3, but Perez lost 4-3 to Camden Catholic's Sammy Spaulding in the state consolation semis and Weber went on to deck Spaulding in 1:55 to place third. 

"It's not the result I wanted, but it's the result I got," Perez said. "I'm not mad [about] it, but there's definitely some stuff to work on [in the offseason] for sure. Hopefully, I can get that No. 1 next year."

72 -- Rossi and Brunetti were the first pair of semifinalists and top-four finishers for Central since 2000, when Mike Carr won the state title at 215 and Dan Eberstein placed fourth at heavyweight in the Meadowlands. Overall, the Red Devils now have 72 top-four state finishes in the program's 68 seasons.

"Obviously the semis didn't end how I wanted to, but things happen," said Rossi, a four-time state qualifier. "Big difference between this year and the other years is that I'm not treating it like a job. I'm really having fun out there. I'm scoring points and not worried about getting taken down. If I get taken down, I'm going to get out, get my points and have fun, try and get a takedown. 

"Good things come when you're not worried about aspects like that."

Zobian (2nd from left), Wiecoreck, Kurtz, Evans (far right)

32 -- A state medal was the one thing missing from Wiecoreck's resume as the senior became Voorhees' 32nd medalist and first since heavyweight Lewis Fernandes won back-to-back titles in 2018-19. At 118-25, Wiecoreck ranks fifth on the Vikes' career wins list -- behind Fernandes (153), Jadaen Bernstein (135), Kyle DiNapoli (127) and Eric Hall (120). It also helps having several Voorhees legends and former placewinners in your corner. Vikes assistant and former Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Greg Evans (third at 103 in 1988 and sixth at 102 in '87) was in the chair next to head coach Ricky Kurtz, a fourth-place finisher at 160 for Del Val in 2004, while Eric Zobian (seventh-eighth at 189 in '88) also is on staff. Evans and Wiecoreck are the only Vikes to earn sixth-place medals.

85 -- It's been awhile for the five schools in Warren County, which has produced 85 champions -- now fourth behind Bergen (140), Union (129), Sussex (121) and Morris (90) -- in the 91-year history of the State Championships. Washington-Warren Hills has 46 of those, which is second only to Newton (82) statewide, but none since Justin Colaluce won back-to-back titles in 1997-98. Phillipsburg's last and 33rd boys champion was Brandon Hull (220 in 2012). Morris County surpassed Warren with five champions (four from Delbarton) in this year's tournament -- including Mount Olive senior Tyeler Hagensen (113), the Region 2 OW, who ended his school's title drought. Anthony Guidi (152 in 1988) was the Marauders' first champ.

Balella (37-9), who finished 15 wins shy of 100, gave Hackettstown state medal winners in consecutive seasons for the first time in 15 years (Cory Vernon seventh and Zach Ulm eighth in 2007; Owen Vernon third in '08 and Corey Kozimor seventh in 2009). Tigers coach Jim Berringer was a two-time placer for Hopatcong (sixth at 140 in 2000 and seventh-eighth at 130 in '99). Balella's uncle, Jim, a current assistant coach, also was a standout wrestler for Hackettstown.

"These coaches are [among] the best in the state, I truly believe," said Nicolas, who avenged a 6-5 OT loss in the semifinals to St. John Vianney's Patrick O'Keefe with a 4-3 win in their fifth-place bout.

"They are all really talented and push me in the [practice] room every day to get better. I really wanted to make the semis, that was my main goal, but we got set back in overtime. We continued to fight. I'm OK with fifth place. Not too bad."

Interesting story here as Aiden Scheeringa, who was sixth at 106 in '23, had one more year of high school eligibility at Hackettstown, but his family moved to South Carolina and he enrolled early at Liberty University. He competed at 125 pounds this season, going 16-17.

Poalillo is the new 'face' of High Point girls wrestling

ATLANTIC CITY -- High Point freshman Ella Poalillo is fully aware of the proud tradition and history of success that's associated with the boys wrestling program at her school. 

Now, she's looking forward to playing a huge role helping to shape the future of a relatively new girls program.

Poalillo joined the list of Wildcat wrestling greats in becoming the school's second female state champion and just the third overall in Sussex County with a thrilling 3-1 victory over Newton sophomore Eva Barry in their 138-pound final on Saturday in the sixth New Jersey Girls State Championships at Boardwalk Hall.  

Poalillo and Barry on the podium in AC

In doing so, Poalillo (29-3) joined Noelle Gaffney (165 pounds in 2022) as the only girls to win state titles at High Point, which has produced 13 on the boys' side, including head coach John Gardner (189 in 1990) and assistant coach Billy Smith (285 in 2011). Both were in Poalillo's corner in AC. 

"It's just an honor and all of them at High Point, including Noelle, have just supported me so much," said Poalillo, who along with Barry, gave the HWS area a total of 15 girls state finalists since 2019. 

"I'm just so thankful for her and my coaches, and Nick [Francavilla], who I train with and who won [three] state titles at High Point. I was just so thankful to be trained by a tradition of people."

The 'Cats are quickly becoming a statewide force in the female ranks as they lead the tri-county area in state medals with 14 since the sport became sanctioned in 2019. Sparta sophomore Paige Weiss, who finished fourth at 114 pounds this season, is the only other state champ from Sussex county having won a title at 100 pounds in 2023. 

Phillipsburg's Jewel Gonzalez (2019-20) and Hunterdon Central's Stephanie Andrade (2019-20) are the only other female champs produced by the HWS area and the only two-time winners. Poalillo, Barry and Weiss were among nine HWS medalists, along with three-time placewinner Caitlin Hart of Vernon and two-time medal winner Olivia Raia of Warren Hills, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at 185 pounds. 

Newton-Kittatinny's Liliana Zaku-Ramos, a 2023 finalist, was third at 126, North Hunterdon's Riley Conaty (eighth at 138) earned her first medal, while Vernon's Natalie Tucker (sixth at 132) and Lily Henderson (eighth at 107) round out the local contingent. 

Gardner, who is recognized as one of the all-time great boys coaches, will concentrate on leading the High Point girls program full-time starting in 2024-25. There's a long way to go to match the boys' success, but the girls are off to a great start with two champs in three years.

"With Ella, she had a successful youth [wrestling] career, too. But before that, Noelle [was a former basketball player]," Gardner said. "Hopefully what you see is some kids get involved with wrestling a lot earlier and do a little more. We've never had a face of girls wrestling because it didn't really exist. So then Noelle kind of breaking that a little bit and hopefully we got a couple of kids because of that. 

"But really you're not going to see that until the young kids come through and hopefully Ella will help with that process as well. She spent a lot of time this past season working with a group of younger girls at Sussex. When you're willing to give back to the community and the program, I think that says a lot about who she is."

The season-long mat rivalry between Poalillo and Barry, her school's second state finalist, was of epic proportions. And the sixth and final installment did not disappoint. 

Poalillo, who went 4-2 vs. Barry (32-4), including a pin in the region finals, held a slim 1-0 lead after an early third-period escape, but two warnings for stalling knotted things up with just 14 seconds left on the clock. The state title bout seemed destined for overtime, but Poalillo spun behind Barry, who appeared to relax for a split-second, at the edge of the mat to secure the winning takedown right before the buzzer.

"I think she let go for a second and I felt the pressure come off, so I just used that as my opportunity to spin behind as quickly as you can," Poalillo said. "I went into the match, obviously trying to score my points, but I really didn't want to make any mistakes.

"Even though there was stalling and I was thinking about getting a point against me, you really don't want to take any bad shots or have any slipups happen because that's going to cost you a state title."

Poalillo may one day join the school's list of 100-match winners

The intense season series went back-and-forth until Poalillo's fall in 4:28 in the region final on Feb. 25. Prior to that one, Barry won by pinfall twice following 2-0 decision losses on Dec. 17 and again in the HWS Tournament finals on Jan. 21. 

Why were the results so mixed?

"We've been training partners for a long time so it's kind of hard to do the same stuff you'd normally do," said Poalillo, who deftly fought off Barry's tie-ups the entire bout and a pair of single-leg attempts late in the final period. "It's the same thing if someone watches your film leading up to big matches because they know what's coming and they know how to prevent you from maybe taking the shots you take or getting the ties you get to. 

"It's just whoever wants it more."

Gardner is also no stranger to wrestling an opponent multiple times in a season. He shared the story with Poalillo about his championship run as a senior, when Gardner went 5-0 against Lenape Valley's Doug Vetter, including an 8-5 victory in the state final at Princeton University's Jadwin Gymnasium. 

"Anytime you can get a win when you're back-and-forth, then the advantage has to shift a little bit, however it happens," Gardner said of that tiebreaking pin for Poalillo that put her ahead 3-2 in the series. "For us to win a match differently at the region tournament put us in a really good spot to be here.

"I've been there before so I was able to let her kind of understand that it's no different whether you're 2-2 or if we were down 2-3, or in my case having won four, you still get to the state finals and there's nerves. I thought she responded real well. She stuck to the game plan and was able to perform."

Francavilla (2009-11), who now runs the Ironhorse club in Sparta, and Brian Soldano (2020-22), now the starting 184-pounder for Rutgers, are the only High Point wrestlers to win three state titles. So a chance to make even more wrestling history is within Poalillo's sights. 

"That's the goal," Poalillo said of becoming the school's first four-time champion. "That would be great. I'm really looking forward to wrestling these next three years at High Point."

Wrestling: Walsh, Hawk ride wave to state finals

ATLANTIC CITY -- The third time was definitely a charm for Pope John junior Carson Walsh, one the three-time state medalist hopes will lead to gold.

Walsh, who lost two previous semifinal appearances, finally got off the schneid with a 3-2 victory over Southern junior Bryce Manera at 132 pounds to highlight action in the 91st State Wrestling Championships on Friday night at Boardwalk Hall. 

"I'm hot right now and it's good," said Walsh (38-3), who has reeled off 30 straight wins since a 3-1 loss to 2024 Rhode Island state champion David Perez of Ponaganset High School in the Sam Cali Invitational finals on Dec. 28, 2023. 

Walsh will next face St. Joseph-Montvale junior Adrian DeJesus, a three-time medalist and 2022 state champion, in Saturday afternoon's finals slated for approximately 3:45 p.m., following the girls championships.

Hawk is Phillipsburg's 61st state finalist

Also earning his first state championship finals appearance was Phillipsburg junior Gavin Hawk, who decked Bergen Catholic senior Jayden Iznaga with a cradle in 3:26 of their 150-pound semifinal. Hawk declined to be interviewed following his victory.

Not as fortunate was teammate and senior John Wargo, who was pinned by St. Joseph-Montvale junior Rocco Dellagata at 285 pounds as the Stateliners put two in the state semis for the first time since Brandon Paetzell (132) and Robert Melise (220) finished as runners-up in 2016.

Hunterdon Central seniors Anthony Rossi (120) and Thomas Brunetti (175) both suffered their first losses of the season in the semifinals, while Pope John sophomore Dalton Weber (126) and Delaware Valley junior Jaden Perez (126) also came up short in their bids to reach the finals.

In all, 10 wrestlers from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area secured medals earlier in the day as the locals went 7-2 in the quarters and 3-3 in the consolation Blood Round. That was after an 0-6 start to Day 2 in the second round of wrestlebacks.

Pride of the Lions

How hot has Walsh been of late? Of his 10 postseason wins, five have been by technical fall, to go with one pin and one major decision as he cruised to District 11 and Region 3 titles. Walsh, who scored a 5-3 win over Delbarton's Chase Quenault in the quarters, joined three other Pope John wrestlers -- Mike Frick (1969-72), JoJo Aragona (2016-19) and Eddie Ventresca (2017, '19 and '20) -- as the only ones to win at least three region crowns. Frick and Aragona are the only Lions to win four. 

"I know wrestling-wise, I can hang with anybody," said Walsh, who was sixth at 113 as a freshman and fourth at 126 as a sophomore in AC. "The mental [part] is the biggest different this year. It's a mental game, one match at a time. Lock [in this win] and be ready to go tomorrow."

Walsh is now 11-5 all-time at Boardwalk Hall

Walsh, a University of Pittsburgh commit, has looked to some heavy hitters in the sport for advice in his quest to become Pope John's 10th state champion and fifth since 2019, when Robbie Garcia, Aragona and Ventresca all won that year. Nick Lodato (2021) is the last Lion to win a state gold.

According to Walsh, former Middletown South great and three-time state champion Glenn Pritzlaff shared a story with him during his club practices about not getting caught clock-watching and keeping up the intensity on offense, while Aragona, a four-time medalist and two-time finalist, has helped immensely with the mental approach. 

"All this mental stuff comes from [Aragona]," Walsh said. "He's been on this stage many times. He's watched me wrestle all year and he knows no one can go with me on the mat. But when I'm not myself, I'm not the same."

Walsh took a 1-0 lead into the third period against Manera and converted what ended up being the difference-making takedown while later not giving up two on a wild scramble with 20 seconds left on the clock.

"I was just looking for offense," Walsh said. "What [Prtizlaff] wanted me to know by telling that story is to always look for my offense no matter what the score is because when I do that, I'm dangerous."

Chasing No. 34

Phillipsburg's state championship drought is an annual topic of conversation during this time of year and really throughout the regular season and offseason with the diehard 'Liner faithful. It's amazing to think that P'burg has only produced two state champions in 28 years -- Marc DeFrancesco in 1996 and Brandon Hull in 2012, the 33rd and last on the boys side when he captured the 220-pound title here. 

Making it even more remarkable is when you consider that since '97, the 'Liners have won 14 of their 23 state team championships. All of this was not lost on first-year head coach Tim Longacre and ace assistant Brad Gentzle, who both mentioned the high importance of getting that 34th state gold.

Hawk (38-2), who ranks 13th on the school's all-time wins list at 110-18, locked up a cradle during a takedown attempt and flattened Iznaga as the throng of P'burg fans roared in approval. Hawk is the Stateliners' first finalist since Brian Meyer finished second at 152 pounds in 2018.

Wargo (34-2), who joined Hawk and junior Luke Geleta, a 2023 medalist who fell in the Blood Round, as the first P'burg trio to win their 100th career bout in the same season on Thursday, lost to Dellagatta, a 2023 fourth-placer at 175, for the second time in as many weeks. 

Dellagatta (34-4) racked up five takedowns in an impressive 10-4 win in their Region 2 finals encounter last Saturday at Mount Olive High School. The start of this one was exactly the same, only Wargo was able to execute a single-leg attempt out of the gate for a quick lead. But the momentum quickly shifted as Dellagatta escaped and converted an inside-trip for a takedown before turning Wargo with a bar and a half for a 6-2 lead through one period. He added two more second-period takedowns before getting another turn for the pin.   

Back points

Perez helped Delaware Valley put a wrestler on the podium in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2012-13, as he rallied for a 9-7 win in sudden victory over Shawnee's Luke Sherlock, who led 6-2 during their quarterfinal matchup. In '12, Mike Pongracz (fifth at 126) and Will Van Doren (eighth at 170) earned medals, while Pongracz also took fifth at 126 in '13. Senior Matt Roche, who did not make it out of Region 4, had snapped the Terriers' six-year medal drought since those two with an eighth-place finish in '23. 

For the first time in seven years, HWS collected 10 medals. Here are the totals since 2011 -- (9) 2023; (9) 2022; (13) 2021; (10) 2020; (16) 2019; (18) 2018; (11) 2017; (8) 2016; (6) 2015; (9) 2014; (4) 2013; (7) 2012; (7) 2011. As you can see, our area has boosted the count considerably post-realignment starting in '17.

Here is the statewide breakdown by region: R7=20; R2 and R5=19; R3=16; R4=12; R1=10; R6=9; R8=7. Of the 112 medals, 58 were earned by the Non-Publics to the 54 for public school wrestlers.

As a side note, there are now 12 state medal winners who finished fourth in the regions (not including 2021) and five hail from the HWS area as Pope John junior Jake Holly (106) became the latest to do it on Saturday. The other locals are: North Hunterdon's Andrew Gapas (eighth at 132) in 2017, High Point's Brandon LaRue (sixth at 113) and Pope John's Reece Mulduun (seventh at 182) in 2018 and Sparta's Spencer Stewart (eighth at 120) in 2019. There were none in 2022 and '23.

A year ago, Hunterdon Central did not have a placewinner for the first time since 2015. But Rossi and Brunetti secured their first state medals with quarterfinal wins. Rossi (41-1) came up short in the semis with a 3-0 loss to two-time Donovan Catholic placer Kurt Wehner, while Brunetti (42-1) ran into a buzzsaw in reigning Delbarton state champ Louis Cerchio, who scored a 21-6 win by technical fall in their 175-pound semifinal.

Voorhees senior Logan Wiecoreck (157) and Hackettstown senior Nicolas Balella (132) also earned their first state medals with wins in the Blood Round. 

Wiecoreck is the 32nd placewinner for the Vikes and first since Lewis Fernandes won back-to-back titles at 285 pounds in 2018-19, while Balella is his school's 13th. It also gave the Tigers medals in consecutive seasons for the first time in 15 years (Cory Vernon-seventh and Zach Ulm-eighth in 2007, Owen Vernon-third in '08 and Corey Kozimor-seventh in '09).

Wrestling: State Tournament information, stats, picks

What: 91st New Jersey State Wrestling Championships.

Where: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Thursday's schedule: Girls pre-quarterfinals (eight mats), 10 a.m.; boys preliminaries (8 mats), approximately, 10:40 a.m.; girls quarterfinals (eight mats), approximately, 2:30 p.m.; boys pre-quarterfinals (eight mats), approximately, 3:15 p.m.; girls wrestlebacks two (eight mats), approximately, 5:25 p.m.; award presentations (coach of the year, assistant coach of the year, No. 1 team), 6 p.m.; boys wrestlebacks one (eight mats), approximately, 6:30 p.m.   

Boardwalk Hall has hosted 29 state tourneys since 1992

Friday's schedule: Boys wrestlebacks two (eight mats), 9 a.m.; boys quarterfinals (mats 3, 4, 5 and 6) and wrestlebacks three (mats 1, 2, 7 and 8), approximately, 11:10 a.m.; girls semifinals (mats 7 and 8) and boys wrestlebacks four (mats 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6), approximately, 1:20 p.m.; girls wrestlebacks three (at least four mats), approximately, 3:40 p.m.; award presentations (John Vogeding Media Award, Vinnie Russo Golden Whistle Award, Harry E. Lake Award), 5:45 p.m.; boys semifinals (two mats) and girls consolation semifinals (four mats), 6 p.m.; boys wrestlebacks five (four mats), approximately, 6:50 p.m.  

Saturday's schedule: Boys consolation semifinals (six mats), 9 a.m.; boys consolation finals (third through eighth places) and girls consolation finals, approximately, 9:45 a.m.; girls championships (approximately) 1:10 p.m.; boys championships (approximately) 3:45 p.m. 

Returning state champions (5, 2023 weights): Jr. Anthony Knox, St. John Vianney (first-2023, first-2022, 120); Sr. Matt Henrich, Southern (first-2023, seventh-2022, 150); Jr. Alessio Perentin, Delbarton (first-2023, fourth-2022, 157); Sr. Louis Cerchio, Delbarton (first-2023, fourth-2022, sixth-2021, 165); Sr. Hudson Skove, Rumson-Fair Haven (first-2023, 215).

Previous state champions (2, 2023 weights): Jr. Adrian DeJesus, St. Joseph-Montvale (third-2023 for DePaul, first-2022 for St. Peter's Prep, 120); Jr. Harvey Ludington, Brick Memorial (second-2023, first-2022, 175).

Returning medal winners (44, previous finishes, 2022 weights): So. Nathan Braun, Bergen Catholic (second-2023, 106); So. Salvatore Borrometi, St. Peter's Prep (third-2023, 106); So. Johnathon McGinty, St. Joseph-Montvale (fifth-2023, 106); So. Anthony DiAndrea, Watchung Hills (seventh-2023, 106); So. Matthew Gould, St. John Vianney (eighth-2023, 106); Sr. Logan Brzozowski, Seton Hall Prep (second-2023, 113); So. Jayden James, Delbarton (third-2023, 113); Sr. Kurt Wehner, Donovan Catholic (fifth-2023, seventh-2022, 113); Jr. Devin Ryan, New Milford (sixth-2023, 113); Sr. Jake Talarico, St. Peter's Prep (eighth-2023, 113); Jr. Vincent Paino, St. Joseph-Montvale (fifth-2023, 120); So. Giovanni Schinina, St. Peter's Prep (seventh-2023, 120); Sr. Dylan Ross, Paramus Catholic (eighth-2023, eighth-2022, 120); Jr. Caedyn Ricciardi, St. Peter's Prep (second-2023, sixth-2022, 126); Jr. Carson Walsh, Pope John (fifth-2023, sixth-2022, 126); Sr. Jackson Young, Camden Catholic (seventh-2023, fifth-2022, 126); Sr. Jack Myers, Morristown (third-2023, 132); Jr. Donny Almeyda, St. Joseph-Montvale (fourth-2023, 132); Jr. Wyatt Stout, Southern (sixth-2023, 132); So. Chase Hansen, Lower Cape May (seventh-2023, 132); Jr. Patrick O'Keefe, St. John Vianney (eighth-2023, second-2022, 132); Sr. Alex Nini, Christian Brothers Academy (third-2023, fourth-2022, eighth-2021, 138); Sr. Zach Reilley, Raritan (fifth-2023, 138); Jr. Luke Geleta, Phillipsburg (sixth-2023, 138); Sr. Ryan Ford, Bergen Catholic (fourth-2023, seventh-2022, third-2021, 144); Sr. Jonathan Fuller, St. Peter's Prep (fifth-2023, fourth-2022, 144); Jr. Jamar Dixon Jr., Delsea (seventh-2023, fifth-2022, 144); Jr. Hayden Hochstrasser, Southern (eighth-2023, 144); Sr. Frank DiBella, St. Joseph-Montvale (fourth-2023, fourth-2022, 150); Sr. John Quinonez, Paramus Catholic (sixth-2023, 150); Sr. Drew Roskos, Delran (seventh-2023, 150); Jr. Jordan Chapman, Cranford (third-2023, 157); Jr. Zach Ballante, St. Joseph-Montvale (sixth-2023, fifth-2022 for Paramus Catholic, 157); Sr. Austin Craft, Camden Catholic (seventh-2023, 157); Jr. Ryan Burton, St. Joseph-Montvale (third-2023, 165); Sr. Daniel Rella, Paramus Catholic (fourth-2023, sixth-2022, 165); Jr. Rocco Dellagatta, St. Joseph-Montvale (fourth-2023, 175); Sr. Tyler Bienus, Mount Olive (seventh-2023, 175); Sr. Edward Terreri, Paramus Catholic (eighth-2023, 175);  Jr. Vincenzo LaValle, Hanover Park (third-2023, third-2022, 190); Jr. Xavier Williams, Paramus Catholic (eighth-2023, 190); Jr. Benjamin Shue, Bergen Catholic (fourth-2023, 285); Sr. Daniel Elyash, Paramus (fifth-2023, 285); Sr. John Wargo, Phillipsburg (seventh-2023, 285); 

Previous medal winners (6, 2023 weights): Sr. Tyeler Hagensen, Mount Olive (fourth-2022, 113); Sr. Benjamin Marchetto, West Milford (eighth-2022, 113); Sr. Jacob Zearfoss, Gloucester City (sixth-2022, 144); Sr. Roman Onorato, Paulsboro (eighth-2022, 150); Sr. Nicholas Campagna, Christian Brothers Academy (eighth-2022 for South Plainfield, 150); Sr. Lorenzo Portella, Red Bank Catholic (seventh-2022, 285).      

Returning medal winners by region

R1 (3, Brzozowski, Ryan, Marchetto)

R2 (13, McGinty, Hagensen, DeJesus, Paino, Almeyda, Geleta, Ballante, DiBella, Burton, Bienus, Dellagatta, Elyash, Wargo)
R3 (6, Braun, Walsh, Myers, Ford, LaValle, Shue)

R4 (7, DiAndrea, Ross, Quinonez, Chapman, Rella, Terreri, Williams)
R5 (6, James, Reilley, Perentin, Cerchio, Skove, Portella)

R6 (7, Borrometi, Wehner, Talarico, Schinina, Ricciardi, Fuller, Ludington)
R7 (13, Gould, Knox, Nini, Young, Stout, O'Keefe, Onorato, Hochstrasser, Henrich, Roskos, Craft, Campagna, Zearfoss)

R8 (2, Dixon Jr., Hansen)

Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area qualifiers (40)

Phillipsburg (7) -- Owen Garriques (120), Gavin Geleta (132), Luke Geleta (144), Gavin Hawk (150), Liam Packer (175), Nathan Smith (215), John Wargo (285)

Delaware Valley (7) -- Jake Taylor (113), Jaden Perez (126), Jackson Bush (138), Ben Levy (150), Mitchell Sutter (157), Kevin Roman (175), Anderson Olcott (215)
North Hunterdon (5) -- Reid Buzby (106), Aidan Yarussi (113), Shane Wysocki (126), Brian Wilson (165), Evan Kinney (175)

Hunterdon Central (4) -- Anthony Rossi (120), William Cella (138), Rhett Washleski (150), Thomas Brunetti (175)

Pope John (4) -- Jake Holly (106), Dalton Weber (126), Walsh (132), Justin Holly (138)

Kittatinny (3) -- Reece Smith (150), Ethan Dalling (165), Bryce Coesfeld (175)

Warren Hills (3) -- Augie Szamreta (106), Charlie Piccione (120, R5 injury replacement), Josh Lee (138)

North Warren (2) -- Conor Hallowich (106), James Dacunto (157)

Belvidere (1) -- Kyle Blew (190)

Hackettstown (1) -- Nicolas Balella (132)
High Point (1) -- Nick Clayton (132)
Newton (1) -- Joey Catalano (144)

Sparta (1) -- Logan Hrenenko (144)

Voorhees (1) -- Logan Wiecoreck (157)

Open Mike championship picks

106 -- Killian Coluccio, Christian Brothers Academy
113 -- Paul Kenny, Christian Brothers Academy
120 -- Anthony Knox, St. John Vianney
126 -- Sammy Spaulding, Camden Catholic
132 -- Carson Walsh, Pope John
138 -- Caedyn Ricciardi, St. Peter's Prep
144 -- Sonny Amato, Rumson-Fair Haven
150 -- Gabe Logan, Delbarton
157 -- Matt Henrich, Southern
165 -- Alessio Perentin, Delbarton
175 -- Ryan Burton, St. Joseph-Montvale
190 -- Harvey Ludington, Brick Memorial
215 -- Hudson Skove, Rumson-Fair Haven
285 -- Rocco Dellagatta, St. Joseph-Montvale

Wrestling: Region recap for HWS by the numbers

We're near the finish line of the high school wrestling season, but before we turn our focus on the 91st State Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City (Thursday-Saturday), let's take a look at some of the highlights from the four region tournaments that house teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area.

Boardwalk Hall awaits for 41 wrestlers from HWS

We had champions from Sussex and Warren counties make history at their respective schools, while the annual debate over Non-Public dominance keeps growing louder with each passing season. Stay tuned on more of that in the offseason as coaches sort out the district alignments -- which now reshuffle after each season rather than every two years -- for 2024-25.

As you can expect, sending Delbarton (10 champions, 11 finalists in Region 5) and St. Peter's Prep (five champs, six runners-up in Region 6) southward was not well received by the folks down there as they got a taste of what the northern regions had to contend with during the first six seasons of realignment. However, the desired effect bears out after crunching the numbers.

Public vs. Non-Public

One major change to the current realignment was spreading out the Non-Public powers up north across Regions 1-6 in the hopes of creating a more balanced field. Mission accomplished.

Non-Public schools accounted for 136 (69 in Regions 1-4 and 67 in Regions 5-8) of the total 448 qualifiers for the state tournament. Compare with last season as Non-Public schools produced 86 in Regions 1-4 to just 53 in Regions 5-8. Non-Publics produced 18 (down from 28) of the 56 qualifiers in Region 1 and 18 (down from 26) in Region 2. 

Here's the breakdown in all regions: R1=18; R2=18; R3=17; R4=16; R5=17; R6=17; R7=19 and R8=14. 

Here are the Non-Public champion totals in all eight: R1=6; R2=10 (all from St. Joseph-Montvale); R3=7; R4=5; R5=11 (10 from Delbarton); R6=7; R7=6; R8=5. As you can see, much more evenly distributed across the state.

Last year's totals were just the opposite: R1=13; R2=11; R3=8; R4=6; R5=7; R6=7; R7=5; R8=7. 

Now, a recap of Regions 1-4:  

40 -- We have that many wrestlers from the HWS area moving on to this week's state tournament (down six from 2023). In all, 13 advanced out of Region 3, while Region 1 and Region 4 each produced 10. Over in Region 2, Phillipsburg sent an area-best seven as did Delaware Valley in Region 3. Here are the total number of area qualifiers since realignment in 2017 -- 47 in '17, 48 in '18, 50 in '19, 37 in '20, 49 in '22, 46 in '23 and 40 in '24. As a side note, there have been 10 state medal winners who finished fourth in the regions (not including 2021) and four were from the HWS area -- North Hunterdon's Andrew Gapas (eighth at 132) in 2017, High Point's Brandon LaRue (sixth at 113) and Pope John's Reece Mulduun (seventh at 182) in 2018 and Sparta's Spencer Stewart (eighth at 120) in 2019. There were none in 2022 and '23.

Hawk is tied for 15th on the P'burg career wins list

7 -- Phillipsburg advanced seven out of Region 2 at Mount Olive, but the Stateliners went 0-4 in the championship round as junior Gavin Hawk (150) and senior John Wargo (285) were looking to be repeat champs. P'burg was shut out in the finals for just the seventh time since 2000 and the 11th overall in program history since regions formed in 1961. Hawk (34-2) suffered his first in-state loss -- 3-1 in TB2 after yielding a reversal to St. Joseph-Montvale's Zach Ballante, a state placewinner and region champion for Paramus Catholic last season, in the first 30-second tiebreaker. Wargo (31-2), a returning state medalist at heavyweight who was bidding to become just the seventh (and first heavyweight) to win three region titles for the 'Liners, surrendered five takedowns in a 10-4 loss to St.. Joseph-Montvale's Rocco Dellagatta. Wargo, now with 98 career wins, got in deep on a single-leg attempt early in the first-period, but Dellagata, who placed fourth at 175 in last year's state tournament and wrestles like a middleweight, fought it off and never looked back. Also punching tickets to AC were Owen Garriques (120), Gavin Geleta (132), Luke Geleta (144), Liam Packer (175) and Nathan Smith (215). Speaking of the Geleta brothers, they became the first siblings for P'burg to win district titles in the same season since 1982 (John and Mike Barna). The only others to do so were Kelly and Kevin Happel ('79), along with Rick and Jack Thompson ('70). Luke Geleta heads to AC needing one victory to join the school's 100-wins club. Hawk (106-18) passed Rylan Watson (106-41 from 2007-11) for 14th place on the school's all-time list.

107 -- Hunterdon Central produced three champions for the first time since 2010 as sophomore Rhett Washleski (36-3 at 150) and senior Thomas Brunetti (39-0 at 175) won their second titles as the Red Devils competed in Region 4 at Union High School. Star senior Anthony Rossi (38-0 at 120), now a four-time state qualifier, won his first region championship in giving the Red Devils a total of 107 region winners in the program's illustrious history. In doing so, Washleski one-upped his older brother, Colton, a two-time state placewinner (fourth in 2021, sixth in '20) who won his lone Region 5 title at 145 in '20. Rhett is also the first at Central to win region titles in his first two seasons since former state champ Brett Ungar (2018-19). Three-time state runner-up Gary Dinmore (2011-14) is the only four-time region champ for the Red Devils. Also moving onto the state tournament was senior William Cella (34-8 at 144), a third-place finisher and two-time state qualifier. Brunetti, who was voted the OW in Tegion 4, heads to AC with 98 career wins, while Rossi moved past Jack Bauer (119) for sole possession of ninth place on the school's all-time wins list at 120-15.

Dacunto on top of the podium in District 4

3 -- North Warren senior James Dacunto (36-1 at 157) made history for the Patriots by becoming just the third champion in program history with his title run in Region 1 at West Milford. Dacunto, who recently became just the 19th district champ for the Warren County school, was the first region medalist under sixth-year coach Kellen Bradley a year ago with a fourth-place finish at this weight. Joe Casella (160 in 2001) and Kevin Brown (152 in 2009), a three-time state placewinner, are the only other region champs for North Warren. Sophomore Conor Hallowich (26-13), who took fourth at 106, made it two state qualifiers under Bradley for the first time in his tenure. Two district golds in the same tournament were also a first at North Warren since 1999.

13 -- In all, Warren County sent a baker's dozen to AC as Warren Hills produced two first-time champions at Region 1 in sophomore Augie Szamreta (29-6 at 106) and senior Josh Lee (27-3 at 138) -- Nos. 60 and 61 overall for the Blue Streaks, who had two winners for the first time since 2015 (Max Nauta and Andrew Pacheco). Lee, a two-time state qualifier with 89 career vicrories, scored a 7-4 win over highly-regarded Lakeland junior Ryan Langenmayr (34-5) -- avenging a 3-0 loss in their District 2 championship match encounter a week earlier. Hills junior Charlie Piccione (29-8 at 120), a fifth-place finisher in Region 1, will make his second trip to AC as an injury replacement. Hackettstown senior Nicolas Balella (32-7 at 132), a runner-up, and Belvidere junior Kyle Blew (36-6 at 190), a fourth-place finisher, also advanced out of Region 3 at West Orange. Balella knocked off returning Delaware Valley state placewinner Matt Roche, 9-3, in the semifinals for his 90th career win before dropping a 12-1 major to Pope John star Carson Walsh in the finals. Roche, who was an eighth-place medalist in 2023, did not advance.  

17 -- Hunterdon County advanced an area-best 17 wrestlers to Atlantic City, including five from North Hunterdon in sophomore Reid Buzby (27-7 at 106), freshman Aidan Yarussi (29-11 at 113), seniors Shane Wysocki (18-20 at 126) and Brian Wilson (23-10 at 165) and junior Evan Kinney (21-16 at 175), as the Lions did not have a champ for the first time since 2020 and the 11th since 2004. Voorhees senior Logan Wiecoreck (37-3) won a Region 4 title at 157 pounds -- his first and the program's first since Lewis Fernandes went back-to-back at 285 in 2018-19. Kyle DiNapoli (2016) is the school's only other winner since 2014, as The Vikes now have 38 titles overall since the program formed in 1975. Voorhees has had at least one state qualifier in all but five of its 49 seasons (2002, '03, '20, '21, '22).

45 -- Delaware Valley led Hunterdon County with seven state qualifiers, including junior Jaden Perez (35-1 at 126), who avenged his only loss this season with a 10-9 win over Pope John sophomore Dalton Weber, a returning champ, in the Region 3 finals. Weber had previously scored a 16-9 decision over Perez in a wildly entertaining Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament final on Jan. 10. Perez is the school's 45th region champ overall and first since 2018 (AJ DeRosa at 126 in Region 5). Also moving on for the Terriers are seniors Jake Taylor (26-7 at 113), Ben Levy (29-6 at 150), Mitchell Sutter (30-8 at 157), Kevin Roman (29-7 at 175) and Anderson Olcott (32-3 at 190), who earned his 90th career win, as well as junior Jackson Bush (29-6 at 138) -- all third-place medalists in Region 3.

Great day for the Terriers at Region 3!

7 AC qualifiers. 11 place winners, andDV was voted the top team in region 3. Nice!

113 Jake Taylor 3rd
126 Jaden Perez 1st
138 Jackson Bush 3rd
150 Ben Levy 3rd
157 Mitchell Sutter 3rd
175 Kevin Roman 3rd
190 Anderson Olcott 3rd pic.twitter.com/k6ouz4G3Br

— Del Val Wrestling (@DVRWrestling) February 25, 2024

4 -- Pope John advanced a Sussex County-best four out of Region 3, including stellar junior Carson Walsh (34-3 at 132), a two-time state medalist who raised the program's total to 39 and joined former state champs Mike Frick (1969-72), JoJo Aragona (2016-19) and Eddie Ventresca (2017, '19, '20) as the only Lions to win three or more region titles. Frick and Aragona are among just eight HWS area wrestlers to win four as the Sussex County school extended its string with at least one winner to nine straight seasons. Joining Walsh in AC are sophomore Dalton Weber (32-4 at 126), a runner-up and champ in 2023, along with junior Jake Holly (29-7 at 106) and senior Justin Holly (27-7 at 138), also a runner-up for the second straight season.

Clayton (right) is High Point's 51st region champ

10 -- High Point junior Nick Clayton (27-6 at 132) continued his superb postseason run by capturing his first Region 1 title with three one-point decision wins (including 1-0 victory over No. 1 seed Santino Danise of Don Bosco Prep in the semis) after a fourth-place finish in 2023. Clayton, one of 10 from Sussex County to earn region medals, is the lone qualifier for the 'Cats, who didn't have a champ for just the fifth time since 2005 a year ago. Kittatinny sent three to AC as seniors Reece Smith (36-5 at 150, fourth), Ethan Dalling (35-3 at 165, second) and Bryce Coesfeld (34-5 at 175, third) advanced in Region 1, but the Cougars have not produced a region champ since Austin Scrivani (138 in 2016). Coesfeld left Region 1 sitting on 99 career wins, while Dalling picked up his 93rd in the semifinals. Sparta junior Logan Hrenenko (30-10 at 138) finished fourth for a second straight season as the Spartans are still seeking their first champ since 2006, while Newton senior Joey Catalano (21-9 at 144) earned his first trip to AC with a fourth-place medal. It's a shame that Catalano, who was 5-7 as a freshman and came up through the rec program, took two years away from the sport, but it's a nice comeback story. Vernon sophomore True DiGiuseppe (32-5, fifth at 175) came up short in his bid to become the Vikes' first state qualifier since Brian Hoyt finished second in Region 1 in 2007.

Wrestling: Region (1-4) schedules, stats, information

Schedules and other information for the regions involving Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area schools. All tournaments will be held Friday and Saturday.

The top four at each weight class advance to the 91st State Wrestling Championships slated for Feb. 29-March 2 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

There are 107 HWS area wrestlers still competing for the second straight season. Overall, here are the local qualifiers by season since realignment (which now changes every year) was introduced in 2017 -- 118 in '17 and '18; 125 in '19; 113 in '20 (no district tournaments in '21 due to COVID-19); 122 in '22 and 107 in '23. The six-year average is 116.

Here is the breakdown by school:

Phillipsburg (13); Delaware Valley (12); Hunterdon Central (11); High Point (10); Kittatinny and North Hunterdon (8); Warren Hills (7); Pope John (6); Hackettstown, Hopatcong-Lenape Valley and Sparta (5); Newton, North Warren and Voorhees (4); Belvidere (3) and Vernon (2).

Phillipsburg senior John Wargo (Region 2 at Mount Olive) and Pope John junior Carson Walsh (Region 3 at West Orange) will look to make history this weekend in bidding for their third titles. 

Wargo (29-1 at 285), who's five shy of 100 career victories in just three seasons since he did not wrestle as a freshman, looks to become only the seventh P'burg wrestler to win three region titles and the first since Brian Meyer (2016-18). Junior Gavin Hawk (32-1), a No. 1 seed at 150 pounds, aims for a second straight championship. 

Walsh (31-3 at 132), now in Region 3 after winning back-to-back titles for Pope John while competing in Region 1 at West Milford in 2022 and '23, aims to become just the fourth Lion to win at least three region championships. Former state champs Mike Frick (1969-72) and JoJo Aragona (2016-19), who both captured four region golds, are the only wrestlers to win region titles in their first three seasons for the Sparta-based school. Eddie Ventresca, a 2019 state champion, won region titles in 2017, '19 and '20.

Only 42 wrestlers from Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area schools have won three or more titles (just eight have won four) since the regional tournaments formed in 1961.

Note: Tickets must be purchased online for most regions. There will be no sales at the door for most venues, but check with your school.

Region 1

At West Milford High School

Area schools: High Point, Kittatinny, Newton, North Warren, Sparta, Vernon, Warren Hills.

Rest of the field: Butler, Cresskill, Demarest, DePaul, Don Bosco Prep, Dumont, Emerson-Park Ridge, Glen Rock, Hawthorne, Indian Hills, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lakeland, Mahwah, Manchester Regional, New Milford, Northern Highlands, Old Tappan, Pascack Hills, Pascack Valley, Pequannock, Pompton Lakes, Ramapo, Ramsey, Ridgewood, River Dell, Seton Hall Prep, Waldwick-Midland Park, Wayne Hills, West Milford, Westwood.

West Milford will host R1 for the sixth year since 2018

Returning champion: Sr. Ben Garcia, Don Bosco Prep (150 in '23).

Friday schedule: Preliminaries (three mats), 5 p.m.; quarterfinals to follow.

Saturday schedule: Semifinals and wrestlebacks (three mats), 9 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations plus championship finals (three mats) to follow.

Ticket prices: $10 adults/seniors, $8 students (online only Friday and Saturday); Cash only prices at the door are $13 adults/seniors, $10 students. Online prices are the same for each day.

Region 2

At Mount Olive High School

Area schools: Hopatcong-Lenape Valley, Phillipsburg.

Rest of the field: Bergenfield, Bogota-Ridgefield Park, Boonton, Cedar Grove, Clifton, Dover, Dwight Morrow, Elmwood Park, Fair Lawn, Fort Lee, Garfield, Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, Leonia-Palisades Park, Lodi, Montville, Morris Hills, Morris Knolls, Mountain Lakes, Mount Olive, Paramus, Parsippany, Parsippany Hills, Passaic, Passaic Tech, Passaic Valley, Paterson Eastside, Paterson Kennedy, Randolph, Roxbury, Saddle Brook, St. Joseph-Montvale, St. Thomas Aquinas, Teaneck, Tenafly, Wayne Valley.

P'burg leads all HWS schools with 132 region champs

Returning champions (9): So. Johnathon McGinty, St. Joseph-Montvale (106 in 2023); Sr. Tyeler Hagensen, Mount Olive (113 in '23); Jr. Adrian DeJesus, St. Joseph-Montvale (120 in '23); Jr. Donny Almeyda, St. Joseph-Montvale (132 in '23, 120 in '22); Jr. Gavin Hawk, Phillipsburg (132 in '23); Jr. Zach Ballante, St. Joseph-Montvale (157 in '23); Jr. Ryan Burton, St. Joseph-Montvale (165 in '23); Jr. Rocco Dellagatta, St. Joseph-Montvale (175 in '23, 157 in '22); Sr. John Wargo, Phillipsburg (285 in '23, 285 in '22).

 

Previous champions (2): Jr. Vincent Paino, St. Joseph-Montvale (106 in '22); Sr. Frank DiBella, St. Joseph-Montvale (150 in '22). 

Friday schedule: Preliminaries (four mats), 5 p.m.; quarterfinals to follow (four mats).

Saturday schedule: Semifinals and wrestlebacks (four mats), 10 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations, plus championship finals (three mats) to follow at the conclusion of wrestlebacks.

Ticket prices: $10 adults, $8 students/seniors (Friday and Saturday); Cash only prices at the door are $13 adults, $10 students. Online prices are the same for each day.

Region 3

At West Orange High School

Area schools: Belvidere, Delaware Valley, Hackettstown, Pope John.

Rest of the field: Barringer, Becton-Wood-Ridge, Belleville, Bergen Catholic, Bloomfield, Caldwell, Cliffside Park-Ridgefield, Columbia, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Hanover Park, Irvington, Hoboken, Kearny, Livingston, Lyndhurst-North Arlington, Madison, Mendham, Montclair, Morristown, Newark Academy, Newark Collegiate, North Bergen, Nutley, Orange, Rutherford, St. Mary's-Rutherford, Secaucus, Union City, Verona, Weehawken, West Essex, West Morris, West Orange, Whippany Park.

Del Val's 44th and last champ was AJ DeRosa (126 in 2018)

Returning champions (5): So. Nathan Braun, Bergen Catholic (106 in 2023); So. Dalton Weber, Pope John (113 in '23); Jr. Carson Walsh, Pope John (126 in '23, 113 in '22); Sr. Ryan Ford, Bergen Catholic (144 in '23, 132 in '22); Jr. Vincenzo LaValle, Hanover Park (190 in '23, 190 in '22).

Previous champion (1): Sr. Jack Myers, Morristown (126 in '22). 

Friday schedule: Preliminaries (three mats), 4:30 p.m.; quarterfinals to follow (three mats).

Saturday schedule: Semifinals and wrestlebacks (three mats), 10 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations, plus championship finals (three mats), approximately 2 p.m.

Ticket prices: $10 adults/seniors, $8 students (online only Friday and Saturday). Only digital tickets will be accepted.

Region 4

At Union High School

Area schools: Hunterdon Central, North Hunterdon, Voorhees.

Rest of the field: Abraham Clark, Bayonne, Bernards, Brearley-Dayton, Bridgewater-Raritan, Carteret, Colonia, Cranford, Elizabeth, Governor Livingston, Hillside, Immaculata, JFK-Iselin, Johnson, J.P. Stevens, Linden, Middlesex-Dunellen, Millburn, Newark East Side, New Providence, North Plainfield, Paramus Catholic, Pingry, Plainfield, Rahway, Ridge, Roselle Park, St. Joseph-Metuchen, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Somerville, South Plainfield, Summit-Chatham, Union, Watchung Hills, Westfield.

Returning champions (7): So. Rhett Washleski, Hunterdon Central (144 in 2023); Jr. Jordan Chapman, Cranford (157 in '23); Sr. Daniel Rella, Paramus Catholic (165 in '23); Sr. Edward Terreri, Paramus Catholic (175 in '23); Sr. Michael Feliciano, Colonia (175 in '23); Jr. Xavier Williams, Paramus Catholic (190 in '23); Sr. Brian Christie, St. Joseph-Metuchen (190 in '23).

Central has produced 104 region champs

Previous champion (1): Sr. Thomas Brunetti, Hunterdon Central (165 in '22).

Friday schedule: Preliminaries (four mats), 6 p.m.; quarterfinals to follow (four mats).

Saturday schedule: Semifinals and wrestlebacks (four mats), 9 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations, plus championship finals (three mats), 2 p.m.

Ticket prices: $10 adults/seniors, $8 students (online only). Cash only prices at the door are $15 adults, $10 students. Online prices are the same for each day.

Wrestling: District recap for HWS by the numbers

Let's review what happened in the six districts that house teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area. There are 107 local wrestlers still competing for the second straight season.

Kittatinny won its 15th district team title (Twitter)

Overall, here are the area qualifiers by season since realignment (which now changes every year) was introduced in 2017 -- 118 in '17 and '18; 125 in '19; 113 in '20 (no district tournaments in '21 due to the pandemic); 122 in '22, 107 in '23. The seven-year average is 116.

The top three at each weight class advanced to the region tournaments on Friday and Saturday. Region 1 is at West Milford, Region 2 at Mount Olive, Region 3 at West Orange and Region 4 at Union.

Here's the team-by team breakdown of qualifiers:

Phillipsburg (13); Delaware Valley (12); Hunterdon Central (11); High Point (10); Kittatinny and North Hunterdon (8); Warren Hills (7); Pope John (6); Hackettstown, Hopatcong-Lenape Valley and Sparta (5); Newton, North Warren and Voorhees (4); Belvidere (3) and Vernon (2).

We had five schools win team championships: Kittatinny (D4), Phillipsburg (D6), Delaware Valley (D10), Pope John (D11), Hunterdon Central (D14).

Here's a closer look by the numbers:

12 -- Washington High School became Warren Hills following the 1966-67 school year. Since then, only 12 wrestlers have won at least three district titles for the Blue Streaks. Junior Tyler Redfield (25-3) became the 12th wearing a Hills singlet as the District 2 champion at 132 pounds. He joined Dale Baldwin (1967-69), Rick Rhinehart (1967, '68, '70), Dan Slack (1975-77), Jim Miller (1977-79), Ben Oberly (1984-86), Corey Miller (1987, '89, '90), Dave Richmond (2003-06), Max Nauta (2013-15), Andrew Pacheco (2013-15), Jarod Ostir (2016-18) and Nick Galka (2017-19). Only Richmond won four. Streaks sophomore Augie Szamreta (26-6 at 106) won his first, while senior Josh Lee (23-3), a runner-up at 138, was denied a third title as Hills advanced seven to Region 1.

Hawk is the first to win titles in his first three P'burg seasons since Brian Meyer

383 -- Phillipsburg dusted the field in District 6 at Roxbury, as junior Gavin Hawk (32-1 at 150) and senior John Wargo (29-1 at 285) became the 41st and 42nd to win at least three titles for the Stateliners, who crowned nine champions overall and advanced an area-best 13 to Region 2. Wargo recorded a seven-second pin in the quarters. Senior Dawson McWilliams (17-4 at 126) and junior Luke Geleta (31-2 at 144) won their second titles. Winning their first were freshman Owen Garriques (22-12 at 120), sophomore Gavin Geleta (26-9 at 132), seniors Patrick Day (17-7 at 157) and Liam Packer (31-3 at 175), and junior Derek Stone (26-9 at 190. Garriques' father, John, won three district titles (one at Hackettstown in 1994 and two for P'burg in '96 and '97), while Day made it five titles in his house as older brothers, Cullen (2017-18), and James (2020 and '22) each won two. Their uncle, Chris, won a title for Delaware Valley at 141 pounds in 1987 at The Pit. Hawk will look to join just eight others to win four district crowns for the 'Liners, who now have 383 champions overall and have had at least one winner since missing for the only time in 1950. This was also the third time with at least nine champs (2018 and '20) since a program-record 11 in '02.

129 -- Voorhees sophomore Christian Bollette (29-9 at 126) and senior Logan Wiecoreck (34-3 at 157) -- both runners-up last season -- and senior Trevor Zabroski (35-3 at 215) all won their first titles at District 14 -- raising the program's total to 129 in now the Vikings' 49th season. Runner-up Cameron Baumann (20-4 at 285), a champ last season, also advanced to Region 4 at Union. Bollette's father, J.P., was a 1997 district champ for Kittatinny at 130 pounds, while uncles, Eric and Brian, are also former standouts for the Cougars and head coaches at Newton and Morris Hills. J.P. and Eric ('94) were also seventh-eighth place medalists.

26 -- Delaware Valley lapped the field in District 10 at Nutley High School with a tournament-best six champions, including senior Jake Taylor (23-6 at 113), who is the ninth in program history to win at least three titles and first since Mike Pongracz (2010, '11, '13). Junior Jaden Perez (32-1 at 126) and seniors Matt Roche (29-2 at 132) and Anderson Olcott (29-2 at 190) won their second titles, while senior Ben Levy (26-5 at 150) and Kevin Roman (26-6 at 175) earned their first. The Terriers have had at least one winner in 26 straight tournaments since missing in 1997, and they produced six champs for only the third time in program history, joining the 2006 and '23 squads, one shy of a record seven (1993). Del Val coach Andy Fitz, who has coached 51 of the school's 133 champs, won a district title for the Terriers at 160 pounds in 1990. Fitz, whose team was the Group 1 runner-up, took home the Coach of the Year Award in District 10.

Smith logged his 84th career win in the finals

8 -- Kittatinny sent eight to the Region 1 Tournament behind a pair of three-time champs in senior Reece Smith (34-3 at 150) and junior Ethan Dalling (33-2 at 165), who are the 13th and 14th Cougars to win at least three titles and first since Zach Mafaro (2017-19). Smith, who won at 144 pounds last year, made the successful drop from 157 for the postseason, while Dalling gave his family a total of nine district golds for the Sussex County school. Older brother, Steven, was a two-time winner (2020 and '21), while their father, Steve, a two-time state champ, was the first of five to win four district titles under New Jersey wrestling legend John Gill, who has coached at least one district champ since missing in 1993 and 126 of the program's 130 overall. Seniors Bryce Coesfeld (31-4 at 175) and Tucker Lockburner (27-5 at 215) won their second titles on Saturday, giving the program four winners in back-to-back years for the first time since 2013 (six) and '14 (four). Coesfeld is now four wins shy of becoming the 19th member in the program's 100-wins club, while Dalling picked up his 91st with a pin in the district finals. 

"Ever since winning my sophomore year, I wanted to get three [titles]," said Smith, who decked High Point's Jayden Ruplall with a bar in 1:45. "It's been a big goal for me. I've been feeling really light all year at 157, so it was a no-brainer to drop down. I think I'll have more stamina and move a lot faster [at 150]."

40 -- Hunterdon Central produced six champions for the seventh time since 2003 in rolling to the team title in District 14 at the Field House. Senior Anthony Rossi (35-0 at 120) and sophomore Rhett Washleski (33-3 at 150) won their second titles, while seniors Ahmed Hussain (27-10 at 132), Evan Thompson (33-4 at 138), Thomas Brunetti (36-0 at 175) and junior Tyler Suk (25-10 at 285) picked up their first golds. The Red Devils, who have won 40 team championships overall, advanced 11 to Region 4, including senior runner-up William Cella (30-7 at 144), a 2023 champion.

35 -- North Hunterdon, which has gone just one season without a district winner (2008), added two more to the list as sophomore Reid Buzby (25-5 at 106) won his first title, while senior Brian Wilson (21-8 at 165) repeated at his weight class. The Lions, now with 234 champs overall in their 67-season history, moved eight wrestlers onto Region 4, including freshman Aidan Yarussi (25-10 at 113), senior Shane Wysocki (15-18 at 126) and junior Evan Kinney (18-14 at 175) -- all runners-up. In all, 35 from Hunterdon County schools will compete at the region level.

6 -- Pope John extended its streak with at least five champions to six straight tournaments by crowning five in District 11 at Morristown High School. Junior Carson Walsh (31-3 at 132), a two-time state medal winner, became the 15th at his school to win at least three titles, while sophomore Dalton Weber (30-3 at 126) and senior Justin Holly (25-6 at 138) won their second championships. The only Lions to win four titles are: Mike Frick (1969-72), Hugh Albora (1972-75), Brian Unkert (1987-90), Jake Rotunda (2015-18) and Eddie Ventresca (2017-20).

Jaust and Clayton (HP social media)

20 -- High Point ran its streak with at least one district winner to 20 straight tournaments as juniors Colton Jaust (18-11 at 120) and Nick Clayton (24-6 at 132) won their first titles in District 4 at High Point Regional High School, which hosted for the first time since the early 1970s. Jaust's uncle, Eric Space, won a title at 275 pounds in 1999, the second winner for iconic coach John Gardner in his inaugural season. The 'Cats, who boast 132 champs overall and haven't been shut out at the district level since 2003, advanced a tourney-best 10 to Region 1 at West Milford High School. Gardner won three titles (1988-90) for the Sussex County School, while longtime assistant Mickey Thomas was the first in program history at 115 pounds in 1968. Ace assistant Billy Smith (2009-11) is among 15 to win three or more for the 'Cats. Gardner, in his final tournament as the boys head coach, earned District 4 Coach of the Year honors as High Point made it a clean sweep of the awards. Clayton voted as the OW, while alum Chris Jones, a 1985 district winner at 129 pounds, was named the Assistant Coach of the Year in his final season on the North Warren staff. 

19 -- North Warren, coming off a tough dual-meet campaign, produced at least one champion for the third straight year as sophomore Conor Hallowich (24-11 at 106) and senior James Dacunto (33-1 at 157) won their first titles in District 4 in coach Kellen Bradley's final season at the helm. It's also just the second time in program history and first in 25 years that the Patriots have had multiple winners (Matt Miller at 140 and Jeff Tierney at 171 in 1999). Hallowich, who was third last season, is only the second at his school to win a title at the first weight class -- joining Matt Ritchie (103 in 2011). Dacunto, who dropped from 165 for the postseason, stuck Kittatinny's Aiden McClain in 3:01 after turning him with a cradle in the first period. North, which now has 19 champions in program history, advanced four to the Region 1 Tournament, as freshman Cole Castles (25-10 at 120) and junior Logan Garriques (26-9 at 175) finished third. Garriques' father, Todd, who was in attendance, won back-to-back titles for Hackettstown in 1991 and '92. Bradley was a two-time champion for Kittatinny in 2003 and '04.

"It's good to get some recognition for the program to bring more eyes to wrestling and get more to sign up to get our program more deep and diverse," said Dacunto, whose team struggled in duals due to low numbers and forfeits. "Even when I'm no longer here, I still care how the program does."

5 -- Lenape Valley's streak with at least one champion ended at 19 straight tournaments as the Patriots were shut out for the first time since 2003. Now combined with Hopatcong, Lenape Valley advanced five to the Region 2 Tournament at Mount Olive High School, including junior Gage Graziano (29-5 at 144), who finished third after winning his first title in 2023, the program's 78th champ overall. Junior Jakob Bell (19-12 at 157) became a two-time runner-up, while junior Marc Pavese (33-5 at 138) finished third for a second straight season. Hackettstown, which did not have a champ for the first time since 2015, also advanced five to Region 3 at West Orange. Freshmen Joseph Rowinski (27-8 at 106) and Giovanni Gutierrez (28-8 at 120), and seniors Nicolas Balella (30-6 at 132) and Jose Alvarenga Giron (25-7 at 165), were all runners-up in District 11.

3 -- Sparta, which sent five to the championship round at District 4, came away with three gold medals as sophomore Ryan Hrenenko (32-4 at 126), junior Logan Hrenenko (28-8 at 138) and junior Luke Brown (26-3 at 190) won their first titles. The Spartans have logged 20 district winners since 2014 after being shut out from 2008-13 and in '22. Seniors Peter Donnelly (13-8 at 113) and Connor White (29-6 at 215) were runners-up as the Sussex County school was bidding for its most winners in 31 years (five in 1983). White dropped a 4-1 decision and is now 1-2 vs. Lockburner dating to last season after decking the Kittatinny senior in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament finals on Jan. 10.

9 -- Belvidere, Newton and Vernon combined for one champion and nine region qualifiers. The lone winner was County Seaters junior Kyle Blew (34-4 at 190) in District 11 -- the Warren County's 59th champion overall. Newton was shut out for the first time since 2013, but the Braves advanced four to Region 1 with an exciting consolation round in District 4. Junior Mason Bucci (23-10 at 138) got the ball rolling with a pin as the Braves went 4-for-5 in third-place bouts. Vernon sophomore True DiGiuseppe (29-3 at 175), who was looking to become his school's first champion since 2012, dropped a 6-3 decision to Coesfeld in their District 4 final.