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.