Wrestling: What's on tap for HWS in 2025-26?

As we close the book on another high school wrestling season, let's take an all-too-early look at what may be in store for the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area in 2025-26.

Hunterdon hotspot

North captured the program's 7th state team title

The 2024-25 season was a banner year for Hunterdon County team-wise as North Hunterdon (Group 4) and Delaware Valley (Group 1) won state championships. It's the second time in three seasons (North and Del Val also did it in 2023) the county captured two titles. It's only happened on five other occasions (1982, '84, '85, '87 and '89) since the tournaments began in '82.

North Hunterdon (17-6), ranked No. 12 in the final New Jersey Wrestling Writers Top 20 and No. 11 in the Coaches Association Top 25, enjoyed its biggest turnaround in over 40 years after finishing 7-13 in coach Dave Bell's first season at the helm in 2023-24. The Lions went from 7-5 in 1982-83 to 17-2 and a Group 3 title the next season under Fred Pierro.

Bell's charges should be primed for another championship run and the area's No. 1 ranking next season with nine returning starters, including four state qualifiers in sophomore Cayden Wadle (32-11 at 106 pounds), freshman Owen Fol (25-20 at 113), junior Reid Buzby (32-12 at 126) and sophomore Aidan Yarussi (38-7 at 132), who is 68-20 overall and lost in the Blood Round in Atlantic City. Sophomore Kieran Raley (22-19 at 138) and junior Owen Dandeo (23-12), both region qualifiers, were over the 20-win mark. The Lions should also be motivated by being shut out on the podium with no medals among their six qualifiers. 

Title contenders

P'burg beat MO twice, including the N1, G4 final

Group 4 will once again be the most intriguing -- Southern (G5), Delsea (G3), Rumson-Fair Haven (G2) and Del Val (G1) will all be prohibitive title favorites -- as North, Mount Olive and Phillipsburg should be the preseason pecking order. P'burg will lean heavily on four returning state qualifiers -- Zack Swingle (30-11 at 106), Anthony Pettinelli (33-9 at 113), Owen Garriques (31-12 at 132) and Gavin Geleta (34-9 at 150), who lost in the Blood Round in AC.

Delaware Valley (19-3) loses three key seniors in Jaden Perez (39-5, seventh in the state at 126), as well as Jackson Bush (36-6 at 150) and Luke Sinkewicz (33-8 at 157), but the Terriers bring back plenty of talent to make another run. Michael Hasson (29-10 at 138), a region fifth-place finisher and state qualifier Sebastian Dobak (22-10 at 144) are among seven key juniors returning next season.

High Point, which won the North 1, Group 2 sectional title and dropped a 38-30 decision to Caldwell in the Group 2 semifinals, brings back eight starters, including two state qualifiers in sophomore Carter Drouin (28-15 at 120) and Gavin "Big Country" Mericle (34-7 at 285). Juniors Jayden Ruplall (23-15 at 165 and fifth in Region 1), Giovoughni Dureny (20-13 at 175 and sixth in Region 1) and Jack Kithcart (23-17 at 190 and fifth in Region 1) return to anchor a good group of upper weights. Keep an eye on Kaleb DeFalco (2-0 at 190-215), who head coach Billy Smith was high on before the freshman sustained a season-ending injury.

Also in Group 2, Hackettstown returns 11 sophomores, including state qualifier Joseph Rowinski (32-11 at 106-113), an HWS Tournament champion at 106.

Primed placers

Hunterdon Central junior Rhett Washleski has plenty ahead of him after a seventh-place state finish at 150 pounds. Washleski (41-5) joined his brother, Colton, as medalists for the Red Devils and will enter next season needing 33 wins to surpass program leader Hunter Graf (143-29 from 2014-18) and 45 to eclipse the county record held by North Hunterdon's Ryan Pomrinca (155-13 from 2011-15). 

While those win totals are goals, Washleski, a three-time district and two-time region and HWS Tournament champion, is eyeing a much bigger prize.

Washleski (far right) also eyes a rare 3rd HWS title

"Nothing means more than getting [back down to AC] and accomplishing my dreams of winning states," said Washleski, who is the area's active wins leader at 111-15 overall.

Central (4-19), which won its fewest dual meets and endured only the second losing campaign (12-13 in 2005-06) in the program's 69 seasons, finished on cool note as Washleski and junior Emma Peake (fifth place at 120 in girls states) joined their siblings as medalists for the Red Devils. Colton Washleski, now at Rider, was fourth at 160 in 2021 and sixth at 145 in '20, while Tanner Peake, now at Davidson, was a two-time placer (fourth at 157 in '22 and sixth at 152 in '21).

Warren Hills junior Augie Szamreta got rolling at the right time and finished eighth at 113 pounds -- the highest placewinner in the first three weight classes for the Blue Streaks since Ryan Kanewski (fifth-sixth at 119 in 1995). At 92-28 overall, Szamreta looks to become the 12th member of the school's century club, along with district champ and state qualifier Davey Rhinehart, who is 89-23 for his career.

"It's definitely going to help me a lot [next season] because I'll have more confidence," Szamreta said of making a potential third trip to AC in 2026. "I know that I've been in these situations before and I want to keep advancing even farther. I want to be higher than eighth place next year."

Public vs. Non-Public

The debate rages on with each passing season. The gap is clearly widening, so it was nice to see some public school boys wrestlers in the HWS area on the podium at Boardwalk Hall, including Kittatinny senior Ethan Dalling, who was the highest finisher (fifth at 175) outside of our three senior finalists -- Phillipsburg's Gavin Hawk and Pope John's Carson Walsh (138) and Donny Almeyda (144). 

Dalling (2nd from right) is headed to Bucknell

Legendary Cougars coach John Gill, who hasn't had a state finalist since 2009 and only eight medalists in the last 16 years since, was beaming after Dalling became the third in his immediate family to place. His father, Steve, was a three-time state finalist (champion in 1990 and '91), while older brother, Steven, placed eighth at 152 pounds in 2021. 

"It's so hard to do," Gill said of getting a wrestler on the podium as only 47 of 112 medalists and eight of 28 finalists were from public schools. "The talent just goes to those special places. It's nice to see a few weights broke though [with public school wrestlers]. It's hard. 

"I appreciate the fifth place. I'm jumping for joy. You should be looking for first or second. Fifth is really hard to come by. I'll take every one I can."

Pope John junior Dalton Weber, a two-time placewinner, is the only returning area medalist. He was eighth at 132 after a third-place finish in 2024. The HWS area had 14 in the boys state quarters -- the fewest since 2014 -- and earned nine medals overall. Weber's 95 wins rank him behind only Washleski entering next season. Szamreta and Sparta junior Ryan Hrenenko (91) are next, followed by Rhinehart, Voorhees junior Christian Bollette (86), Geleta (74) and North Warren junior Conor Hallowich (72). Phillipsburg junior Massimo Gonzalez and Yarussi are at 68, with Buzby (67), Vernon junior True DiGiuseppe (65), Mericle (63), Rowinski (61) and Pettinelli (60) rounding out those with at least 60 victories.

My 2 cents

The powers that be need to seriously take a long hard look at district and regional alignments for next season and beyond. Clearly, public schools are unhappy and at a huge disadvantage going up against All-Star teams from the private ranks. Putting the Non-Publics in one or possibly two regions -- giving them a fair number of state bids from each much like the NCAAs -- is floating around as one possibility moving forward. 

Fourteen of 38 HWS state qualifiers were in R1

I know we've addressed the other issue of fan interest, or a severe lack thereof, but when Phillipsburg fans' attention spans in Region 1 at West Milford were seen waning, it would be great to see a better balance with regards to geography. Remember the old days when a region contained familiar schools and wrestlers, and you had a rooting interest. It just isn't the same when you're from these parts and wrestlers from Bergen or Passaic counties you've never heard of are going at it. Boring.
   

The state tournament mix of boys and girls is great in theory, but the guys' Blood Round session is not getting the attention it richly deserves. That's one of the best sessions and too important to get lost in the shuffle with girls semifinals and wrestlebacks mixed in later on among those critical placement bouts. Maybe it's time to run each tournament as its own, much like Pennsylvania does with Class AAA and AA in Hershey. At the very least, hold the Blood Round at 5 p.m. on Friday just prior to the boys semis. Also, do we really need the Parade of Champions? Seems unnecessary when we see them all on the podium anyway. By the way, what happened to the quarter turns?