Jacob Wicks honors family's lofty wrestling name

LOPATCONG TWP. -- Imagine what it's been like for Phillipsburg junior Jacob Wicks to traverse the wrestling circles -- with his father considered to be one of the all-time greats among upper weights in this area and throughout New Jersey?

Jamie Wicks still has people talking nearly 31 years after he won his second state title for Delaware Valley. Anyone who saw him will never forget his hulking frame and raw power, a fierce competitor looking to hit those big throws. That's a mighty high bar for any young wrestler.

But Jacob Wicks, who also competes in the upper weights at 182 pounds despite weighing in at 172.7 the morning of the District 13 Tournament, scoffs at even the slightest comparison to his dad.

Jacob Wicks (left) and Travis Jones at the HWS Tournament.

"I'm not even close to his level of experience and beast mode," Jacob said while trying to hold back laughter shortly after winning his first district title on Saturday at Phillipsburg High School.

"I've been trying my best."

Wicks is among an area-high 12 qualifiers for Phillipsburg in the Region 4 Tournament that  begins on Thursday night at Union High School. Seven champs, including Wicks, received first-round byes into Friday's quarterfinals. The top four wrestlers at each weight class advance to the 86th State Wrestling Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Jamie Wicks, a two-time state champion at 171 pounds (1987-88) who earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award following his 4-2 win over Union's Larry Guarino -- his finals opponent the previous season -- in '88, was a three-time district and two-time region champion. He is still Del Val's all-time winning percentage leader with a career mark of 92-5 (.948).

Jacob added his name to the family list of district titles with a 5-0 win over Woodbridge senior Yusuf Elbayar. After two years toiling on the junior varsity level and with no varsity bouts entering this season, Wicks (23-13), a high energy and extremely likable young man who weighed 193 over the summer, emerged as a key contributor to the Stateliners' run to a sixth straight sectional title and Group 4 finals appearance.

"He's been such a huge surprise," coach Dave Post said following the team's 30-24 win over North Hunterdon back on Jan. 16, in which Wicks was pinned late by Nathaniel Fossett. "He started out at 145 last year and we moved him all over the place [on JV]. He went undefeated on JV. We knew he could be good. He's a great kid."

How did Jacob Wicks get that good? Maybe it was those secret video sessions watching his father dominate in high school.

"I actually found them in a closet, he doesn't know I watch them as much as I do," Jacob said. "He only caught me once."

Jamie Wicks is one of the most humble individuals you'll ever come across. I got the chance to know him a bit when he was inducted into the Region 1 Hall of Fame several years back at Wallkill Valley, and you'd never know what a great athlete he was on the mat just by having a conversation with him. He's also kept a low profile at Jacob's matches. But Jamie has offered his son some valuable advice.

"He says he sees a lot of him in me -- the way I attack and am always moving forward," said Jacob, who also bears a strong facial resemblance to his dad. "He always says, 'The best defense is a great offense.'

Jamie Wicks wanted his son to be a multi-sport athlete, but Jacob felt that wasn't going to work if he wanted to wrestle at a higher level. So he gave up football. That proved to be a good move.

"I made the decision to just wrestle," Jacob said. "I want to improve."

Improve he has, so much so that Wicks' opponents have taken notice. Kittatinny senior Zach Mafaro, a sixth-place finisher in last year's state tournament who won his third district title on Saturday, paid Wicks, arguably the most improved Stateliner since the season began, a compliment following their first meeting -- a 3-2 win for Mafaro on Jan. 10 at The Pit.

"He said I came out of nowhere," said Wicks, who was pinned in 59 seconds in their rematch at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament finals two days later. "He said I was really strong for a little guy, and he'd be seeing me later on [in the season] at states."

Wicks, a No. 6 seed in Region 4, isn't content with that district title. He'll look to earn that first trip to Atlantic City this week, starting with a quarterfinal matchup against Westfield senior Tim Miller (23-5), a District 14 runner-up.

"It's nice to win one [district title]," Wicks said. "I just want to make it to states -- and place next year."

Region 4 first-round results
(Phillipsburg and Voorhees wrestlers)

106 -- Jr. Josh Rich (26-13, D14-2), Voorhees, p. Fr. Anthony Bistany (23-7, D14-3), St. Joseph-Metuchen, 3:05.
113 -- Fr. James Day (28-11, D13-3), Phillipsburg, d. So. Dylan Kolakowski (19-15, D15-2), Watchung Hills, 13-6.
120 -- Sr. Aidan Taylor (31-9, D14-2), Voorhees, d. Sr. Ken Beck (22-14, D15-3), Middlesex-Dunellen, 11-6.
126 -- Sr. Bryce Parenti (25-13, D13-2), Phillipsburg, p. So. Jack Murray (19-15, D15-3), Watchung Hills, 3:31.
126 -- Sr. Hunter Rinehart (33-7, D14-2), Voorhees, md. Fr. Jaimen Bryant (22-11, D13-3), Somerville, 16-8.
132 -- Sr. Travis Jones (33-4, D13-2), Phillipsburg, tf. Sr. Will Kauffman (20-15, D13-3), Bernards, 16-0, 4:40.
145 -- Sr. Shaeed Greene (30-8, D13-3), Plainfield, d. Sr. Luke Hardin (11-20, D13-2), Phillipsburg, 9-2.
170 -- Sr. Matt Brandner (31-6, D14-2), Voorhees, p. Sr. Jesse Fornes (31-8, D16-3), Elizabeth, 2:24.
285 -- Jr. Cody Cruts (14-20, D13-3), Phillipsburg, p. Sr. Krystian Pasek (18-17, D16-2), Linden, 5:25.

Wrestling: Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 schedules

Here are the schedules for regions involving Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex schools. All tournaments begin on Wednesday with the preliminary round pitting district seconds against thirds.

In all, there are 125 wrestlers from the HWS area still competing -- up seven from the previous two seasons since this ridiculous realignment was introduced for the 2016-17 season.

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

Phillipsburg (12); Hunterdon Central, North Hunterdon and Pope John (11); Newton (10); High Point and Warren Hills (9); Delaware Valley (8); Lenape Valley, Sparta and Voorhees (7); Kittatinny (6); Hackettstown (5); Belvidere (4); Hopatcong (3); North Warren and Wallkill Valley (2); Vernon (1).

Region 1

At West Milford High School

Area schools: High Point, Kittatinny, Newton, North Warren, Pope John, Sparta, Vernon, Wallkill Valley.

Rest of the field: Butler, Cresskill, Demarest, Don Bosco Prep, Dumont, Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hawthorne, Indian Hills, Kinnelon, Lakeland, Mahwah, Manchester Regional, New Milford, Northern Highlands, Old Tappan, Pascack Hills, Pascack Valley, Passaic Tech, Pequannock, Pompton Lakes, Ramapo, Ramsey, Ridgewood, River Dell, St. Joseph-Montvale, Tenafly, Waldwick-Midland Park, Wayne Hills, West Milford, Westwood.

West Milford will host R1 for the 2nd straight year.

Returning champions (6): Samuel Alvarez, St. Joseph-Montvale (126), Kaya Sement, Pope John (132), Trent Furman, Westwood (132), JoJo Aragona, Pope John (138), Wyatt McCarthy, Newton (145), Tommy Chiellini, Pascack Valley (182).

Previous champions (2): Eddie Ventresca, Pope John (120, 2017), Robert Garcia, Pope John (152, 2017).

Thursday schedule: Preliminaries (three mats), 5:30 p.m.

Friday schedule: Quarterfinals (three mats), 5:30 p.m.

Saturday schedule: Semifinals and wrestlebacks (three mats), 9:30 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations plus championship finals (three mats), 2 p.m.

Ticket prices: $5 adults, $3 students and seniors (Thursday and Friday). $10 adults, $6 students and seniors for all-day pass only on Saturday.

Region 2

At Mount Olive High School

Area schools: Hopatcong, Lenape Valley.

Rest of the field: Bergen Catholic, Bergenfield, Bogota-Ridgefield Park, Boonton, Cedar Grove, Clifton, DePaul, Dover, Dwight Morrow, Elmwood Park, Emerson-Park Ridge, Fort Lee, Garfield, Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, Jefferson, Leonia-Palisades Park, Lodi, Montville, Morris Hills, Morris Knolls, Mountain Lakes, Mount Olive, Paramus, Paramus Catholic, Parsippany, Parsippany Hills, Passaic, Passaic Valley, Paterson Eastside, Paterson Kennedy, Roxbury, Saddle Brook, Teaneck, Wayne Valley, Weehawken, West Essex.

Returning champions (9): Nick Kayal, Bergen Catholic (113), Nick Babin, Emerson-Park Ridge (113), Dylan Cedeno, Bergen Catholic (120), Robert Howard, Bergen Catholic (126), Nicky Cabanillas, DePaul (126), Ricky Cabanillas, DePaul (145), Jonah Schechtman, Emerson Park-Ridge (152), Jacob Cardenas, Bergen Catholic (195), John High, Bergen Catholic (285).

Previous champions (2): Connor O'Neil, DePaul (160, 2017), Christopher Foca, Bergen Catholic (182, 2016).

Thursday schedule: Preliminaries (four mats), 6 p.m.

Friday schedule: Quarterfinals (four mats), 6 p.m.

Saturday schedule: Semifinals and wrestlebacks (four mats), 9:30 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations (two mats), 2 p.m.; championship finals (approximately), 4 p.m.

Ticket prices: $5 adults, $3 students and seniors (single session); $10 adults, $6 students and seniors all-day pass on Saturday.

Region 3

At West Orange High School

Area schools: Belvidere, Hackettstown, Warren Hills.

Rest of the field: Barringer, Becton, Belleville, Bloomfield, Caldwell, Cliffside Park, Columbia, Delbarton, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Hanover Park, Irvington, Kearny, Livingston, Lyndhurst-North Arlington, Madison, Mendham, Montclair, Morris Catholic, Morristown, Newark Academy, Newark East Side, North Bergen, Nutley, Orange, Randolph, Rutherford, Secaucus, Union City, Verona, West Morris, West Orange, Whippany Park, Wood-Ridge.

Returning champions (5): Anthony Clark, Delbarton (120), Joey Olivieri, Hanover Park (126), Nick Raimo, Hanover Park (132), Kieran Calvetti, Delbarton (182), Gage Armijo, Mendham (220).

Thursday schedule: Preliminaries, 6 p.m.

Friday schedule: Quarterfinals, 6 p.m.

Saturday schedule: Semifinals, 9 a.m.; wrestlebacks, 11 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations, 1:30 p.m.; championship finals, 3:30 p.m.

Ticket prices: $6 adults, $3 students and seniors (Thursday and Friday); $6 adults, $4 students and seniors for single-session on Saturday; $10 adults, $5 students and seniors for all-day pass.

Region 4

At Union High School

Area schools: Phillipsburg, Voorhees.

Rest of the field: Bayonne, Bernards, Bound Brook, Brearley-Dayton, Bridgewater-Raritan, Carteret, Christ the King, Colonia, Cranford, Elizabeth, Governor Livingston, JFK-Iselin, A.L. Johnson, J.P. Stevens, Linden, Metuchen, Middlesex-Dunellen, Millburn, Newark Collegiate Academy, New Providence, North Plainfield, Plainfield, Rahway, Ridge, Roselle Park, St. Joseph-Metuchen, St. Peter's Prep, Scotch Plains, Seton Hall Prep, Somerville, Summit-Chatham, Union, Watchung Hills, Weequahic, Westfield, Woodbridge.

Returning champions (8): Luke Hoerle, Westfield (120), CJ Composto, Westfield (126), Travis Jones, Phillipsburg (132), Rhise Royster, Rahway (145), Cody Harrison, Phillipsburg (152), John Poznanski, Colonia (182), Jervey Sistrunk, Bound Brook (285), Lewis Fernandes, Voorhees (285).

Previous champions (1): Mark Montgomery, Roselle Park (132, 2017).

Thursday schedule: Preliminaries (four mats), 6 p.m.

Friday schedule: Quarterfinals (four mats), 6 p.m.

Saturday schedule: Semifinals and wrestlebacks (four mats), 9 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations plus championship finals (three mats), 3 p.m.

Ticket prices: $5 adults, $3 students and seniors (single session); $10 adults, $5 students and seniors all-day pass on Saturday.

Region 5

At Franklin High School

Area schools: Delaware Valley, Hunterdon Central, North Hunterdon.

North Hunterdon is back in R5 after a two-year hiatus.

Rest of the field: Bishop Ahr, East Brunswick, Edison, Franklin, Highland Park. Hillsborough, Holmdel, Hopewell Valley, Keansburg, Keyport-Henry Hudson, Manalapan, Manville, Marlboro, Matawan, Middletown South, Monmouth, Montgomery, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Pingry, Piscataway, Princeton, Red Bank Regional, Rumson-Fair Haven, Rutgers Prep, St. John Vianney, Sayreville, Shore Regional, South Brunswick, South Plainfield, South River, Spotswood, West Windsor North, West Windsor South.

Returning champions (3): Brett Ungar, Hunterdon Central (106), AJ DeRosa, Delaware Valley (132), Alec Bobchin, Princeton (138).

Previous champions (1): Zach DelVecchio, South Plainfield (220, 2017, '16).

Thursday schedule: Preliminaries (four mats), 5:30 p.m.

Friday schedule: Quarterfinals (four mats), 5:30 p.m.

Saturday schedule: Semifinals and wrestlebacks (four mats), 10 a.m.; third-place and fifth-place consolations, 2:30 p.m.; championship finals, 4 p.m.

Wrestling: District recap for HWS by the numbers

Let's review what happened in the 12 districts that house teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area. In all, there are 125 wrestlers from the HWS area still competing -- up seven from the previous two seasons since this ridiculous realignment was introduced for the 2016-17 season.

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

Phillipsburg (12); Hunterdon Central, North Hunterdon and Pope John (11); Newton (10); High Point and Warren Hills (9); Delaware Valley (8); Lenape Valley, Sparta and Voorhees (7); Kittatinny (6); Hackettstown (5); Belvidere (4); Hopatcong (3); North Warren and Wallkill Valley (2); Vernon (1).

We had four schools win team championships: Pope John (D2), Phillipsburg (D13), Hunterdon Central (D18) and North Hunterdon (D20).

Here's a closer look by the numbers:

North with the D20 trophy. (Courtesy of Chris Hrunka).

212 -- North Hunterdon, which matched the 1994-95 and 2008-09 teams with a school-record 20 wins during the dual meet season, won its third straight team title -- this time in District 20 at Red Bank after spending the previous two seasons in District 15 -- as sophomore Frank Diesso (113), senior Connor Robinson (120), junior Nathaniel Fossett (170) and senior Lorenzo Becerril (285) won their first titles for the Lions, who have won team titles in four of the last five years and now have 212 champions overall -- missing having at least one champ only once in 2008.

38 -- Hunterdon Central cruised to its fourth straight team title (with 254.5 points) and ninth in the last 11 years to raise the program's total to 38. Senior Jack Bauer (126) won his fourth title, only the fourth to do so at his school since 2000, as the Red Devils produced six champions for the third time in four years, including sophomore Brett Ungar (106) and senior Pasquale Vizzoni (145), who won their second titles. They were joined by first-time winners Colton Washleski (120), Tanner Peake (132) and Ryan Joyce (285).

13 -- Since going six straight years without a district champion, Sparta has now won 13 titles in six seasons as sophomore Spencer Stewart (120), a first-time winner, joined his brother and two-time champ Garrett Stewart (126), who picked up his 100th career win in the finals to join six others in the school's century club, in District 4 at Pascack Valley. For the second straight season, the Spartans advanced seven to Region 1, including junior Cooper Stewart (second at 113), freshman Nick Hwang (third at 132), senior Chris Hwang (second at 138), senior Rocco Gignatelli (second at 145) and senior Riley Kennedy (third at 160).

P'burg leads all area teams with 350 district champions.

64 -- With seven champions in District 13, including four-time winner Cody Harrison (152) and two-time winners Logan Maczko (106), Kyle Tino (138) and Austin Roth (195), Phillipsburg won its 46th team championship. The Warren County school has now had at least one champion for 64 straight tournaments since missing in 1955. Joey Innamorato (120), Jacob Wicks (182) and Gage Horvath (220) won their first titles. The only other year that the 'Liners came up empty was 1950. Bill Lowe was the program's first champion at 103 pounds in 1948.

12 -- Pope John rolled to its fifth district team championship overall and second since 1981 behind a trio of three-time winners -- seniors JoJo Aragona (138) and Robbie Garcia (152) and junior Eddie Ventresca (120), who will look to become just the fifth four-timer for the Lions, who have had 12 win at least three titles in their history, next season. Aragona (34-0), a three-time state placewinner and favorite to win a title in Atlantic City this season, moved closer to the Sussex County wins record at 150-6 overall, needing just seven to surpass former High Point great and three-time state champ Nick Francavilla (156-12 from 2007-11). In all, the Sparta-based school, which also won team titles in 1975, '77 and 2018, crowned at least six champions for only the third time (also achieved in 1975) after a program-record seven last year.

The top three Newton wins leaders. (Kelsey Pittenger)

24 -- Newton senior Wyatt McCarthy (145), a returning state placewinner, had a banner day at District 2, becoming the Braves' first three-time champion since Joel Branham (1977-79) and the program's 24th overall, while also moving into second place on the school's all-time wins list at 130-22. Pretty cool moment as Nos. 1 and 3 -- Kevin Churchill (151) and Austin Alpaugh (128) -- were in attendance as assistant coaches for Wallkill Valley and Pope John, respectively. In addition, senior Luke Fischer (220) became the 10th member of the Braves' 100 victories club in claiming his first title. His brother, Lance, won at 160 pounds in 2016. Eric Bollette was named District 2 Coach of the Year.

10 -- Washington High School became Warren Hills following the 1966-67 school year. Since then, only 10 wrestlers have won at least three district titles for the Blue Streaks. Senior Nick Galka (31-3) became the 10th wearing a Warren Hills uniform as the District 12 champion at 220 pounds. He joins 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) and Jarod Ostir (2016-18). Only Richmond won four. Senior Duro Ajayi (285), who won his first title, is the school's first heavyweight champ since Pacheco in 2015.

14 -- High Point junior Billy Talmadge (138) became 14th wrestler to win at least three district titles for the Wildcats, while also earning the Outstanding Wrestler Award in District 1 at Fair Lawn High School. He will look to join Gavin Tarsa (2005-08), Nick Francavilla and Drew Wagenhoffer (2008-11) as the program's only four-time winners next season. Freshman Brian Soldano (160) and senior Andrew Lewis (285) also won titles. Also advancing were runners-up Clayton Utter (106), Devon Liebl (113), Devin Flannery (120), who has 98 career wins, and Sean Van Wingerden (195), along with third-place finishers Josh Gervey (132) and Jonathan Morris (182). John Gardner was named District 1 Coach of the Year.

26 -- Kittatinny extended its streak with at least one district champion to 26 straight seasons as senior Zach Mafaro (182) won his third to become the 12th wrestler to win at least three for the Cougars and moved into seventh place on the school's wins list at 128-27, while junior Jacob Mafaro (285) won his second title. John Gill was named District 3 Coach of the Year.

Belvidere makes there way to West Orange for Regions. Next stop, Atlantic City!! pic.twitter.com/QAoKkWXQta

— Belvidere Wrestling (@bhswrestlin) February 17, 2019

56 -- Belvidere senior Quinn Melofchik (113), who has designs on becoming the third wrestler at the Warren County school to capture a state title, won his second District 12 championship to become the first multiple winner for the County Seaters, who have 56 champs overall, since Evan Bray won back-to-back District 1 titles at 182 pounds in 2012-13. Sophomore Shane Exley (170), who won his first title, Hunter Lensi (second at 106) and Carson Grogan (third at 285) also advanced to the Region 3 Tournament this week.

123 -- Voorhees advanced seven to the Region 4 Tournament at Union High School, including District 14 champions Sam Huff (220) and Lewis Fernandes (285). Huff, who won his third title, became just the 13th wrestler to win at least three for the Vikes, who have 123 champions overall. Fernandes (39-0), who is the school's all-time wins leader at 145-22 overall, earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award with two pins in capturing his second title.

113 -- Delaware Valley senior AJ DeRosa (132) was a repeat winner in District 19 and earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award, while sophomore Anthony DeRosa (152) and senior Shawne Ramsby (170) won their first titles to give the Terriers 113 overall and extend the program's streak of at least one winner to 22 straight seasons since missing in 1997. The DeRosas are the first set of brothers to win titles in the same season for the Hunterdon County school.

8 -- Over in District 8, host Lenape Valley finished second in the team standings as freshman Daniel Haws (106) and junior Eric Falleni (138) won their first titles, while Marcus Bitetto picked up his second in a row at 113. Hopatcong, which has 74 champions overall, trailing the Patriots now by one, missed for only the third time since 1990, but Frank Mastroeni (third at 120), a champ last season, Andrew Costa (second at 126) and Michael Mastroeni (second at 138) advanced to Region 2 for the Chiefs.

Wrestling: Harrison's 4-peat helps 'Liners roll in D13

LOPATCONG TWP. -- Phillipsburg senior Cody Harrison couldn't have drawn it up any better.

Harrison cruised to his fourth title with a pin in the 152-pound final as the Stateliners crowned seven winners overall to easily capture the team championship in the District 13 Tournament on Saturday at Phillipsburg High School.

P'burg celebrates its 46th district team championship.

"It feels good, but it's not the ultimate goal ... that's to win states," said Harrison, who flattened Bernards sophomore Luke Burns in 2:27. "It's a milestone. It's awesome to win four and to win your last ever home match with a pin. It's the best way to win a district title."

P'burg, which put 10 of 14 in the finals, advanced 12 to the Region 4 Tournament that begins on Wednesday at Union High School. Harrison (32-2), a two-time state placewinner, is just the 38th to capture at least three district titles in a Stateliner singlet -- winning his first as a freshman for Warren Hills.

Other repeat champions for Phillipsburg were sophomore Logan Maczko (106), along with seniors Kyle Tino (138) and Austin Roth (195). Freshman Joey Innamorato (120), junior Jacob Wicks (182) and sophomore Gage Horvath (220) , No. 350 overall for the Warren County school, won their first titles.

"Last year, we had nine champions [going 9-for-9 in the finals of then District 9]," said Tino, a three-time finalist and runner-up as a sophomore. "We all strive to be winners. We want nothing else."

Harrison hit a sweet blast double and drove Burns to the mat, picking up two back points on the move for an early 4-0 lead. A second-period reversal led to the pin and Harrison's 117th career win.

"If I can do that every match it would be great," Harrison said of the early four-pointer. "I feel pretty good, pretty healthy. Hopefully guys can't keep up with my pace."

Tino, a returning state qualifier, got three turns with a hazzard tilt, including two sets of back points in the third period to secure a 15-0 technical fall in 5:41 over Plainfield senior Skyler Frye.

"I want to dominate my opponents," Tino said. "My freshman year, I lost first round. To come back like this ... it's great. All of the work I put in, I'm able to get the results I want."

Family ties

Maczko, who made the drop to 106 late in the season, decked Somerville junior Tanner Donato in 3:46 for his second title at this weight class -- besting his uncle, Pat, who won a title for P'burg in 1989. Logan's father, John, was a runner-up for the 'Liners in '89.

"They had a really tough time. They didn't start as freshmen," Maczko said. "But it's nice to keep the legacy going. It's in the blood. I just want to make everyone proud."

Maczko (29-9) held a slim 5-4 lead in the second period before locking up a cradle for the takedown and eventual title clincher.

Jacob Wicks in the podium at 182 pounds.

"I felt his head was too close, and I said this over. I'm finishing this," Maczko said. "I just wanted to get it done."

Wicks, whose father, Jamie, was a two-time state champion (1987-88) and three-time district winner for Delaware Valley, added his name to the list with a 5-0 win over Woodbridge senior Yusuf Elbayar.
After two years on the junior varsity level, Jacob Wicks emerged this season as a key contributor to Phillipsburg's run to a sixth straight Group 4 finals appearance. Maybe it was all of those secret video sessions where he watched his father, regarded as one of the best upper weights to come out of this area, dominate in high school.

"I actually found them, he doesn't know I watch them as much as I do," Wicks said. "I'm not even close to his level of experience and beast mode. I just want to improve. It's nice to win one. I just want to make it to states, and place next year."

The rookie

It's been a tough debut season for Innamorato, who entered the tournament with 18 losses as the No. 6 seed. But he hit a headlock and a takedown for five with just 14 seconds left in the third period to pull off a 10-6 win over top-seeded Tylik Epps of Plainfield.

Innamorato (14-18) trailed, 6-4, after two periods and surrendered three takedowns. But he has a good headlock, which he hit for a near match-turning fall last Sunday in the team's 26-20 loss to Kingsway in the Group 4 final.

"We usually have tough opponents. I don't think most teams wrestle the kind of schedule we do," Innamorato said. "[Epps] just seemed tired and I capitalized off that, and eventually hit the headlock."

Back points

Phillipsburg senior Travis Jones was denied in his bid for a third straight title in a 6-4 loss to Roselle Park senior Mark Montgomery in the marquee finals matchup at 132. Montgomery, a two-time state qualifier and his school's all-time wins leader at 135, converted two takedowns in the final period, including one off a single-leg attempt with 22 seconds to go to seal it and earn the Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Jones (32-4), a seventh-place finisher in last year's state tournament, had won 15 straight since a 10-6 loss to Pope John junior Kaya Sement, who won a District 2 title on Saturday, in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex finals on Jan. 12. Jones was honored for earning his 100th career win against Kingsway prior to the finals.

Seniors Bryce Parenti (126) and Luke Hardin (145) also were runners-up in their first trip to the finals, while freshman James Day (113) and junior Cody Cruts (285) advanced with third-place finishes for the Stateliners.

Phillipsburg advanced 12 wrestlers to regions for the second straight season and for the 19th time since 14 weight classes were introduced for the 1995-96 season. The Stateliners have had all 14 entries place in the top three just twice -- during current head coach Dave Post's freshman and sophomore seasons in 2000 and '01. Post was a four-time champion, while John Horak, in his first year as an assistant coach on Post's staff, also won four for the 'Liners from 2007-10.

Team standings

1. Phillipsburg (Pb) 273; 2. Plainfield (P) 133; 3. Somerville (S) 116; 4. Roselle Park (RP) 107; 5. Bernards (B) 89; 6. Woodbridge (W) 68; 7. New Providence (NP) 50.5; 8. Summit-Chatham (SC) 47; 9. Carteret (C) 37.5.

Region 4 qualifiers by school

Phillipsburg 7+3+2=12; Somerville 0+4+3=7; Bernards 0+2+3=5; Plainfield 1+2+2=5; Roselle Park 4+0+1=5; Carteret 0+2+0=2; New Providence 2+0+0=2; Summit-Chatham 0+0+2=2; Woodbridge 0+1+1=2.

Championships

106 -- 1-So. Logan Maczko (29-9), Pb, p. 3-Jr. Tanner Donato (26-7), S, 3:46.
113 -- 1-Sr. Gabriel Leo (27-6), RP, md. 2-Jr. Justin Villani (27-5), B, 16-6.
120 -- 6-Fr. Joey Innamorato (14-18), Pb, d. 1-Jr. Tylik Epps (26-11), P, 10-6.
126 -- 1-So. Eddie Hummel (31-4), RP, d. 2-Sr. Bryce Parenti (24-13), Pb, 10-3.
132 -- 1-Sr. Mark Montgomery (30-2), RP, d. 2-Sr. Travis Jones (32-4), Pb, 6-4.
138 -- 1-Sr. Kyle Tino (28-10), Pb, tf. 3-Sr. Skyler Frye (20-5), P, 15-0, 5:41.
145 -- 1-Sr. Elvin Guerrero (29-6), RP, d. 2-Sr. Luke Hardin (11-19), Pb, 5-3.
152 -- 1-Sr. Cody Harrison (32-2), Pb, p. 2-So. Luke Burns (29-4), B. 2:27.
160 -- 2-Sr. Joseph Delia (33-3), NP, d. 1-Jr. Jacob Vega (34-2), C, 9-2.
170 -- 1-Jr. Ki'zuran Casey (31-7), P, p. 3-Sr. Jordan Malanga (22-10), S, 3:43.
182 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Wicks (23-13), Pb, d. 2-Sr. Yusuf Elbayar (26-10), W, 5-0.
195 -- 2-Sr. Austin Roth (30-5), Pb, d. 4-Sr. Andrew Diodato (25-6), S, 5-1.
220 -- 1-So. Gage Horvath (19-17), Pb, d. 2-Jr. Stefane Ruiz (28-10), C, 3-0.
285 -- 1-Sr. Nadeem ElMahroukey (27-10), NP, d. 3-Jr. Richard Herrera (20-10), S, 2-1 OT2.
Outstanding Wrestler Award -- Mark Montgomery, Roselle Park.
Coach of the Year -- William Dodd, Plainfield.
Assistant Coach of the Year -- Rodney Van Ness, Somerville.

Third-place consolations

106 -- 4-Fr. Sean Hunnewell (17-8), B, d. 2-Sr. Xavier Laracuente (26-7), W, 6-3.
113 -- 5-Fr. James Day (27-11), Pb, d. 3-So. Alexis Irizarry (23-13), W, 8-1.
120 -- 2-So. Nick Chabrak (22-9), S, md. 4-Jr. James Kessler (19-14), B, 16-7.
126 -- 4-Fr. Jaimen Bryant (22-10), S, d. 3-Sr. Johnny Cruz (29-8), P, 8-5.
132 -- 3-Sr. Will Kauffman (20-14), B, md. 4-Sr. Wilson Carrillo (23-15), P, 8-0.
138 -- 4-So. Patrick Nevins (23-9), SC, forfeit, 2-Sr. Jaden Catalano (18-7), W.
145 -- 4-Sr. Shaeed Greene (29-8), P, d. 3-Sr. Joseph Brucato (20-8), W, 11-6.
152 -- 4-Sr. Brendan Aldrich (19-7), S, p. 3-Sr. Justin D'Angelo-James (25-8), SC, 5:32.
160 -- 3-Sr. McRae Nkellefack (30-8), P, d. 5-Sr. TJ Abode (20-14), Pb, 5-3.
170 -- 2-Sr. Sergio Cespedes (24-8), W, md. 4-Fr. David Pierson (15-19), Pb, 9-1.
182 -- 3-Jr. Jonathan Estivene (17-16), RP, d. 4-Sr. Eswin Orellana (13-14), P, 7-5.
195 -- 1-Sr. Jackson Burns (27-8), B, p. 3-Sr. Jack Hedges (17-12), SC, 2:32.
220 -- 3-Sr. Nick Mellusi (17-8), SC, p. 5-So. Emmanuel Sutton (18-18), P, :23.
285 -- 2-Jr. Cody Cruts (13-20), Pb, d. 4-Jr. Steven Gordon (15-19), P, 4-2.

Semifinals

106 -- 1-So. Logan Maczko (28-9), Pb, p. 4-Fr. Sean Hunnewell (16-8), B, 3:00; 3-Jr. Tanner Donato (26-6), S, p. 2-Sr. Xavier Laracuente (26-6), W, 1:45.

113 -- 1-Sr. Gabriel Leo (26-6), RP, md. 5-Fr. James Day (26-11), Pb, 17-3; 2-Jr. Justin Villani (27-4), B, p. 3-So. Alexis Irizarry (23-12), W, 2:46.

120 -- 1-Jr. Tylik Epps (26-10), P, md. 4-Jr. James Kessler (19-13), B, 10-2; 6-Fr. Joey Innamorato (13-18), Pb, p. 2-So. Nick Chabrak (21-9), S, 5:39.

126 -- 1-So. Eddie Hummel (30-4), RP, p. 4-Fr. Jaimen Bryant (21-10), S, :39; 2-Sr. Bryce Parenti (24-12), Pb, d. 3-Sr. Johnny Cruz (29-7), P, 7-0.

132 -- 1-Sr. Mark Montgomery (29-2), RP, p. 4-Sr. Wilson Carrillo (23-14), P, :35; 2-Sr. Travis Jones (32-3), Pb, p. 3-Sr. Will Kauffman (19-14), B, 3:45.

138 -- 1-Sr. Kyle Tino (27-10), Pb, p. 4-So. Patrick Nevins (22-9), SC, 1:08; 3-Sr. Skyler Frye (20-4), P, md. 2-Sr. Jaden Catalano (18-7), W, 18-5.

145 -- 1-Sr. Elvin Guerrero (28-6), RP, d. 4-Sr. Shaeed Greene (28-8), P, 11-9 SV; 2-Sr. Luke Hardin (11-18), Pb, d. 3-Sr. Joseph Brucato (20-7), W, 2-1.

152 --  1-Sr. Cody Harrison (31-2), Pb, p. 4-Sr. Brendan Aldrich (18-7), S, 1:05; 2-So. Luke Burns (29-3), B, p. 3-Sr. Justin D'Angelo-James (25-7), SC, 4:24.

160 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Vega (34-1), C, d. 5-Sr. TJ Abode (20-13), Pb, 10-5; 2-Sr. Joseph Delia (32-3), NP, tf. 3-Sr. McRae Nkellefack (29-8), P, 15-0, 4:40.

170 -- 1-Jr. Ki'zuran Casey (30-7), P, md. 4-Fr. David Pierson (15-18), Pb, 14-2; 3-Sr. Jordan Malanga (22-9), S, p. 2-Sr. Sergio Cespedes (23-8), W, 4:12.

182 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Wicks (22-13), Pb, p. 4-Sr. Eswin Orellana (13-13), P, 2:10; 2-Sr. Yusuf Elbayar (26-9), W, d. 3-Jr. Jonathan Estivene (16-16), RP, 5-3.

195 -- 4-Sr. Andrew Diodato (25-5), S, d. 1-Sr. Jackson Burns (26-8), B, 3-1; 2-Sr. Austin Roth (29-5), Pb, p. 3-Sr. Jack Hedges (17-11), SC, :27.

220 -- 1-So. Gage Horvath (18-17), Pb, p. 5-So. Emmanuel Sutton (18-17), P, 3:05; 2-Jr. Stefane Ruiz (28-9), C, d. 3-Sr. Nick Mellusi (16-8), SC, 7-5.

285 -- 1-Sr. Nadeem ElMahroukey (26-10), NP, p. 4-Jr. Steven Gordon (15-18), P, 2:40; 3-Jr. Richard Herrera (20-9), S, d. 2-Jr. Cody Cruts (12-20), Pb, 3-1.

Quarterfinals

106 -- 1-So. Logan Maczko (27-9), Pb, forfeit; 4-Fr. Sean Hunnewell (16-7), B, p. 5-Fr. Issac Salinas (14-21), P, 3:57; 3-Jr. Tanner Donato (25-6), S, p. 6-So. Juan Bolanos (4-9), SC, :49; 2-Sr. Xavier Laracuente (26-5), W, forfeit.

113 -- 1-Sr. Gabriel Leo (25-6), RP, forfeit; 5-Fr. James Day (26-10), Pb, md. 4-So. Evan Wooby (16-13), S, 11-3; 3-So. Alexis Irizarry (23-11), W, p. 6-Fr. Anthony Arias (4-9), P, 4:27; 2-Jr. Justin Villani (26-4), B, forfeit.

120 -- 1-Jr. Tylik Epps (25-10), P, md. 8-So. Danny Luc (12-11), RP, 10-0; 4-Jr. James Kessler (19-12), B, p. 5-So. Jack Wichtendahl (14-20), NP, 4:56; 6-Fr. Joey Innamorato (12-18), Pb, md. 3-So. John Rohe (19-11), SC, 12-2; 2-So. Nick Chabrak (21-8), S, d. Fr. Anthony Zecchino (17-9), W, 9-4.

126 -- 1-So. Eddie Hummel (29-4), RP, p. 8-Fr. Xavier Villalongo (7-20), C, :46; 4-Fr. Jaimen Bryant (21-9), S, injury over 5-Fr. Tyler Austin (16-13), B, :13; 3-Sr. Johnny Cruz (29-6), P, d. 6-Fr. Nicholas Di Lauro (18-15), W, 4-1; 2-Sr. Bryce Parenti (23-12), Pb, p. 7-So. Christopher DiSibio (9-16), SC, :15.

132 -- 1-Sr. Mark Montgomery (28-2), RP, forfeit; 4-Sr. Wilson Carrillo (23-13), P, p. 5-So. Jack See (9-13), S, 5:17; 3-Sr. Will Kauffman (19-13), B, md. 6-So. Julian Santana (13-14), C, 9-0; 2-Sr. Travis Jones (31-3), Pb, p. 7-Sr. Dylan Schaffer (4-13), SC, :46.

138 -- 1-Sr. Kyle Tino (26-10), Pb, p. 8-So. Anthony Castellano (3-24), NP, :41; 4-So. Patrick Nevins (22-8), SC, d. 5-Sr. Drew Graves (15-14), RP, 13-7; 3-Sr. Skyler Frye (19-4), P, p. 6-Fr. Thomas Coghan (9-19), C, 1:08; 2-Sr. Jaden Catalano (18-6), W, d. 7-Sr. Jayson Rosales (6-8), S, 7-0.

145 -- 1-Sr. Elvin Guerrero (27-6), RP, p. 8-So. Trey Richardson (10-4), SC, :38; 4-Sr. Shaeed Greene (28-7), P, md. 5-Fr. Kenny Coghan (23-13), C, 19-6; 3-Sr. Joseph Brucato (20-6), W, p. 6-Jr. Tyler Diamond (8-15), B, 1:33; 2-Sr. Luke Hardin (10-18), Pb, tf. 7-Jr. Wellington Ardila (10-16), S, 16-0, 5:05.

152 --  1-Sr. Cody Harrison (30-2), Pb, p. 8-Fr. Aedan Bautista (3-12), C, :28; 4-Sr. Brendan Aldrich (18-6), S, p. 5-So. Tyler Job (5-13), W, :48; 3-Sr. Justin D'Angelo-James (25-6), SC, p. 6-So. Gabriel Elliot (2-3), P, 1:05; 2-So. Luke Burns (28-3), B, p. 7-Sr. Sebastian Rodriguez (2-8), RP, 3:22.

160 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Vega (33-1), C, tf. 8-Fr. Kevin Simpson (3-17), S, 15-0, 1:59; 5-Sr. TJ Abode (20-12), Pb, p. 4-Sr. Drew Mastronardi (25-8), B, :35; 3-Sr. McRae Nkellefack (29-7), P, d. 6-Sr. Patrick Gergich (15-16), RP, 5-2; 2-Sr. Joseph Delia (31-3), NP, p. 7-Sr. Dante Hauer (3-9), SC, 1:05.

170 -- 1-Jr. Ki'zuran Casey (29-7), P, forfeit; 4-Fr. David Pierson (15-17), Pb, p. 5-Sr. Patrick Chisholm (14-11), B, 3:56; 3-Sr. Jordan Malanga (21-9), S, p. 6-Sr. Omar Elshamy (15-16), NP, 3:20; 2-Sr. Sergio Cespedes (23-7), W, p. 7-Sr. Landon Dixon (13-17), SC, 2:39.

182 -- 1-Jr. Jacob Wicks (21-13), Pb, p. 8-Fr. Brandon Mora (5-7), NP, :19; 4-Sr. Eswin Orellana (13-12), P, p. 5-So. Gerard Zukowitz (13-11), S, 4:23; 3-Jr. Jonathan Estivene (16-15), RP, p. 6-Jr. Colin Walsh (4-23), B, 2:56; 2-Sr. Yusuf Elbayar (25-9), W, p. 7-So. Diego Toral (7-20), C, 1:00.

195 -- 1-Sr. Jackson Burns (26-7), B, forfeit; 4-Sr. Andrew Diodato (24-5), S, p. 5-Sr. Johnny Vasquez (16-15), P, 3:50; 3-Sr. Jack Hedges (17-10), SC, forfeit; 2-Sr. Austin Roth (28-5), Pb, forfeit.

220 -- 1-So. Gage Horvath (17-17), Pb, p. 8-Jr. Youssof Osman (0-14), B, 1:12; 5-So. Emmanuel Sutton (18-16), P, p. 4-So. Charlie Palmer (12-19), NP, 3:57; 3-Sr. Nick Mellusi (16-7), SC, d. 6-So. Alex Blomquist (7-19), S, 5-1; 2-Jr. Stefane Ruiz (27-9), C, d. 7-Sr. Christopher Costales (4-13), W, 5-1.

285 -- 1-Sr. Nadeem ElMahroukey (25-10), NP, forfeit; 4-Jr. Steven Gordon (15-17), P, p. 5-Jr. Immanuel Rivera (12-11), W, 1:58; 3-Jr. Richard Herrera (19-9), S, p. 6-Sr. Isaiah Rodriguez (17-13), C, 1:47; 2-Jr. Cody Cruts (12-19), Pb, p. 7-Fr. Brice Kuate (1-16), B, :34.

Preliminaries

138 -- 8-So. Anthony Castellano (3-23), NP, md. 9-So. Christian Arbo (1-5), B, 12-3.
145 -- 8-So. Trey Richardson (10-3), SC, md. 9-So. Gavin Trippichio (3-18), NP, 9-0.
152 -- 8-Fr. Aedan Bautista (3-11), C, p. 9-Jr. Christopher Robertson (1-15), NP, :36.

Wrestling: District schedules for HWS schools

District 1

At Fair Lawn High School

Area teams: High Point.

Rest of the field: Demarest, Hawthorne, Fair Lawn, Mahwah, Pequannock, St. Joseph-Montvale, Ridgewood, Westwood.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals, 10 a.m.; semifinals, 1 p.m.; third-place consolations, 3:30 p.m.; championship finals to follow.

District 2

At Ramapo High School

Area teams: Newton, North Warren, Pope John, Wallkill Valley.

Rest of the field: Glen Rock, Indian Hills, Northern Highlands, Ramapo, Ramsey, River Dell.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals, 9:30 a.m.; semifinals, third-place consolations and championship finals to follow.

Ticket prices: $12 adults, $6 students/seniors (all-sessions pass). $5 adults, $3 students/seniors (finals only).

District 3

At Kittatinny Regional High School

Area teams: Kittatinny, Vernon.

Rest of the field: Dumont, Kinnelon, Manchester Regional, Old Tappan, Pascack Hills, Passaic Tech, Pompton Lakes, Wayne Hills.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals, 9 a.m.; semifinals, third-place consolations and championship finals to follow.

Ticket prices: $12 adults, $6 students/seniors (all-sessions pass). $5 adults, $3 students/seniors (finals only).

District 4

At Pascack Valley High School

Area teams: Sparta.

Rest of the field: Butler, Cresskill, Don Bosco Prep, Lakeland, New Milford, Pascack Valley, Tenafly, Waldwick-Midland Park, West Milford.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals, 9:30 a.m.; semifinals, noon.; third-place consolations (two mats), 3 p.m.; championship finals to follow (one mat).

District 8

At Lenape Valley Regional High School

Area teams: Hopatcong, Lenape Valley.

Rest of the field: Jefferson, Morris Hills, Mountain Lakes, Paramus Catholic, Parsippany, Parsippany Hills, Passaic Valley, Saddle Brook.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals (two mats), 10 a.m.; semifinals, 12:30 p.m.; third-place consolations and championship finals to follow.

Ticket prices: $10 adults, $5 students/seniors (all-sessions pass).

District 11

At Morristown High School

Area teams: Hackettstown.

Rest of the field: Caldwell, East Orange, Kearny, Mendham, Montclair, Morris Catholic, Morristown, Whippany Park, Wood-Ridge.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals, 10 a.m.; semifinals, noon; third-place consolations, 3 p.m.; championship finals to follow.

District 12

At Becton Regional High School

Area teams: Belvidere, Warren Hills.

Rest of the field: Barringer, Becton, Madison, Newark East Side, Rutherford, Union City, West Morris, West Orange.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals, 10 a.m.; semifinals, 1 p.m.; third-place consolations, 3 p.m.; championship finals, 5 p.m.

District 13

At Phillipsburg High School

Area teams: Phillipsburg.

P'burg eyes its 46th district team championship.

Rest of the field: Bernards, Carteret, New Providence, Plainfield, Roselle Park, Somerville, Summit-Chatham, Woodbridge.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals (three mats), 9:30 a.m., followed by semifinals (two mats); third-place consolations (two mats), 3 p.m.; championship finals (one mat), 4:30 p.m.

Ticket prices: $13 adults, $9 students/seniors (all-sessions pass). $5 adults, $3 students/seniors (finals only). Presale will be held on Thursday in the athletic office from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

District 14

At Millburn High School

Area teams: Voorhees.

Rest of the field: Bayonne, Bridgewater-Raritan, Cranford, Johnson, Metuchen, Millburn, St. Joseph-Metuchen, Union, Westfield.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals, 9:30 a.m.; semifinals, noon, third-place consolations, 3:30 p.m., championship finals, 5 p.m.

Ticket prices: $13 adults, $8 students/seniors (all-sessions pass). $5 adults, $3 students/seniors (per session).

District 18

At Hillsborough High School

Area teams: Hunterdon Central.

Rest of the field: Edison, Hillsborough, Holmdel, Pingry, Piscataway, Rumson-Fair Haven, Rutgers Prep, South River, West Windsor South.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals (three mats), 9 a.m.; semifinals (two mats), 11 a.m.; third-place consolations and championship finals (two mats by weight class), 1 p.m.

District 19

At Delaware Valley Regional High School

Area teams: Delaware Valley.

Rest of the field: Hopewell Valley, Manville, Marlboro, Matawan, Middletown South, Monmouth, Perth Amboy, Spotswood, West Windsor North.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals (two mats), 10 a.m.; semifinals, 1 p.m.; third-place consolations and championship finals (side by side), 3:15 p.m.

Ticket prices: $15 adults, $9 students/seniors (all-sessions pass). $5 adults, $3 students/seniors (per session).

District 20

At Red Bank Regional High School

Area teams: North Hunterdon.

Rest of the field: East Brunswick, Highland Park, Manalapan, Keansburg, Keyport-Henry Hudson, New Brunswick, Red Bank Regional, Shore Regional, South Brunswick.

Saturday schedule: Preliminaries and quarterfinals (two mats), 9:30 a.m.; semifinals, 1 p.m.; third-place consolations and championship finals, 3:30 p.m.

Ticket prices: $15 adults, $10 students/seniors (all-sessions pass). $10 adults, $7 students/seniors (session one). $7 adults, $5 students/seniors (consolations and finals).

Wrestling: GPS required on Road to AC (HWS ranks)

It was a tough Sunday in Toms River as the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area was denied a team state championship for the first time since 2010.

The journey to Boardwalk Hall begins on Saturday.

But the road to Atlantic City starts on Saturday as local wrestlers seek individual glory. First up is the "district" tournaments, which are all over the map, literally, as this ridiculous realignment, which began three years ago,is once again a hot-button issue with us traditionalists in these parts and across the Garden State.

Brace for mostly empty gyms and plenty of travel -- Belvidere and Warren Hills will head to District 12, which is held not far from Giants Stadium at Becton Regional High School. Meanwhile, host Phillipsburg will be the only local team in District 13. It's a mess.

"I like the old tradition," said High Point coach John Gardner, who won three district titles for the Wildcats from 1988-90, along with four region championships and a state title at 189 pounds in '90.

But we will keep an eye on several wrestlers who can make program history on Saturday, starting with Phillipsburg senior Cody Harrison and Hunterdon Central senior Jack Bauer, who seek their fourth district titles.

"We told the guys to not let [a 26-20 loss to Kingsway in the Group 4 final] impact the rest of their season," P'burg coach Dave Post said on Sunday. "For 84 days, it was all about team stuff. We still have some individual goals."

Nine others will bid for their third titles -- P'burg senior Travis Jones, Voorhees senior Sam Huff, Warren Hills senior Nick Galka, Kittatinny senior Zach Mafaro, High Point junior Billy Talmadge and Newton senior Wyatt McCarthy, who is looking to become the Braves' first three-time winner since Joel Branham (1977-79). In addition Pope John junior Eddie Ventresca and seniors JoJo Aragona and Robbie Garcia are bidding to join just nine others at their school to win three titles.

Here are the final team rankings:

1. Hunterdon Central (23-2) -- Red Devils secured their 22nd sectional title with a 39-24 win over Manalapan and lost 34-27 to Southern in a very entertaining Group 5 final on Sunday after a 35-25 victory over Watchung Hills in the semifinals. Their only other loss was 51-16 to Paulsboro on Jan. 31. Senior Vincent Romaniello, now 117-32 overall, passed former state runner-up Ken Hall (116-9 from 1991-95) for seventh place on the school's all-time wins list. Central is the highest-ranked area team in the final New Jersey Writers Top 20 poll at No. 7.

Up next: District 18 Tournament at Hillsborough on Saturday.

P'burg will next host the District 13 Tournament.

2. Phillipsburg (18-3) -- Stateliners won their 38th sectional title overall and sixth in a row with a 28-19 win over North Hunterdon and dropped a 26-20 decision to Kingsway in the Group 4 final, snapping the Warren County school's title run at five straight. Senior Travis Jones (30-3) recorded win No. 100 in the loss.Coach Dave Post's team seeks the program's 46th district championship this weekend.

Up next: District 13 Tournament at home on Saturday.

3. Pope John (14-3) -- Lions won consecutive Non-Public North B sectional titles for the first time since their three-peat in 1981-83 with a 36-30 victory over DePaul before a 33-29 loss to Camden Catholic spoiled the Sparta-based school's bid to claim back-to-back state titles for just the second time (1982-83). 

Up next: District 2 Tournament at Ramapo on Saturday.

High Point with the North 1, Group 2 trophy.

4. High Point (16-3) -- Wildcats, now 5-9 all-time in state finals, came up short in their bid for a second straight Group 2 title with a 46-26 loss to South Plainfield after coach John Gardner's team secured the program's Sussex County-record 27th sectional title with a 35-25 win over Newton. Senior state placewinner Brandon LaRue, a two-time district champion with 91 career wins who made a dramatic final appearance in that one, will have season-ending elbow surgery. Senior Devin Flannery (27-6 at 120) is four shy of 100 wins.

Up next: District 1 Tournament at Fair Lawn on Saturday.

5. North Hunterdon (20-3) -- Lions fell short for the second time this season against Phillipsburg in a 28-19 loss in the North 2, Group 4 final, losing two bouts in overtime, as coach Chris Hrunka's team, which had won 10 in a row since a 30-24 loss at home to the Stateliners, was seeking the program's first sectional title since 2015. Senior Connor Robinson got his 91st career win.

Up next: District 20 Tournament at Red Bank on Saturday.

6. Newton (14-7) -- Braves were denied in their bid for the program's third sectional title and first since going back-to-back in 2009-10 with a 35-25 loss to High Point in the North 1, Group 2 final before a packed and raucous crowd in Wantage. Senior aces Wyatt McCarthy (28-2) and Luke Fischer (30-0) will go 145 and 220 in the postseason. Fischer is three wins shy of 100.

Up next: District 2 Tournament at Ramapo on Saturday.

Kittatinny is now 8-4 all-time in state title matches.

7. Kittatinny (17-8) -- Cougars enjoyed a resurgence in recent weeks, scoring a 36-33 win against Emerson-Park Ridge in the North 1, Group 1 final for the program's 22nd sectional title -- all under the legendary John Gill, who confirmed on Sunday that he will be back next season -- his 40th as a head coach. The Sussex County school rallied for a 36-32 win over Shore Regional in the Group 1 semifinals before closing the dual meet season with a 63-3 loss to Paulsboro in the state final.

Up next: District 3 Tournament at home on Saturday.

8. Voorhees (24-6) -- Vikings avenged an earlier loss to Warren Hills with a 32-25 victory in the opening round of the North 2, Group 3 sectional tournament before bowing out with a 41-24 loss to Mendham in the semifinals. Senior Lewis Fernandes (36-0), who seeks his second district title and second state championship at 285, is sitting on 97 career pins, while senior Hunter Rinehart (30-6) is just five shy of joining Fernandes in the school's 100 wins club.

Up next: District 14 Tournament at Millburn on Saturday.

9. Delaware Valley (13-7) -- Terriers captured the program's 18th sectional title overall and first in Group 1 with a 42-17 win over Whippany Park in the North 2 final -- outscoring their opponents by a combined 162-41 in three matches. Coach Andy Fitz's team dropped a tough 61-9 decision to eventual state champion Paulsboro in the Group 1 semifinals, as senior A.J. DeRosa (132) and sophomore Anthony DeRosa (160) were the lone winners.

Up next: District 19 Tournament at home on Saturday.

10. Warren Hills (16-4) -- Blue Streaks came up short in a 32-25 loss to Voorhees in the North 2, Group 3 opener after winning 10 bouts in a 37-19 win over the Vikings on Dec. 19. Coach Dave Sbriscia's team closed out the dual meet season with victories over Sparta (47-27), Verona (51-24) and Hasbrouck Heights (69-7) -- as senior Nick Galka (28-3 at 220) became the eighth member of the school's 100 wins club.

Up next: District 12 Tournament at Becton on Saturday.

Wrestling: Final New Jersey Writers Top 20 Poll

Hunterdon Central started and finished as the highest ranked team among the five Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area representatives in the seventh and final New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20 poll released on Tuesday night.

The seventh-ranked Red Devils (23-2), who won the program's 22nd sectional title, saw their bid for the school's second state championship and first since 1989 end with a 34-27 loss to Southern in the Group 5 final on Sunday in Toms River. Coach Jon Cantagallo-Rohm's team, which earned its third sectional title in the last four seasons, dealt with numerous injuries all season to key wrestlers, including senior Pasquale Vizzoni (back), sophomore Norman Cella (knee) and senior Dan Furmato (shoulder).

Phillipsburg (18-3), which captured the program's 38th sectional title with a 28-19 win over North Hunterdon in North 2, Group 4 final, finishes at No. 10, following a 26-20 loss to No. 9 Kingsway in the Group 4 final -- denying the Stateliners a 23rd state championship and snapping their title run at five in a row.

Pope John (14-3), ranked No. 11, captured back-to-back Non-Public North B titles with a 36-30 win over DePaul, but coach Mark Piotrowsky's Lions were denied in their bid for consecutive state titles with a 33-29 loss to No. 8 Camden Catholic in the Non-Public B final on Sunday.

High Point (16-3), the NJAC Freedom Division champion, won its Sussex County-record 27th sectional championship with a 35-25 victory over Newton in the North 1, Group 2 final before dropping a 46-26 decision to South Plainfield in the Group 2 state final as the 'Cats were seeking back-to-back titles. Senior state placewinner Brandon LaRue (14-2), who made a dramatic return against Newton with a win at 145 pounds on Friday, will undergo season-ending surgery on his fractured right elbow. He finishes his career at 91-17.

North Hunterdon (20-3) saw its 10-match winning streak snapped with a 28-19 loss to P'burg in the North 2, Group 4 sectional final as coach Chris Hrunka's Lions were looking to avenge a 30-24 loss to the Stateliners at home on Jan. 16. North dropped two crucial bouts in overtime in the rematch as it was seeking the program's first title since 2015.

Bergen Catholic (14-2), the consensus No. 1 all season, rolled to its eighth consecutive title in Non-Public A.

Note: Records are through Monday's matches.

Rank	School	Record	Previous
1	Bergen Catholic (12)	(14-2)	1
2	Paulsboro	(23-1)	2
3	South Plainfield	(25-2)	5
4	Southern	(20-4)	8
5	Delbarton	(14-3)	6
6	Howell	(24-1)	3
7	Hunterdon Central	(23-2)	4
8	Camden Catholic	(21-2)	7
9	Kingsway	(17-8)	19
10	Phillipsburg	(18-3)	9
11	Pope John	(14-3)	10
12	High Point	(16-3)	11
13	St. Joseph-Montvale	(13-4)	13
14	North Hunterdon	(20-3)	12
15	St. Augustine Prep	(16-5)	14
16	St. Peter's Prep	(20-5)	15
17	West Essex	(19-4)	NR
18	Hanover Park	(13-7)	NR
19	Watchung Hills	(15-2)	18
20	Toms River North	(20-4)	NR

Also receiving votes: Jackson Memorial (16-5); DePaul (11-5); Seton Hall Prep (12-4); Don Bosco Prep (7-4).

NJWWA voting members listed in alphabetical order: Donald J. Brower (gardenstatehswrestling.com); Frank D’Esposito (theshoreconference.com; Steven Falk (Asbury Park Press and APP.com); Sean Farrell (The Record of Hackensack and NorthJersey.com); Jane Havsy (Daily Record and DailyRecord.com); “Screwy” Louie Lazzari (New Jersey wrestling historian); John Lewis (Burlington County Times and phillyburbs.com); Ron Mazzola (NJWWA president and Region V ranking chairman); Tom McGurk (Courier Post of Cherry Hill); Andy Mendlowitz (Courier News and MyCentralJersey.com); Greg Tufaro (Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com); Michael Weilamann (Open Mike).