Wrestling: Fernandes, Ungar lead Hunterdon charge

ATLANTIC CITY -- Hunterdon Central sophomore Brett Ungar and Voorhees senior Lewis Fernandes are making it look easy as they continue their state title quests.

They were among five wrestlers from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area to win their semifinal matchups in the 86th State Wrestling Championships on Friday night at Boardwalk Hall. The tournament concludes on Saturday with consolation semifinals at 10 a.m., followed by the medal rounds for third, fifth and seventh places and girls consolation semifinals with medal rounds and championships to follow. The boys championship finals for all 14 weight classes will be approximately 3:30 p.m.

Ungar kept rolling along with a dominating performance in the semifinals -- 10-2 over St. Joseph-Montvale freshman Joe Manno -- to become Hunterdon Central's 41st finalist and first since three-time runner-up Gary Dinsmore (2012-14). Ungar (41-0), who placed sixth at 106 last season, will square off against Middletown North junior Tyler Klinsky in the finals.

Lewis Fernandes (top left) eyes a second straight title.

"It feels great. I knew I could do it," said Ungar, who is looking to become the school's 13th champ and first since Alex Shaffer (2010). "But I'm not done yet, I still have one match [on Saturday]."

Fernandes continued his impressive run toward school history as he decked Mount Olive senior Jayvon Davidson with a half nelson in 2:36 to reach his second straight final at 285. Fernandes (46-0), who had a 55-second fall in the quarters, is looking to become Voorhees' first two-time state champ.

"I feel like I'm 10 times better [than last season]," said Fernandes, who is just the third Viking to appear in two state finals -- joining Glenn Hall (1981-82) and Jadaen Bernstein (2011 and '13).

"I put a lot of offseason work in. Everything is a lot smoother and I'm stronger and it's easier controlling the bigger guys. I was like 215 [pounds] last year and I'm 240 now."

In all, 16 area wrestlers will take home medals, including Newton senior Wyatt McCarthy (145) and Phillipsburg senior Cody Harrison (152), who lost their semifinal matchups. Region 2 led the way with 14 in the semifinals and 10 in the finals, with Region 7 having nine in the semis and four in the championship round, along with Region 1.

All the right moves

Ungar broke things open against Manno with three back points off a tilt in the second period, just as he did in a 5-1 win in the Friday morning quarters over Toms River North senior Louis Gagliardo.

"That was huge," said Ungar, who is 82-2 overall. "I was able to turn [Manno] with that roll-through tilt which always gets points for me. I feel great. I'll be ready to go [for the finals]."

Fernandes, who entered as the biggest title favorite in the tournament, said he isn't feeling any pressure to repeat.

"I'm really not worried about it. If any of these kids put more work in than I did this summer, they deserve to be a higher status," said Fernandes, who improved to 152-22 overall and moved past Delaware Valley's Mike Pongracz (148-16 from 2009-13) for second place on the county's all-time wins list on Thursday. North Hunterdon's Ryan Pomrinca (155-13 from 2011-15) is the leader.

Girl power

Phillipsburg junior Jewel Gonzalez made history of her own as the Warren County school's first female state finalist in the inaugural Girls State Wrestling Chamipionships. Gonzalez, who is the top seed at 161 pounds, decked High Point senior Bri Simsic in 1:02.

High Point junior Randi Miley, the No. 1 seed at 105, became her school's first finalist by pinning Trenton Central's Johnae Drumright in 3:09, while Kittatinny's Kiera Hubmaster, the title favorite at 235, made it three area girls finalists by pinning Pennsauken's Sarah Mireles in 3:02.

 

GIRLS SEMIFINALS

100: Sydney Petzinger (Parsippany) p. Anmarie Lebron (Pennsauken), 2:57; Jasmine Aizley (Allentown) d. Alisa Safforld (Belleville), 8-7.

105: Randi Miley (High Point) p. Johnae Drumright (Trenton Central), 3:09; Chloë Ayres (Princeton) md. Isabel Saire (Rahway), 14-6.

111: Daniela Tacuri (West Orange) d. Najee Cuevas (Elizabeth), 19-13; Bella Serrano (Manasquan) md. Katy Ayala (New Brunswick), 15-5.

118: Cristine Gavasheli (Raritan) p. Devon Kueny (Ewing), 1:52; Angelina Romero (Notre Dame) p. Sheridan Torres (Red Bank Regional), 2:36.

127: Stephanie Andrade (Hunterdon Central) d. Angelina Vitola (Manalapan), 7-1; Kayla Gregory (Jackson Memorial) p. Madison Trotman (Rancocas Valley), 4:23.

136: Jaala Williams (Montclair) p. Veronica Whitacre (Monroe Township), 5:13; Jesse Johnson (Manalapan) p. America Garay (Manasquan), 2:18.

147: Amanda Pace (North Bergen) p. Olivia Heyer (Kingsway), 3:30; Gabby Miller (Monroe Township) md. Paige Colucci (Williamstown), 13-3.

161: Jewel Gonzalez (Phillipsburg) p. Bri Simic (High Point), 1:02; Diane Johnson (Millville) md, Katherine Bott (Kingsway), 12-3.

185: Erin Emery (Teaneck) p. Maria Taseva (Elmwood Park), 2:37; Mia Lazaurs (Raritan) d. Kerly Borbor (New Brunswick), 7-1.

235: Kiera Hubmaster (Kittatinny) p. Sarah Mireles (Pennsauken), 3:02; Kaila Mungo (Rancocas Valley) p. Joelle Klein (Lower Cape May), 7:00.

GIRLS QUARTERFINALS

100: Anmarie Lebron (Pennsauken) p. Breanna Cervantes (Secaucus), 3:06; Alisa Safforld (Belleville) p. Quanizja Legagneur (Asbury Park), 2:44.

105: Johnae Drumright (Trenton Central) p. Shannon Gulick (Hackettstown), 2:27; Isabel Saire (Rahway) p. Julia Manolas (Manalapan), 3:56.

111: Najee Cuevas (Elizabeth) p. Mia Bruno (Kingsway), 1:49; Katy Ayala (New Brunswick) p. Rebecca Brown (Kingsway), 2:56.

118: Devon Kueny (Ewing) p.  Casandra Auletta (Raritan), 2:36; Sheridan Torres (Red Bank Regional) p. Alexandra Johnson (Toms River South), 0:55.

127: Angelina Vitola (Manalapan) d. Natalie Vega (Elmwood Park), 7-5; Madison Trotman (Rancocas Valley) d. Melanie Sancho (Hunterdon Central), 2-1.

136: Jaala Williams (Montclair) d.  Emma Matera (Delran), 5-3, sudden victory; Jesse Johnson (Manalapan) d. Hailey Budney (Parsippany), 2-0.

147:  Olivia Heyer (Kingsway) d. Sarah Ilori (Union), 7-1, tiebreaker; Gabby Miller (Monroe Township) d. Brandi Rado (Jackson Memorial), 5-1.

161: Bri Simic (High Point) p. Madison Pesavage (Jackson Memorial), 2:32; Katherine Bott (Kingsway) d. Donna Walker (New Brunswick), 5-4, tiebreaker.

185: Maria Taseva (Elmwood Park) p. Jordyn Katz (Jackson Memorial), 1:11; Kerly Borbor (New Brunswick) d. Sandra Guerrero (West Orange), 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker.

235:  Sarah Mireles (Pennsauken) p. Elin Santos (Bergenfield), 2:22; Kaila Mungo (Rancocas Valley) md. Elise Harrison (Dwight Morrow), 10-2.

BOYS FIFTH-ROUND WRESTLEBACKS

106:  Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco) d. Louie Gagliardo (Toms River North), 6-3; Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic) d. Shane Percelay (Pope John XXIII), 7-4.

113:  Quinn Melofchik (Belvidere) d. Brandon Spellman (Pingry), 4-3;  Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic) d. Alex Almeyda (Fort Lee), 1-0.

120: McKenzie Bell (Kingsway) md. Vincent Scollo (Jackson Memorial), 8-0; Devin Flannery (High Point) d. Spencer Stewart (Sparta), 5-4.

126: Nicky Cabanillas (DePaul) d. Dom DiGena (West Morris Mendham), 6-3; Eddie Hummel (Roselle Park) d. Gianni Manginelli (Dumont), 5-1.

132: Cooper Pontelandolfo (Cherokee) d. Christian Vertedor (Passaic County Tech), 3-1; Kaya Sement (Pope John XXIII) p. William Grater (Don Bosco), 3:46.

138: Dylan Weaver (Lyndhurst/No. Arlington) p. Anthony Croce (Camden Catholic), 2:43; Billy Talmadge (High Point) d. Tim Spatola (Delsea), 4-3.

145: Joe Sacco (South Plainfield) d. Nick Boggiano (Toms River North), 5-2; Matt Sacco (Bridgewater/Raritan) d. Rhise Royster (Rahway), 3-2.

152: Nick Bennett (Delsea) d. George Worthy (Paulsboro), 2-1; Dante Stefanelli (Delbarton) d. Justin LeMay (West Morris Central), 11-5.

160:  Tony Asatrian (Paramus) md. Colin Morgan (West Orange), 8-0;  Corey Fischer (West Deptford) d. Michael Wilson (North Hunterdon), 5-2.

170: James Cruz (St. Peter`s Prep) d. Garrett Bilgrav (Robbinsville), 10-3;  Ethan Craft (Rancocas Valley) d. Reid Colella (Wayne Valley), 6-1.

182: Zach Mafaro (Kittatinny) p. Mike Misita (St. Augustine Prep), 3:51; Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton) d. Christian Murphy (Howell), 6-3.

195: Luke Chakonis (Delbarton) d. Anthony Franden (Eastern), 3-2; Drew Bowker (Rancocas Valley) d. Kyle Epperly (Jackson Memorial), 7-6.

220: Gage Armijo (West Morris Mendham) d. Luke Fischer (Newton), 6-0;  Benny Dahdah (Westwood) d. Jajuan Hayes (Bordentown/Florence), 7-2.

285: Dean Setticase (Saddle Brook) p. Deshon Alexander (Overbrook), 2:24;  Jervey Sistrunk (Bound Brook) d. Paul Liseno (St. John Vianney), 13-6.

BOYS FOURTH-ROUND WRESTLEBACKS

106: Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco) p. Ryan Defoney (St. Augustine Prep), 1:26; Louie Gagliardo (Toms River North) d. Nico Calello (Watchung Hills), 8-2; Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic)  p. Nicholas Diaz (St. John Vianney), 1:28; Shane Percelay (Pope John XXIII) d. Clayton Utter (High Point), 6-4.

113: Quinn Melofchik (Belvidere) d. Cooper Stewart (Sparta), 5-0; Brandon Spellman (Pingry) p. Thomas O`Keefe (Middletown North), 4:13; Alex Almeyda (Fort Lee) md. Ryan Rosenthal (Toms River North), 16-4; Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic) d. Joey Lamparelli (Allentown), 4-2, sudden victory.

120: McKenzie Bell (Kingsway) d. Luke Hoerle (Westfield), 5-2; Vincent Scollo (Jackson Memorial) d. Nicholas Digiacomo (Timber Creek), 5-4; Spencer Stewart (Sparta) d. Nico Messina (Freehold Boro), 7-6; Devin Flannery (High Point) d. Anthony White (South Plainfield), 7-1.

126: Nicky Cabanillas (DePaul) 34-7 md. Dakota Morris (Kingsway), 12-4; Dom DiGena (West Morris Mendham) d. Sean Rendeiro (St. Peter`s Prep), 3-2; Gianni Manginelli (Dumont) d. Geno Duca (Paulsboro), 8-3; Eddie Hummel (Roselle Park) d. Hunter Gandy (Woodstown), 3-2.

132: Christian Vertedor (Passaic County Tech) d. Travis Jones (Phillipsburg), 7-5, sudden victory; Cooper Pontelandolfo (Cherokee) d. Michael O`Brien (Edison), 7-0; Kaya Sement (Pope John XXIII) d. Hunter Gutierrez (Lacey), 3-2; William Grater (Don Bosco) 28-9 d. Bryan Miraglia (Delran), 6-0.

138: Anthony Croce (Camden Catholic) d. Andrew Troczynski (Delbarton), 1-0; Dylan Weaver (Lyndhurst/No. Arlington) p. Max Brignola (Rumson-Fair Haven), 4:00; Tim Spatola (Delsea) d. Darby Diedrich (Howell), 5-3, sudden victory; Billy Talmadge (High Point) d. Craig Manno (St. Joe-Montvale), 3-2, tiebreaker.

145: Joe Sacco (South Plainfield) p. Alex Winant (West Morris Mendham), 3:40; Nick Boggiano (Toms River North) d. Gabe Onorato (Paulsboro), 3-0; Rhise Royster (Rahway) d. Stefano Sgambellone (St. Joe-Montvale), 3-1, sudden victory; Matt Sacco (Bridgewater/Raritan) d. Nicholas Pepe (Southern Regional), 3-2.

152: George Worthy (Paulsboro) d. Connor Kraus (St. Augustine Prep), 7-6; Nick Bennett (Delsea) d. AJ Bencivenga (Cranford), 9-6; Justin LeMay (West Morris Central) d. Matt Beyer (Pascack Valley), 11-8; Dante Stefanelli (Delbarton) tf. Paul Santomarco (Manalapan), 15-0, 4:28.

160: Colin Morgan (West Orange) md. Brian Soldano (High Point), 17-8; Tony Asatrian (Paramus) p. Evan Vazquez (Roxbury), 0:53; Corey Fischer (West Deptford) d. Justin Leonard (Ramapo), 9-2; Michael Wilson (North Hunterdon) d. Salvatore Manera (St. Augustine Prep), 7-4.

170: James Cruz (St. Peter`s Prep) d. George Burdick (Raritan), 12-6; Garrett Bilgrav (Robbinsville) md. Anthony Giampietro (Northern Burlington), 15-4; Reid Colella (Wayne Valley) d. Shawne Ramsby (Delaware Valley), 7-3; Ethan Craft (Rancocas Valley) d. John Stout (Southern Regional), 4-3.

182: Zach Mafaro (Kittatinny) p. Tommy Chiellini (Pascack Valley), 3:30; Mike Misita (St. Augustine Prep) d. David Szuba (Brick Memorial), 8-6; Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton) p. Tim Miller (Westfield), 3:54; Christian Murphy (Howell) d. Alex Garcia (Montville), 5-3.

195: Luke Chakonis (Delbarton) tf. Zane Coles (Pitman), 15-0, 5:11; Anthony Franden (Eastern) md. Austin Paris (Livingston), 10-1; Drew Bowker (Rancocas Valley) d. Austin Roth (Phillipsburg), 4-1; Kyle Epperly (Jackson Memorial) d. Joe Daddario (Montville), 6-3.

220: Luke Fischer (Newton) d. Nick Trani (Wayne Valley), 1-0; Gage Armijo (West Morris Mendham) p. Nicolas Galka (Warren Hills), 1:49; Benny Dahdah (Westwood) p. Tyreke Brown (Penns Grove), 4:54; Jajuan Hayes (Bordentown/Florence) d. Steven Cmielewski (Red Bank Catholic), 3-2.

285: Dean Setticase (Saddle Brook) p. Kevin Cerruti (Long Branch), 3:30; Deshon Alexander (Overbrook) p. Joseph Teresi (Ocean Twp.), 4:30; Jervey Sistrunk (Bound Brook) d. Max Sullivan (Cherry Hill West), 3-2; Paul Liseno (St. John Vianney) p. Jonathan Alvarado (Don Bosco), 2:00.

Wrestling: Garcia makes PJ 3-for-3 in state semis

ATLANTIC CITY -- Pope John senior Robbie Garcia has endured his share of ups-and-downs the past two seasons, but you wouldn't know it by the big smile he sported after the biggest win of his high school career.

Garcia pinned Camden Catholic junior Brandon Mooney in 1:37 at 152 pounds, as the Lions went 3-for-3 in the semifinal round of the 86th State Wrestling Championships on Friday night at Boardwalk Hall. In all, five from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area will be going for the gold as Hunterdon Central sophomore Brett Ungar (106) and Voorhees ace Lewis Fernandes (285), the reigning heavyweight champion, won their semifinal matchups.

Robbie Garcia celebrates his win. (Anthony Spaulding/PJ)

Joining Garcia in Saturday afternoon's championship finals are junior Eddie Ventresca (120), a first-time finalist, and senior JoJo Aragona (138), a four-time placewinner and Sussex County's all-time wins leader who will make his second title match appearance after a runner-up finish in 2017 -- giving Pope John three state finalists for the first time in program history.

"I just told myself to trust the process," said Garcia, who did not place as a junior after finishing fourth here as a sophomore. "I knew somehow, someway, I'd be all right."

Garcia (22-1), a No. 4 seed, will next face Southern senior Nicholas O'Connell, (40-0), a placewinner two years ago who scored a 4-3 victory over Phillipsburg senior Cody Harrison in the other semifinal. O'Connell, a Cornell recruit and the No. 2 seed, was among the popular choices to win the 152-pound title. Newton senior Wyatt McCarthy (145) also came up short in the semifinals, dropping a 9-5 decision to DePaul senior and returning champion Ricky Cabanillas.

"I didn't pay too much attention to all the predictions and stuff," Garcia said. "I just wanted to do it for me, and make my dad proud, which I believe I did, and make myself proud."

It was a slow process back for Garcia after he sustained an early-season injury at the Beast of the East in December, but he's looked to be in top form in the postseason -- winning his third district title and a second Region 1 title last weekend. As a sophomore, he captured his first state medal and appeared to be on track for a few more, but after a loss in the quarterfinals, he came up a round short of another as a junior with a 6-1 loss to Bergen Catholic's Wade Unger in the fourth round of wrestlebacks.

"Nothing in life is guaranteed," Garcia said. "This is an awesome opportunity, and I'm having a nice little run. I'm in the moment right now. No matter what, I'm thankful for my blessings."

History in the making

Aragona (41-0), who has placed third twice along with his second-place finish two years ago, made history with a 6-1 win over Princeton senior Alec Bobchin, as Aragona improved to 157-6 overall to surpass former High Point great and three-time state champion Nick Francavilla (156-12 from 2007-11) for the county wins mark.

After a scoreless first period, Aragona grabbed a 4-0 lead with a late takedown in the second period, while icing it with another takedown late in the third. He will face Paulsboro junior Jacob Perez-Eli (41-4) for the 138-pound title.

Ventresca (39-1), who declined to comment after an 8-5 win in the semis over Bergen Catholic junior Dylan Cedeno, will try to spoil Delbarton junior Anthony Clark's bid for a third straight state title.

Consolation rounds

Sussex County led the way in the wrestlebacks on Friday with seven wrestlers earning medals, as the area will have 16 overall, including the seven semifinalists. Pope John's Shane Percelay (106) and Kaya Sement (132), along with Sparta's Spencer Stewart (120), High Point's Devin Flannery (120) and Billy Talmadge (138), Kittatinny's Zach Mafaro (182) and Newton's Luke Fischer (220) are all placewinners.

Flannery, Sement, Talmadge and Mafaro are still going for third place, while the others can only finish as high as seventh.

On the Hunterdon-Warren side, Belvidere's Quinn Melofchik (113) and North Hunterdon's Michael Wilson (160) earned medals. Melofchik, who placed seventh last year at 106, can still finish as high as third place, while Wilson will wrestle in the seventh-eighth match on Saturday.

SEMIFINALS

106: Brett Ungar (Hunterdon Central) md.  Joe Manno (St. Joe-Montvale), 10-2; Tyler Klinsky (Middletown North) p.  Jack Maida (Shore Regional), 5:31.

113: Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney) d. Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton), 7-2; Nick Babin (Emerson/Park Ridge) d. Vincent Santaniello (Brick Memorial), 3-2.

120: Anthony Clark (Delbarton) d. Justin Bierdumpfel (St. Joe-Montvale), 5-2; Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII) d. Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic), 8-5.

126: Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic) d. CJ Composto (Westfield), 8-3; Sammy Alvarez (St. Joe-Montvale) d. Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park), 5-1.

132: Nicholas Raimo (Hanover Park) d. Mark Montgomery (Roselle Park), 8-6; Luke Mazzeo (Emerson/Park Ridge) d. Andrew Clark (Collingswood), 5-2.

138: Joseph Aragona (Pope John XXIII) d. Alec Bobchin (Princeton), 6-1; Jacob Perez-Eli (Paulsboro) d. Alex Strashinsky (Bergen Catholic), 5-2.

145: Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul) d. Wyatt McCarthy (Newton), 9-5; Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic) d. Wade Unger (Bergen Catholic), 6-4, sudden victory.

152: Robert Garcia (Pope John XXIII) p. Brandon Mooney (Camden Catholic), 1:38; Nicholas O`Connell (Southern Regional) d. Cody Harrison (Phillipsburg), 4-3.

160: Robert Kanniard (Wall) md. Matt Benedetti (Manalapan), 16-6; Connor O`Neil (DePaul) p. Vincent Andreano (Delbarton), 2:41.

170: Shane Reitsma (Howell) d. AJ Lonski (Delbarton), 5-2; Brandon Green (Paulsboro) md. Martin Cosgrove (Camden Catholic), 10-2.

182: Christopher Foca (Bergen Catholic) d. Santino Morina (Paulsboro), 13-6; John Poznanski (Colonia) d. Nick Addison (Rumson-Fair Haven), 5-2.

195: Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic) tf. Luke Niemeyer (South Plainfield), 16-0, 2:08; Kyle Jacob (Paramus) d. Jacob Anderson (Middletown North), 3-0.

220: Zach DelVecchio (South Plainfield) d. Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter`s Prep), 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker; Michael Filieri (Garfield) d. P.J. Casale (Delbarton), 4-3.

285: Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees) p. Jayvon Davidson (Mount Olive), 2:36; Bardhyl Gashi (West Essex) d. Marcus Estevez (Franklin), 5-3.

QUARTERFINALS

106: Brett Ungar (Hunterdon Central) d. Louie Gagliardo (Toms River North), 5-1; Joe Manno (St. Joe-Montvale) p. Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco), 5:57; Jack Maida (Shore Regional) d. Shane Percelay (Pope John XXIII), 6-2; Tyler Klinsky (Middletown North) d. Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic), 5-3.

113: Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney) md. Brandon Spellman (Pingry), 12-1; Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton) d. Quinn Melofchik (Belvidere), 4-3; Vincent Santaniello (Brick Memorial) d. Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic), 3-2; Nick Babin (Emerson/Park Ridge) d. Alex Almeyda (Fort Lee), 3-0.

120: Anthony Clark (Delbarton) d. Vincent Scollo (Jackson Memorial), 3-0; Justin Bierdumpfel (St. Joe-Montvale) md. McKenzie Bell (Kingsway), 9-1; Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic) d. Anthony White (South Plainfield), 10-4; Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII) md. Nico Messina (Freehold Boro), 12-0.

126: Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic) d. Dom DiGena (West Morris Mendham), 7-1; CJ Composto (Westfield) d. Nicky Cabanillas (DePaul), 10-6; Sammy Alvarez (St. Joe-Montvale) p.  Hunter Gandy (Woodstown), 0:48; Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park d. Gianni Manginelli (Dumont), 6-1.

132: Nicholas Raimo (Hanover Park) d. Cooper Pontelandolfo (Cherokee), 9-2; Mark Montgomery (Roselle Park) d. Travis Jones (Phillipsburg), 10-4; Luke Mazzeo (Emerson/Park Ridge) d. William Grater (Don Bosco), 3-1; Andrew Clark (Collingswood) d. Hunter Gutierrez (Lacey), 5-3.

145: Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul) md. Gabe Onorato (Paulsboro), 10-0; Wyatt McCarthy (Newton) d. Joe Sacco (South Plainfield), 3-2; Wade Unger (Bergen Catholic) d. Matt Sacco (Bridgewater/Raritan), 7-3; Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic) md. Rhise Royster (Rahway), 14-5.

152: Brandon Mooney (Camden Catholic) d. Nick Bennett (Delsea), 6-2, sudden victory; Robert Garcia (Pope John XXIII) p. George Worthy (Paulsboro), 3:59; Cody Harrison (Phillipsburg) d. Dante Stefanelli (Delbarton), 9-7, tiebreaker; Nicholas O`Connell (Southern Regional) d. Justin LeMay (West Morris Central), 9-3.

160: Robert Kanniard (Wall) d. Tony Asatrian (Paramus), 11-4; Matt Benedetti (Manalapan) d. Colin Morgan (West Orange), 8-3; Connor O`Neil (DePaul) md. Michael Wilson (North Hunterdon), 11-3; Vincent Andreano (Delbarton) d. Corey Fischer (West Deptford), 5-4.

170: Shane Reitsma (Howell) d. Anthony Giampietro (Northern Burlington), 14-9; AJ Lonski (Delbarton) d. George Burdick (Raritan), 9-4; Martin Cosgrove (Camden Catholic) d. John Stout (Southern Regional), 5-1, sudden victory; Brandon Green (Paulsboro) p. Reid Colella (Wayne Valley), 1:58.

182: Christopher Foca (Bergen Catholic) p. Mike Misita (St. Augustine Prep), 1:32; Santino Morina (Paulsboro) d. Tommy Chiellini (Pascack Valley), 5-1; Nick Addison (Rumson-Fair Haven) p. Alex Garcia (Montville), 3:43; John Poznanski (Colonia) d. Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton), 8-4.

195: Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic) md. Anthony Franden (Eastern), 17-5; Luke Niemeyer (South Plainfield) d. Luke Chakonis (Delbarton), 5-3, sudden victory; Jacob Anderson (Middletown North) d. Joe Daddario (Montville), 4-3; Kyle Jacob (Paramus) d. Drew Bowker (Rancocas Valley), 6-0.

220: Zach DelVecchio (South Plainfield) d. Gage Armijo (West Morris Mendham), 5-3; Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter`s Prep) d. Luke Fischer (Newton), 3-2; Michael Filieri (Garfield) d. Steven Cmielewski (Red Bank Catholic), 6-3; P.J. Casale (Delbarton) p. Tyreke Brown (Penns Grove), 2:40.

285: Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees) p. Joseph Teresi (Ocean Twp.), 0:55; Jayvon Davidson (Mount Olive) d. Kevin Cerruti (Long Branch), 5-2; Marcus Estevez (Franklin) d. Paul Liseno (St. John Vianney), 6-4; Bardhyl Gashi (West Essex) d. Jervey Sistrunk (Bound Brook), 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker.

Wrestling: Jones wins thriller; Ungar rolls in AC

ATLANTIC CITY -- Phillipsburg senior Travis Jones executed a pretty good game plan of his own to advance in the pre-quarterfinal round at 132 pounds on Thursday night.

Jones, who racked up three takedowns in all, took Pope John junior Kaya Sement to his back on the third for a stunning pin in 5:45 to avenge an earlier loss this season. In all, 13 wrestlers from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area advanced to Friday's quarterfinals in the 86th State Championships at Boardwalk Hall. After going 31-19 in the opening round, the locals went just 13-18 in the pre-quarterfinals.

"That was a rough loss," said Jones (37-5), who dropped a 10-6 decision to Sement in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament finals on Jan. 12. "I got taken down four times on the same shot. This time, I kept that [right] leg back and he couldn't get to that shot. I have to credit [assistant] coach [Brad] Gentzle for working with me on the neutral game."

Phillipsburg has two in the quarters as senior Cody Harrison, one of the title hopefuls at 152 pounds advanced with a 3-1 win in sudden-victory overtime against Emerson-Park Ridge senior Jonah Schechtman. Fellow Stateliners Logan Maczko (106), Kyle Tino (138) and Austin Roth (195) fell into the wrestlebacks, which begin at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Jones, who finished seventh at 126 pounds here as a junior, opened with a 16-5 major of Edison senior Michael O'Brien in the preliminary round. Now, Jones, the No. 12 seed is one round from placing again as semifinalists are guaranteed a top-six finish. He'll face another familiar opponent in Roselle Park senior Mark Montgomery, the No. 4 seed who won their two previous meetings in the District 13 and Region 4 finals -- 6-4 and 12-5.

"I know [Sement] probably had a game plan [the first time we met this season] after I beat him last year [pin in 5:07 in the HWS finals]," said Jones, now 107-26 overall. "We just had a better game plan this time."

Jones led, 3-2, after trading takedowns in the first period and opted to defer in the second. Sement opted to go underneath and got a reversal and a takedown for a 6-4 lead after two periods. In the third, Sement cut Jones to start the period and gave up another takedown before getting a second reversal to take an 8-7 lead. But Jones escaped with 1:15 to go and hit the winning move with 20 seconds left on the clock -- eventually getting the pin and setting off a wild celebration between Gentzle and head coach Dave Post.

"I wanted to win it on my feet," said Jones, who converted both takedowns in the third period after being given escapes. "He's a big wrestler and it's hard to keep going like that. I felt he was tiring, he took a little bit longer to get back to the [center] line. When I [hit that takedown], I knew I was in great position."

Ungar eyes history

Hunterdon Central sophomore Brett Ungar kept plugging away one of the title favorites.

The No. 1 seed at 106 pounds took a big step toward that goal with a workmanlike 10-1 major of Clearview freshman Ty Whalen to reach the quarters for a second straight season. Ungar (39-0), who placed sixth at 106 as a freshman and is 80-2 overall, will next face Toms River North senior Louis Gagliardo.

Brett Ungar rides Ty Whalen en route to a 10-1 win.

"It's a good feeling being No. 1, but it means nothing until you prove it," said Ungar, whose last loss was 3-1 in overtime to Westfield ace CJ Composto in last year's Round of 8. "I think I can make a run and definitely win the title this year."

Ungar is familiar with Hunterdon Central history and its 12 state champions -- the last being Alex Shaffer at 119 pounds in 2010. Shaffer, who left school prior to his junior year after winning to pursue an acting career, appeared in the wrestling movie "Win Win."

"He won as a sophomore so it would be cool for me to win as a sophomore," Ungar said. "As a kid, I came down here and saw him win."

Hunterdon Central had an otherwise tough pre-quarterfinal round, going 1-4, as Colton Washleski (120), Jack Bauer (126), Pasquale Vizzoni (145) and Ryan Joyce (285) joined preliminary round losers Vincent Romaniello (152) and Norman Cella (160) in the wrestlebacks.

Back points

Sussex County continues to carry the flag for the area with seven in the quarters, including four from Pope John, as Shane Percelay (106), Eddie Ventresca (120), JoJo Aragona (138) and Robbie Garcia (152) kept their title hopes alive.

High Point junior Billy Talmadge (138), along with Newton seniors Wyatt McCarthy (145) and Luke Fischer (220) also reached the quarterfinals.

Belvidere senior Quinn Melofchik (113) rounds out the three, including the P'burg duo, from Warren County in the quarters as he advanced with a 5-3 win over High Point junior Devon Liebl. Melofchik (36-1), who is 144-17 overall, became Warren County's all-time wins leader in the prelims with a 3-2 decision over tough Boonton freshman Joe Fongaro, who dropped a 7-4 decision in their previous meeting on Jan. 10. Melofchik gets another rematch with Delbarton sophomore Nicholas Nardone, who won their state quarterfinal last season before Melofchik turned the tables with a 4-3 win in overtime in last weekend's Region 3 finals.

Voorhees senior Lewis Fernandes continues to make quick work of his opponents at 285 pounds. The reigning heavyweight state champion moved into the quarters with two pins in a total time of 1:07, including a 20-second fall in the prelims, while raising his win streak to 87 in a row dating to last season. Fernandes (44-0), who has 104 pins overall and falls in all seven of his postseason bouts this season, decked Gloucester City senior Matthew Cruz in 47 seconds to reach the Round of 8 as he looks to become the Vikings' first two-time state champ. He'll next face Ocean Township sophomore Joseph Teresi (33-8), a third-place finisher in Region 6.

Bound Brook senior Jervey Sistrunk, who has two losses this season to Fernandes by technical fall and pin, moved on with a 1-0 win over Warren Hills senior Duro Ajayi, a second-year wrestler who won his opener after capturing the Region 3 title last weekend. The Blue Streaks, who won't have a state champ for the 21st straight year -- Justin Colaluce won Nos. 45 and 46 in 1997-98 -- have three going in the wrestlebacks, as Ajayi joined seniors Nick Galka (220) and Chris Ostir (145).

North Hunterdon senior Michael Wilson (160) reached the quarterfinals for the first time in his career by decking Raritan senior Anthony Aquilano in 3:50. In the preliminaries, Wilson (37-4) scored a 10-3 win over Cella.

Region 2 led the way by putting 22 in the quarterfinals, followed by Region 7 with 20 and Region 3 with 16. Region 5 was next with 15, with Region 1 at 14 and nine apiece from Regions 4 and 6. Region 8 was last with seven.

PRE-QUARTERFINALS

106: Brett Ungar (Hunterdon Central) md. Ty Whalen (Clearview), 10-1; Louie Gagliardo (Toms River North) d. Brady Carter (Lacey), 6-5; Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco) d. Evan Tallmadge (Brick Twp.), 9-6; Joe Manno (St. Joe-Montvale) d. Ryan Smith (Brick Memorial), 3-2; Jack Maida (Shore Regional) p. Nico Calello (Watchung Hills), 0:48; Shane Percelay (Pope John XXIII) md. Naquan Tory (Columbia), 12-2; Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic) d. Dominic Tafuri (Cedar Grove), 8-2; Tyler Klinsky (Middletown North) p. Ryan Defoney (St. Augustine), 0:41.

113: Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney) d. Ethan Fernandez (Westwood), 9-2; Brandon Spellman (Pingry) d. Joey Lamparelli (Allentown), 7-5, sudden victory; Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton) md. Ryan Rosenthal (Toms River North), 15-4; Quinn Melofchik (Belvidere) d. Devon Liebl (High Point), 5-3; Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic) md. Frank DiEsso (North Hunterdon), 10-0; Vincent Santaniello (Brick Memorial) p. Carmen Giumarello (Clearview), 5:08; Nick Babin (Emerson/Park Ridge) p. Georgio Mazzeo (Paulsboro), 3:20; Alex Almeyda (Fort Lee) d. Cooper Stewart (Sparta), 7-1.

120: Anthony Clark (Delbarton) md. Jaden Hinton (Clayton/Glassboro), 12-0; Vincent Scollo (Jackson Memorial) d. Devin Flannery (High Point),  2-1, ultimate tiebreaker; McKenzie Bell (Kingsway) md. Patrick Adams (St. Peter`s Prep), 15-3; Justin Bierdumpfel (St. Joe-Montvale) d. Nick Reilly (Toms River North), 10-6; Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic) d. Nicholas Digiacomo (Timber Creek), 7-2; Anthony White (South Plainfield) d. Andre Ruiz (Bogota/Ridgefield Park), 8-2; Nico Messina (Freehold Boro) d. Luke Hoerle (Westfield), 4-3; Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII) tf. Colton Washleski (Hunterdon Central), 15-0, 3:56.

126: Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic) md. Eddie Hummel (Roselle Park), 12-1; Dom DiGena (West Morris Mendham) d. Garrett Stewart (Sparta), 3-1; Nicky Cabanillas (DePaul) d. Jack Bauer (Hunterdon Central), 3-1, sudden victory; CJ Composto (Westfield) p. Geno Duca (Paulsboro), 0:23; Sammy Alvarez (St. Joe-Montvale) p. Sean Rendeiro (St. Peter`s Prep), 3:59; Hunter Gandy (Woodstown) d. James Rodriguez (Perth Amboy), 3-2; Gianni Manginelli (Dumont) d. Michael Conklin (Toms River East), 7-6; Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park) md. Dakota Morris (Kingsway), 12-3.

132: Nicholas Raimo (Hanover Park) md. Xavier Pena (Bound Brook), 11-3; Cooper Pontelandolfo (Cherokee) d. Bryan Miraglia (Delran), 3-2; Travis Jones (Phillipsburg) p. Kaya Sement (Pope John XXIII), 5:47; Mark Montgomery (Roselle Park) d. Thomas Fierro (South Plainfield), 3-1; William Grater (Don Bosco) d. Michael Esposito (DePaul), 7-0; Luke Mazzeo (Emerson/Park Ridge) md. Josh Gervey (High Point), 10-1; Hunter Gutierrez (Lacey) d. Al De Santis (Shore Regional), 1-0; Andrew Clark (Collingswood) d. Christian Vertedor (Passaic County Tech), 3-1.

138: Joseph Aragona (Pope John XXIII) tf. Aaron Ayzerov (Paramus), 22-5, 5:48; Dylan Weaver (Lyndhurst/No. Arlington) d. Craig Manno (St. Joe-Montvale), 6-4; Anthony Croce (Camden Catholic) p. Robert Woodcock (Southern Regional), 3:47; Alec Bobchin (Princeton) d.Tim Spatola (Delsea), 7-2; Billy Talmadge (High Point) p. John Howe (Cherry Hill West), 3:33; Jacob Perez-Eli (Paulsboro) d. Craig Cook (Burlington Twp.), 3-2; Alex Strashinsky (Bergen Catholic) d. Domenic Difrancescantonio (Hanover Park), 6-4; Darby Diedrich (Howell) d. Andrew Troczynski (Delbarton), 3-1, sudden victory.

145: Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul) md. Nicholas Pepe (Southern Regional), 10-0; Gabe Onorato (Paulsboro) d. Scott Jarosz (Roxbury), 4-2; Joe Sacco (South Plainfield) d. Pasquale Vizzoni (Hunterdon Central), 3-0; Wyatt McCarthy (Newton) d. Stefano Sgambellone (St. Joe-Montvale), 4-3; Wade Unger (Bergen Catholic) md. Luke Rada (Colts Neck), 12-0; Matt Sacco (Bridgewater/Raritan) d. Nick Boggiano (Toms River North), 3-2; Rhise Royster (Rahway) d. Alex Winant (West Morris Mendham), 7-5; Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic) tf. Michael McGhee (Shore Regional), 20-5, 3:11.

152: Nick Bennett (Delsea) p. Jerry Andaluz (Hamilton North), 2:21; Brandon Mooney (Camden Catholic) p. Paul Jakub (Howell), 3:00; George Worthy (Paulsboro) d. Joe Zargo (Bergen Catholic), 7-4; Robert Garcia (Pope John XXIII) p. Matt Beyer (Pascack Valley), 0:27; Cody Harrison (Phillipsburg) d. Jonah Schechtman (Emerson/Park Ridge), 3-1, sudden victory; Dante Stefanelli (Delbarton) d. AJ Bencivenga (Cranford), 5-1; Justin LeMay (West Morris Central) d. Jack Wilt (Seton Hall),  5-1; Nicholas O`Connell (Southern Regional) d. Connor Kraus (St. Augustine), 6-4.

160: Robert Kanniard (Wall) md. Joseph Wilson (Pemberton), 12-2; Tony Asatrian (Paramus) d.Salvatore Manera (St. Augustine), 7-2; Colin Morgan (West Orange) d. Frank Medina (Watchung Hills), 10-8; Matt Benedetti (Manalapan) p. Justin Leonard (Ramapo), 5:51; Michael Wilson (North Hunterdon) p. Anthony Aquilano (Raritan), 3:50; Connor O`Neil (DePaul) d. Evan Vazquez (Roxbury), 9-3; Vincent Andreano (Delbarton) md. Brian Soldano (High Point), 13-4; Corey Fischer (West Deptford) d. Jacob Rodriguez (Clayton/Glassboro), 5-1.

170: Shane Reitsma (Howell) md. Joseph Colon (St. Augustine), 10-2; Anthony Giampietro (Northern Burlington) d. Michael Conrad (Montville), 6-2; George Burdick (Raritan) d. Nicholas Weikel (Monroe), 7-3; AJ Lonski (Delbarton) p. Shawne Ramsby (Delaware Valley), 0:35; Martin Cosgrove (Camden Catholic) d. Garrett Bilgrav (Robbinsville), 10-5; John Stout (Southern Regional) d. Anthony Sciuto (Northern Highlands), 7-2; Reid Colella (Wayne Valley) d. Mason Godfrey (Jefferson Twp.), 3-2; Brandon Green (Paulsboro) p. Michael Massa (Seton Hall), 1:24.

182: Christopher Foca (Bergen Catholic) p. Jason Sherlock (Point Pleasant Beach), 0:37; Mike Misita (St. Augustine) d. Christian Murphy (Howell), 3-0; Tommy Chiellini (Pascack Valley) d. Brett MacMath (Bridgewater/Raritan), 13-9; Santino Morina (Paulsboro) d. Tim Miller (Westfield), 7-2; Nick Addison (Rumson-Fair Haven) md. Brock Winston (Jackson Memorial), 13-3; Alex Garcia (Montville) p. David Szuba (Brick Memorial), 3:50; Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton) p. Zach Mafaro (Kittatinny), 3:45; John Poznanski (Colonia) md. Curtis Thomas (Delsea), 11-3.

195: Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic) tf. Robert Damerjian (Moorestown), 16-0, 1:53; Anthony Franden (Eastern) d. Ryan Brazill (Bordentown/Florence), 5-3; Luke Chakonis (Delbarton) p. Justin Acevedo (Raritan), 3:17; Luke Niemeyer (South Plainfield) md. Austin Roth (Phillipsburg), 8-0; Joe Daddario (Montville) p. Jackson Crawn (Kittatinny), 3:07; Jacob Anderson (Middletown North) d. Tommy Hill (Northern Burlington), 2-0; Drew Bowker (Rancocas Valley) d. Zane Coles (Pitman), 6-4; Kyle Jacob (Paramus) d. Tommy Goodwin (Pequannock), 6-1.

220: Zach DelVecchio (South Plainfield) d. Joshua Darisme (Rahway), 2-1; Gage Armijo (West Morris Mendham) p. Jajuan Hayes (Bordentown/Florence), 2:53; Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter`s Prep) d. Benny Dahdah (Westwood), 5-3; Luke Fischer (Newton) d. Billy Borowsky (Point Pleasant Boro), 8-2; Steven Cmielewski (Red Bank Catholic) p. Zach Lewis (Emerson/Park Ridge), 4:16; Michael Filieri (Garfield) d.  Nicolas Galka (Warren Hills), 4-3; P.J. Casale (Delbarton) md. Nick Trani (Wayne Valley), 12-4; Tyreke Brown (Penns Grove) p. Joe Sardina (Howell), 1:38.

285: Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees) p. Matthew Cruz (Gloucester City), 0:47; Joseph Teresi (Ocean Twp.) p. Jonathan Alvarado (Don Bosco), 1:04; Jayvon Davidson (Mount Olive) d. Max Sullivan (Cherry Hill West), 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker; Kevin Cerruti (Long Branch) d. Christopher Seifert (Ewing), 8-3; Paul Liseno (St. John Vianney) p. Ryan Joyce (Hunterdon Central), 5:41; Marcus Estevez (Franklin) d. Deshon Alexander (Overbrook), 8-6; Bardhyl Gashi (West Essex) d. Dean Setticase (Saddle Brook), 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker; Jervey Sistrunk (Bound Brook) d. Duro Ajayi (Warren Hills), 1-0.

PRELIMINARIES

106:  Brett Ungar (Hunterdon Central) tf. Seven Rich (Voorhees), 14-1, 2:28; Ty Whalen (Clearview) d. Garrett Totten (Northern Burlington), 6-4; Brady Carter (Lacey) md. Josh Palmucci (Kingsway), 11-3; Louie Gagliardo (Toms River North) md. Jacob DelVecchio (South Plainfield), 14-1; Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco) md. Ethan Liptzin (Howell), 8-0; Evan Tallmadge (Brick Twp.) p. Franco Mazza (Roxbury), 4:14; Ryan Smith (Brick Memorial) p. Kaelan Francois (Rahway), 0:54; Joe Manno (St. Joe-Montvale) p. Dylan Guido (Rutherford), 1:42; Jack Maida (Shore Regional) tf. AJ Beck (New Egypt), 15-0, 2:17; Nico Calello (Watchung Hills) d. Nicholas Diaz (St. John Vianney), 7-3; Naquan Tory (Columbia) d. Jack Bertha (West Morris Mendham), 5-1; Shane Percelay (Pope John XXIII) d. Daniel Haws (Lenape Valley), 12-5; Joseph Cangro (Bergen Catholic) p. Clayton Utter (High Point), 1:29; Dominic Tafuri (Cedar Grove) p. Dean Savercool (Whippany Park), 4:59; Ryan Defoney (St. Augustine) d. Logan Maczko (Phillipsburg), 8-4; Tyler Klinsky (Middletown North) md. Ethan Wilson (Washington Twp.), 13-3.

113: Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney) md. D`Amani Almodovar (St. Augustine), 9-0; Ethan Fernandez (Westwood) d. Gabriel Leo (Roselle Park), 5-0; Brandon Spellman (Pingry) md.  Steven Silva (Kearny), 8-0); Joey Lamparelli (Allentown) d.  Jacob Venezia (Hopewell Valley), 7-1; Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton) p.  Laith Hamdeh (Passaic County Tech),  2:44; Ryan Rosenthal (Toms River North) d. Jayson Scerbo (Southern Regional), 11-6; Devon Liebl (High Point) d. Thomas O`Keefe (Middletown North), 5-1; Quinn Melofchik (Belvidere) d. Joe Fongaro (Boonton), 3-2; Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic) tf. Jacob Kosowski (Rancocas Valley), 16-0, 4:38; Frank DiEsso (North Hunterdon) d. Travis Kotelnicki (Northern Burlington),  8-7; Carmen Giumarello (Clearview) d. Jon Prendergast (Highland Reg.), 8-2; Vincent Santaniello (Brick Memorial) tf. Quinn Gimblette (Westfield), 16-1, 4:48; Nick Babin (Emerson/Park Ridge) p. Demetri Poniros (Ocean Twp.), 3:32; Georgio Mazzeo (Paulsboro) d. Brandon Bowles (Scotch Plains-Fanwood), 3-0; Cooper Stewart (Sparta) p. Patrick Phillips (Brearley/Jonathan Dayton), 1:53; Alex Almeyda (Fort Lee) p. Sean Neary (Livingston), 1:44.

120: Anthony Clark (Delbarton) md. Brandon Murray (West Windsor-Plainsboro South), 11-0; Jaden Hinton (Clayton/Glassboro) d. Robert Bohr (West Morris Central), 7-3; Devin Flannery (High Point) p. Connor Robinson (North Hunterdon), 3:01; Vincent Scollo (Jackson Memorial) md. Zack Martinez (Elmwood Park), 13-4; McKenzie Bell (Kingsway) md. Trey Mcleer (St. Augustine), 12-2; Patrick Adams (St. Peter`s Prep) d. Drake Torrington (Robbinsville), 4-3; Nick Reilly (Toms River North) d. Sean Faraon (Paramus Catholic), 6-3; Justin Bierdumpfel (St. Joe-Montvale) p.  Jake Bursese (Hanover Park), 2:52; Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic) d. Spencer Stewart (Sparta), 10-4; Nicholas Digiacomo (Timber Creek) d. Hunter Nixon (Seneca), 9-6; Andre Ruiz (Bogota/Ridgefield Park) d. Logan Waller (Colts Neck), 3-1; Anthony White (South Plainfield) d. Fred Luchs (Middletown North), 4-0; Luke Hoerle (Westfield) d. Andrew Aromando (Cherokee), 7-2; Nico Messina (Freehold Boro) tf. Jacob Baeza (Kearny), 18-3,  5:54; Colton Washleski (Hunterdon Central) d. Lawrence Melchionda (Seton Hall), 10-4; Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII) p. Chris Dalmau (Rahway), 2:53.

126: Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic) tf.  Caiden Brouwer (Emerson/Park Ridge),  20-4, 5:20; Eddie Hummel (Roselle Park) p. Mike Ruane (West Essex), 1:51;  Garrett Stewart (Sparta) p. James Benjamin (West Orange), 1:39; Dom DiGena (West Morris Mendham) md. Nieko Malone (Howell), 11-3; Nicky Cabanillas (DePaul) d. Maximus Parra (Bound Brook), 7-0; Jack Bauer (Hunterdon Central) d. Michael Bilardo (Monroe), 3-1; Geno Duca (Paulsboro) d. David Loniewski (South Plainfield), 6-2; CJ Composto (Westfield) p. Jacob Glantzman (Wall), 3:01; Sammy Alvarez (St. Joe-Montvale) p. Jonathan Siemsen (Ramsey), 2:34; Sean Rendeiro (St. Peter`s Prep) d. Michael Richardson (Brick Memorial), 4-2, sudden victory; Hunter Gandy (Woodstown) d. Kameron Jenkins (Timber Creek), 6-1; James Rodriguez (Perth Amboy) d. Hunter Konstantoulas (Manalapan), 6-2; Gianni Manginelli (Dumont) p. Sebastian Delligatti (Southern Regional), 0:39; Michael Conklin (Toms River East) md. Avery Clarke (Freehold Twp.), 9-1;  Dakota Morris (Kingsway) d. Ryan Zimmerman (Long Branch), 8-4; Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park) p. Agostino Petrillo (Livingston), 3:11.

132: Nicholas Raimo (Hanover Park) md. Jack Sharma (Delbarton), 19-6; Xavier Pena (Bound Brook) d. Darren Jones (West Essex), 3-1; Cooper Pontelandolfo (Cherokee) d. John Patterson (Delsea), 3-0; Bryan Miraglia (Delran) d. Cody Walsh (Camden Catholic), 5-0; Kaya Sement (Pope John XXIII) md. Nick Gentile (Montville), 10-0; Travis Jones (Phillipsburg) md. Michael O`Brien (Edison), 16-5; Thomas Fierro (South Plainfield) d. Finnegan McFadden (Kingsway), 8-5; Mark Montgomery (Roselle Park) md. Conner Decker (Seton Hall), 10-1; William Grater (Don Bosco) md. Jesse Bowers (Point Pleasant Beach), 11-0; Michael Esposito (DePaul) d. Justin Cariss (Highland Reg.), 8-7, tiebreaker; Luke Mazzeo (Emerson/Park Ridge) d, Jack Nies (Ocean Twp.), 9-2; Josh Gervey (High Point) d. Eli Shepard (West Morris Central), 2-1; Al De Santis (Shore Regional) d. Peter Tringali (West Morris Mendham), 6-3; Hunter Gutierrez (Lacey) md. Sam La Corte (CBA), 10-0; Christian Vertedor (Passaic County Tech) d. AJ DeRosa (Delaware Valley), 3-2; Andrew Clark (Collingswood) d. Michael Albergo (St. Augustine), 7-6.

138:  Joseph Aragona (Pope John XXIII) d. Nick Franco (Don Bosco), 13-6; Aaron Ayzerov (Paramus) d. Troy O`Connor (Middlesex/Dunnellen), 5-3, sudden victory; Dylan Weaver (Lyndhurst/No. Arlington) p. Ken Sherman (Holy Spirit), 1:31; Craig Manno (St. Joe -Montvale) d. Justin Cantor (North Bergen), 6-2; Anthony Croce (Camden Catholic) md. Jonathan Bartley (West Essex), 12-2; Robert Woodcock (Southern Regional) d. Max Brignola (Rumson-Fair Haven), 6-2; Tim Spatola (Delsea) d. Nick Ciraulo (Watchung Hills), 7-5; Alec Bobchin (Princeton) tf. Cole Carroll (Seton Hall), 21-2, 4:36; John Howe (Cherry Hill West) p. Alex Poniros (Ocean Twp.), 1:12; Billy Talmadge (High Point) md. Brandon Teresa (Montville), 14-6; Craig Cook (Burlington Twp.) d. Alex Baran (Manalapan), 3-2, ultimate tie breaker; Jacob Perez-Eli (Paulsboro) d. Alex Amato (South Plainfield), 9-2; Alex Strashinsky (Bergen Catholic) d. Ryan Figueroa (Hammonton), 8-2; Domenic Difrancescantonio (Hanover Park) d. Corey Fernandez (Monroe), 14-10; Andrew Troczynski (Delbarton) d. Kyle Tino (Phillipsburg), 8-4; Darby Diedrich (Howell) tf. Steven Pabone (Long Branch), 16-1, 4:48.

145: Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul) tf. Tony Dushku (Freehold Boro), 17-1, 5:30; Nicholas Pepe (Southern Regional) p. Ty Bailey (Point Pleasant Boro), 3:28; Scott Jarosz (Roxbury) d. Colin Loughney (West Morris Central), 3-1; Gabe Onorato (Paulsboro) d. Jack Prendergast (Woodstown), 3-2; Joe Sacco (South Plainfield) d. Alec Meyers (Old Bridge), 4-0; Pasquale Vizzoni (Hunterdon Central) d. David Guerra (Belleville), 5-4; Stefano Sgambellone (St. Joe-Montvale) d. Jurius Clark (Highland Reg.), 4-2; Wyatt McCarthy (Newton) md. Chris Ostir (Warren Hills), 14-1; Wade Unger (Bergen Catholic) p. James Haws (Lenape Valley), 0:25; Luke Rada (Colts Neck) md. Declan Skelly (Haddonfield), 9-1; Nick Boggiano (Toms River North) d. Elvin Guerrero (Roselle Park), 5-0; Matt Sacco (Bridgewater/Raritan) md. Mathew Garcia (Pope John XXIII), 11-1; Rhise Royster (Rahway) p. Wayne Scott (Penns Grove), 4:58; Alex Winant (West Morris Mendham) d. Nicholas Vargas (Wall), 16-11; Michael McGhee (Shore Regional) d. Ryan Cawood (Don Bosco), 8-2; Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic) md. Conor Halpin (Cranford), 14-4.

152: Nick Bennett (Delsea) d.Thomas Kellner (St. Peter`s Prep), 10-3; Jerry Andaluz (Hamilton North) d. Ian McCabe (Monroe), 7-4; Brandon Mooney (Camden Catholic) p. Jean Carlos San Juan (St. Joe-Montvale), 4:54; Paul Jakub (Howell) p. David McCullough (Clearview), 4:56; George Worthy (Paulsboro) md. Luke McFadden (DePaul), 18-6; Joe Zargo (Bergen Catholic) tf. Sean Savercool (Whippany Park), 23-7, 2:20; Matt Beyer (Pascack Valley) md. Ryan Feig (Northern Burlington), 13-5; Robert Garcia (Pope John XXIII) p. Cartsen Digiantomasso (Jackson Memorial), 1:52; Cody Harrison (Phillipsburg) d. Janny Lopez-Valle (Randolph), 7-1; Jonah Schechtman (Emerson/Park Ridge) d. Ray O`Callaghan (Hillsborough), 6-1; AJ Bencivenga (Cranford) p. Noah Fox (Montville), 4:15; Dante Stefanelli (Delbarton) d. Anthony DeRosa (Delaware Valley), 7-3; Justin LeMay (West Morris Central) p. Jack Milazzo (Robbinsville), 2:29; Jack Wilt (Seton Hall) d. Paul Santomarco (Manalapan), 2-0; Connor Kraus (St. Augustine) p. Vincent Romaniello (Hunterdon Central), 4:30; Nicholas O`Connell (Southern Regional) md. Christian Jimenez (Don Bosco), 18-6.

160: Robert Kanniard (Wall) tf. Thomas Stigliano (Whippany Park), 17-2, 2:09; Joseph Wilson (Pemberton) d. Jacob Vega (Carteret),  3-2; Tony Asatrian (Paramus) d. Constantinos Pavlides (Eastern),  9-4; Salvatore Manera (St. Augustine) md. Brian Berry (Woodstown), 12-2; Frank Medina (Watchung Hills) p. Joseph Hatcher (Piscataway), 3:43; Colin Morgan (West Orange) d. Alex Dorce (Linden), 7-4; Justin Leonard (Ramapo) d. John DeVito (West Morris Central), 8-5; Matt Benedetti (Manalapan) md. Connor Fritsch (Pope John XXIII), 10-1; Michael Wilson (North Hunterdon) d. Norman Cella (Hunterdon Central), 10-3; Anthony Aquilano (Raritan) p. Raymond Weed (Absegami), 2:47; Evan Vazquez (Roxbury) d. Michael Limone (Burlington Twp.), 7-2; Connor O`Neil (DePaul) md. Harrison Hinojosa (Camden Catholic), 11-1; Vincent Andreano (Delbarton) p. Anthony Esposito (Ocean Twp.) , 1:41; Brian Soldano (High Point) p. Jack Bernik (Northern Valley-Old Tappan), 4:27; Jacob Rodriguez (Clayton/Glassboro) md. Joseph Delia (New Providence), 13-3; Corey Fischer (West Deptford) p. Ian Rinke (Hasbrouck Heights), 1:23.

170: Shane Reitsma (Howell) md. Jesse Bishop (Mainland Reg.), 12-3; Joseph Colon (St. Augustine) by injury default over Jack Farinaro (St. Joe-Montvale) time of the injury, 0:00; Michael Conrad (Montville) d. Nick Brigante (Newton), 5-1; Anthony Giampietro (Northern Burlington) d. James Cruz (St. Peter`s Prep), 9-3; George Burdick (Raritan) d. Mike Winchock (Bridgewater/Raritan), 9-6; Nicholas Weikel (Monroe) by injury default over Vincent Mattaliano (Watchung Hills), time of the injury, 1:01; Shawne Ramsby (Delaware Valley) d. Jaden Roberts (Buena), 11-9, sudden victory; AJ Lonski (Delbarton) p. Jesse Presburger (Mahwah), 1:01; Garrett Bilgrav (Robbinsville) p. Blake Mcgowan (Columbia), 1:00; Martin Cosgrove (Camden Catholic) tf. Nick Riggio (Verona), 17-0, 4:54; John Stout (Southern Regional) p. Bradley Mika (Wood-Ridge), 2:32; Blake Clayton (St. John Vianney) d. Anthony Sciuto (Northern Highlands), 3-1; Reid Colella (Wayne Valley) d. Ethan Craft (Rancocas Valley), 4-2, sudden victory; Mason Godfrey (Jefferson Twp.) md. Gabriel Rodrigues (Piscataway), 10-2; Michael Massa (Seton Hall) d. Nathaniel Fossett (North Hunterdon), 5-2; Brandon Green (Paulsboro) p. Anthony Rallo (Roxbury), 4:56.

182: Christopher Foca (Bergen Catholic) p. Gavin Claro (Manalapan), 0:57; Jason Sherlock (Point Pleasant Beach) d. Michael Jannucci (Colts Neck), 10-4; Mike Misita (St. Augustine) p. Nicholas Lodato (Piscataway), 3:08; Christian Murphy (Howell) d. Michael Afolabi (Linden), 6-0; Tommy Chiellini (Pascack Valley) md. Ramon Hernandez (Pompton Lakes), 12-4; Brett MacMath (Bridgewater/Raritan) d. Luke Stefanelli (West Morris Central), 3-1; Tim Miller (Westfield) p. Derek Rooney (Randolph), 2:55; Santino Morina (Paulsboro) p. Michael Corrente (Roxbury), 5:05; Nick Addison (Rumson-Fair Haven) p. Zachary Andruchowitz (Bloomfield), 1:02; Brock Winston (Jackson Memorial) d. Kal-El Corbitt (Oakcrest), 5-4, tiebreaker; Alex Garcia (Montville) d. Luke Dignazio (West Essex), 5-1; David Szuba (Brick Memorial) md. Luke Brantly (Ramapo), 11-2; Zach Mafaro (Kittatinny) p. Dante Morris (Lakewood), 1:43; Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton) d. Brenden Hedden (South Plainfield), 6-0; Curtis Thomas (Delsea) p. Jacob Whitworth (Wall), 2:52; John Poznanski (Colonia) tf. Evan Burton (Pinelands), 20-4, 5:31.

195: Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic) tf. Ian Gaburo (North Hunterdon), 16-1, 1:42; Robert Damerjian (Moorestown) p. Jackson Downey (Northern Valley-Old Tappan), 5:08; Anthony Franden (Eastern) tf. Gianluca Birnbaum (Hanover Park), 16-0, 2:54; Ryan Brazill (Bordentown/Florence) d. Keevon Berry (Oakcrest), 9-4; Luke Chakonis (Delbarton) p. Gunnar Nystedt (River Dell), 1:00; Justin Acevedo (Raritan) d. Andrew Diodato (Somerville), 3-0; Austin Roth (Phillipsburg) d. Austin Paris (Livingston), 6-2; Luke Niemeyer (South Plainfield) p. Noah Putney (Clayton/Glassboro), 1:17; Joe Daddario (Montville) p. Shimei Paige (Rahway), 4:21; Jackson Crawn (Kittatinny) p. Sebastian Iakouchevitch (A.L. Johnson) 0:49; Tommy Hill (Northern Burlington) d. Savon Kirksey (Sayreville), 3-1; Jacob Anderson (Middletown North) p. Ben Temples (Roxbury), 1:30; Zane Coles (Pitman) d. Kyle Epperly (Jackson Memorial), 7-4; Drew Bowker (Rancocas Valley) md. Alieis Almanzar (Kingsway), 12-2; Tommy Goodwin (Pequannock) d. Nick Recine (Piscataway), 1-0; Kyle Jacob (Paramus) p. Matthew Mauricio (Kearny), 1:50.

220: Zach DelVecchio (South Plainfield) p. Christopher Cherry (Mount Olive), 0:50; Joshua Darisme (Rahway) d. Jake Hendershot (Ridge), 3-1, sudden victory; Jajuan Hayes (Bordentown/Florence) d. Sean Horner (Kingsway), 10-6; Gage Armijo (West Morris Mendham) p. Nashawn Brooks (Irvington), 3:05; Benny Dahdah (Westwood) d. Obifunna Ezeigbo (Ewing), 5-3; Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter`s Prep) md. Yosue Gomez (Passaic County Tech), 14-3; Billy Borowsky (Point Pleasant Boro) d. Gabriel Klaus (Haddonfield), 4=2, sudden victory; Luke Fischer (Newton) d. Hayden Holmes (West Deptford), 7-0; Zach Lewis (Emerson/Park Ridge) d. Youssef Gamel (East Brunswick), 5-0; Steven Cmielewski (Red Bank Catholic) p. Vincent Ceglie (Lacey), 0:28; Nicolas Galka (Warren Hills) p. Keshon Davila (New Brunswick), 2:20; Michael Filieri (Garfield) d. Matt Goetz (Gateway/Woodbury), 9-2; Nick Trani (Wayne Valley) d. Mike Salerno (Watchung Hills), 6-3; P.J. Casale (Delbarton) p. Brady Smith (Middletown South), 3:13; Joe Sardina (Howell) by injury default over JT Cornelius (Southern Regional), time of the injury, 4:21; Tyreke Brown (Penns Grove) p. Jason Burklow (Pequannock), 1:52.

285: Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees) p. Caleb Spaulding (Trenton Central), 0:20; Matthew Cruz (Gloucester City) p. Ryan Knox (Randolph), 3:24; Joseph Teresi (Ocean Twp.) p. Nikolaos Diakides (Seton Hall), 2:21; Jonathan Alvarado (Don Bosco) d. John High (Bergen Catholic), 6-5; Max Sullivan (Cherry Hill West) d. Nadeem ElMahroukey (New Providence), 3-0; Jayvon Davidson (Mount Olive) d. Tom Goetz (Gateway/Woodbury), 5-1; Christopher Seifert (Ewing) d. Austin Mooney (Paulsboro), 4-3, ultimate tiebreaker; Kevin Cerruti (Long Branch) d. Griffin Jackstadt (Barnegat), 3-2; Paul Liseno (St. John Vianney) p. Benedict Arthur (Sayreville), 1:14; Ryan Joyce (Hunterdon Central) d. Jeff Diaz (Bloomfield), 4-0; Deshon Alexander (Overbrook) p. Dominic DiMassimo (Pascack Hills), 4:28; Marcus Estevez (Franklin) d. Brad Galassi (Jackson Memorial), 4-2; Bardhyl Gashi (West Essex) p. Nicholas Huntt (North Bergen), 3:50; Dean Setticase (Saddle Brook) p. Remy Brancato (Pompton Lakes), 1:41; Duro Ajayi (Warren Hills) d. Nick Sannino (Ocean City), 2-1; Jervey Sistrunk (Bound Brook) p. Zachery Dora (Wallkill), 1:17.

Wrestling: Ten best medal shots (HWS), title picks

Here is a look at the 10 male wrestlers from the Open Mike area with the best chances at capturing a medal -- it could be a nice haul for the locals -- this weekend in the 86th New Jersey State Wrestling Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

In all, there are 50 qualifiers (up two from last year and 19 more than pre-realignment in 2016) among Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex schools.

Lewis Fernandes looks to return to the top of the podium.

Lewis Fernandes (42-0), Voorhees -- The biggest favorite in any of the 14 weight classes, Fernandes, one of eight returning champions, enters AC with 32 pins and one technical fall to go with nine forfeits at 285 pounds. He has amassed a grand total of 2,001 seconds in his contested bouts or 33 minutes, 21 seconds, and he has pinned his way to Boardwalk Hall this postseason -- five in a total time of 3:50. Fernandes, who is riding an 85-match win streak dating to last season, is looking to become the first two-time state champ for the Vikings.

Career mark: 148-22.

Previous state appearances: 3-2, fourth wrestlebacks at 195 pounds in 2017; 5-0, first place at 285 pounds in '18.

First-round opponent: Trenton Central senior Caleb Spaulding (24-13, R6-4).

Cody Harrison (25-2), Phillipsburg -- Fourth trip hopes to be the charm for Harrison, who has placed in previous two appearances with the Stateliners. The No. 3 seed at 152, which is one of the deepest weights this season, will look to avenge an 11-3 loss to Southern senior and No. 2 seed Nicholas O'Connell on Jan. 26. Harrison, who is tough on his feet and has racked up plenty of takedowns off his blast double, has won 14 in a row since that defeat. Harrison, whose only two losses in Atlantic City last season were to Aragona, looks to become the Warren County school's second three-time placewinner in four years -- joining Brandon Paetzell (2013, '14 and '16).

Career mark: 120-23.

Previous state appearances: 0-2 at 106 pounds in 2016; 3-3, eighth place at 126 in '17; 5-2, fourth place at 138 in '18.

First-round opponent: Randolph senior Janny Lopez-Valley (31-11, R3-4).

Newton's 1-2 punch of Wyatt McCarthy and Luke Fischer.

Wyatt McCarthy (34-2), Newton -- Following a seventh-place finish at 145 pounds last season, McCarthy returns at this weight class as the No. 4 seed. The two-time Region 1 champion -- the Braves' 10th two-time winner -- is looking to unseat current assistant coach and Andy Iliff, who captured back-to-back titles in 1986-87 (Nos. 81 and 82) as the last state champion for the Sussex County school. "Hopefully, I'll be No. 83," McCarthy said on Saturday. "I think [Iliff] has had his time on top." A potential quarterfinal meeting with South Plainfield senior Joe Sacco (34-3), the No. 5 seed, could be a good one, while McCarthy battled top seed Ricky Cabanillas of DePaul, a two-time finalist and champ in 2018, tooth-and-nail two years ago here before getting pinned in OT.

Career mark: 133-22.

Previous appearances: 2-2 at 145 pounds in 2017; 4-2, seventh place at 145 in '18.

First-round opponent: Warren Hills senior Chris Ostir (30-10, R3-4).

Luke Fischer (36-0), Newton -- Making his second straight appearance at 220 pounds, Fischer is among 18 unbeaten wrestlers in the field. He's been a horse all season, as the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex and Region 1 champion has logged 20 pins, a technical fall and one major decision, to go along with two decisions against Warren Hills senior Nick Galka -- 1-0 and 7-0, who is the No. 11 seed at this weight. Fischer also wants his name on the school's wall above Iliff. "He's my best competition in the [practice] room," Fischer said on Saturday. "He's unbelievably strong."

Career record: 103-33.

Previous appearances: 2-2, third round of wrestlebacks at 220 in 2018.

First-round opponent: West Deptford senior Hayden Holmes (30-10, R7-4).

Brett Ungar (37-0), Hunterdon Central -- The sophomore, who is the No. 1 seed at 106 pounds, placed sixth as a freshman and has been dominant all season -- winning his second Hunterdon-Warren, district and region championships. Ungar, who has a non-stop motor and has 14 pins and 13 technical falls this season, was injured here last season in the consolation rounds, dropping a tough 3-1 decision in overtime to Westfield ace CJ Composto in the quarters. Middletown North junior Tyler Klinsky (39-0), the No. 2 seed, looms in the bottom bracket.

Career record: 78-2.

Previous appearances: 4-1, sixth place at 106 pounds in 2018.

First-round opponent: Voorhees junior Josh Rich (28-15, R4-4).

JoJo Aragona (second from top left) owns 3 state medals.

JoJo Aragona (37-0), Pope John -- One of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the tournament, Aragona, the No. 1 seed at 138 pounds seeks that elusive gold medal after two third-place finishes, including last season at this weight, and a runner-up finish as a sophomore. He's turning it on at the right time, with 13 pins, five technical falls and one major, to go with a 9-2 decision over St. Joseph-Montvale senior Craig Manno in the Region 1 finals, since Jan. 8. In beating Manno, Aragona, who needs four wins to become Sussex County's all-time leader, joined former great Mike Frick, a three-time state champ, as the only Lions to win four region titles.

Career record: 153-6.

Previous appearances: 4-1, third place at 106 pounds in 2016; 4-1, second place at 120 in '17; 5-1, third place at 138 in '18.

First-round opponent: Don Bosco Prep sophomore Nick Franco (18-11, R1-4).

Brian Soldano (38-2), High Point -- Don't make that trip to the overpriced concession stand when this talented freshman is on the mat. With a penchant to put opponents on their backs, while also going to his own to do so on occasion, Soldano (27 pins) could ruin someone's weekend in the 160-pound draw, where he is the No. 10 seed. He decked five wrestlers at this weight class -- John DeVito of West Morris, A.J. Bencivenga of Cranford, Connor Fritsch of Pope John, Justin Leonard of Ramapo and Jack Bernik of Old Tappan -- and majored Roxbury's Evan Vazquez, 10-2, on Dec. 22. Soldano, whose lone in-state loss is to No. 8 seed Salvatore Manera of St. Augustine, 13-7, at the Mustang Classic, also pinned Delsea state runner-up Nick Bennett, the top seed at 152.

Career record: 38-2.

First-round opponent: Old Tappan junior Jack Bernik (37-6, R1-3).

Eddie Ventresca (35-1), Pope John -- The two-time state placewinner is the total package and dominant in the neutral position, which will serve him well in a tough 120-pound weight class. Ventresca has 12 pins and nine technical falls on the season, while the No. 2 seed and three-time district champion, could be heading for a semifinal date with No. 3 seed Dylan Cedeno of Bergen Catholic, who dropped a 5-4 decision to Ventresca in last year's consolation round, while top seed Anthony Clark of Delbarton eyes a third straight state championship.

Career record: 112-12.

Previous appearances: 3-1, sixth place at 113 pounds in 2017; 6-1, third place at 113 in '18.

First-round opponent: Rahway junior Chris Dalmau (29-5, R4-4).

Quinn Melofchik (far left) eyes a second state medal.

Quinn Melofchik (34-1), Belvidere -- A returning state placewinner, finishing seventh at 106 last year, Melofchik is looking to become just the fourth multiple medal winner at his school and the program's first since the late Tyler Smith (2007-08), the County Seaters' fifth and last state finalist. Melofchik turned heads this past weekend by earning the Outstanding Wrestler Award in Region 3 with a 4-3 win in overtime in the finals against Delbarton state placewinner Nicholas Nardone, who placed third and beat Melofchik in last year's state quarterfinals. Those two could be headed for a second straight quarterfinal matchup in AC the 5-4 seeds -- with Nardone scoring a 3-2 win in 2018.

Career record: 142-17.

Previous appearances: 1-2, at 106 pounds in 2017; 4-2, seventh place at 106 in '18.

First-round opponent: Boonton freshman Joe Fongaro (33-7, R2-4).

Robbie Garcia (18-1), Pope John -- The senior and former state placewinner has seemingly returned to form after an injury at the Beast of the East in December interrupted his season. Garcia, the No. 4 seed at 152 and an Oregon State recruit, looked good and is plenty motivated after rolling to the Region 1 title on Saturday. "I'm focused and having fun," he said following a 9-7 win over Pascack Valley's Matt Beyer, the No. 13 seed at this weight. Those two could meet again in the pre-quarters, while the winner will likely see tough Paulsboro senior George Worthy in the quarters.

Career record: 121-23.

Previous appearances: 0-2, at 126 pounds in 2016; 4-2, fourth place at 132 in '17; 2-2, at 145 in '18.

First-round opponent: Jackson Memorial senior Cartsen Digiantomasso (30-9, R7-4).

Other area qualifiers (40):

Delaware Valley -- AJ DeRosa (132), Anthony DeRosa (152), Shawne Ramsby (170)
High Point -- Clayton Utter (106), Devon Liebl (113), Devin Flannery (120), Josh Gervey (132), Billy Talmadge (138)
Hunterdon Central -- Colton Washleski (120), Jack Bauer (126), Pasquale Vizzoni (145), Vincent Romaniello (152), Norman Cella (160), Ryan Joyce (285)
Lenape Valley -- Daniel Haws (106), James Haws (145)
Kittatinny -- Zach Mafaro (182), Jackson Crawn (195)
Newton -- Nick Brigante (170)
North Hunterdon -- Frank Diesso (113), Connor Robinson (120), Michael Wilson (160), Nathaniel Fossett (170), Ian Gaburo (195)
Phillipsburg -- Logan Maczko (106), Travis Jones (132), Kyle Tino (138), Austin Roth (195)
Pope John -- Shane Percelay (106), Kaya Sement (132), Matthew Garcia (145), Connor Fritsch (160)
Sparta -- Cooper Stewart (113), Spencer Stewart (120), Garrett Stewart (126)
Voorhees -- Josh Rich (106)
Wallkill Valley -- Zachery Dora (285)
Warren Hills -- Chris Ostir (145), Nick Galka (220), Duro Ajayi (285)

Open Mike state championship picks

106 -- Brett Ungar, Hunterdon Central
113 -- Dean Peterson, St. John Vianney
120 -- Anthony Clark, Delbarton
126 -- Robert Howard, Bergen Catholic
132 -- Nick Raimo, Hanover Park
138 -- JoJo Aragona, Pope John
145 -- Lucas Revano, Camden Catholic
152 -- George Worthy, Paulsboro
160 -- Robert Kanniard, Wall
170 -- Shane Reitsma, Howell
182 -- Christopher Foca, Bergen Catholic
195 -- Jacob Cardenas, Bergen Catholic
220 -- Zach Lewis, Emerson-Park Ridge
285 -- Lewis Fernandes, Voorhees

Wrestling: State Tournament schedule, stats

What: 86th State Wrestling Championships.

Where: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Lewis Fernandes (top left) looks to repeat at 285.

Thursday's schedule: Preliminaries, 2:30 p.m.; pre-quarterfinals, to follow.

Friday's schedule: Wrestlebacks (first three rounds), 9 a.m.; quarterfinals, noon; semifinals and girls quarterfinals, 6.p.m.; fourth and fifth round of wrestlebacks, to follow.

Saturday's schedule: Sixth round of wrestlebacks, 10 a.m.; boys consolation finals (third through eighth places) and girls consolation semifinals with medal round and championships to follow; boys championships, 3:30 p.m.

Returning state champions (8, including 1 prior to 2018, '19 weights): Jr. Anthony Clark, Delbarton (first-2017, first-2018, 120); Jr. Robert Howard, Bergen Catholic (second-2017, first-2018, 126); So. Joey Olivieri, Hanover Park (126); Sr. Nick Raimo, Hanover Park (second-2016, first-2017, third-2018, 132); Sr. Ricky Cabanillas, DePaul (second-2017, first-2018, 145); Sr. Lucas Revano, Camden Catholic (sixth-2016, fifth-2017, first-2018, 145); Sr. Jacob Cardenas, Bergen Catholic (195); Sr. Lewis Fernandes, Voorhees (285).

Returning medal winners (36, previous finishes, 2019 weights): So. Brett Ungar, Hunterdon Central (sixth-2018, 106); So. Dean Peterson, St. John Vianney (second-2018, 113); So. Nicholas Nardone, Delbarton (third-2018, 113); Jr. Nick Kayal, Bergen Catholic (third-2017, fourth-2018, 113); Sr. Quinn Melofchik, Belvidere (seventh-2018, 113); So. Vincent Santaniello, Brick Memorial (eighth-2018, 113); Jr. Eddie Ventresca, Pope John (sixth-2017, third-2018, 120); Jr. McKenzie Bell, Kingsway (seventh-2018, 120); Sr. Samuel Alvarez, St. Joseph-Montvale (second-2017, second-2018, 126); Sr. Nicky Cabanillas, DePaul (fifth-2018, 126); Jr. CJ Composto, Westfield (fifth-2018, 126); Sr. Luke Mazzeo, Emerson-Park Ridge (sixth-2018, 132); Sr. Travis Jones, Phillipsburg (seventh-2018, 132); Jr. Will Grater, Don Bosco Prep (eighth-2018, 132); Jr. Andrew Clark, Collingswood (eighth-2018, 132); Sr. JoJo Aragona, Pope John (third-2016, second-2017, third-2018, 138); Jr. Alex Poniros, Ocean Township (seventh-2018, 138); Sr. Alec Bobchin, Princeton (eighth-2018, 138); Sr. Wade Unger, Bergen Catholic (fifth-2018, 145); Sr. Wyatt McCarthy, Newton (seventh-2018, 145); Sr. Nick Bennett, Delsea (second-2018, 152); Sr. Cody Harrison, Phillipsburg (eighth-2017, fourth-2018, 152); Sr. George Worthy, Paulsboro (fifth-2018, 152); Sr. Robert Kanniard, Wall (fourth-2017, second-2018, 160); Sr. Corey Fischer, West Deptford (seventh-2018, 160); Jr. Shane Reitsma, Howell (sixth-2018, 170); Jr. Brandon Green, Paulsboro (seventh-2018, 170); Sr. Christopher Foca, Bergen Catholic (third-2017, second-2018, 182); Jr. John Poznanski, Colonia (third-2018, 182); Sr. Nick Addison, Rumson-Fair Haven (fourth-2018, 182); Sr. Zach Mafaro, Kittatinny (sixth-2018, 182); Sr. Santino Morina, Paulsboro (eighth-2017, fifth-2018, 182); Sr. Luke Niemeyer, South Plainfield (fifth-2018, 195); Sr. Tyreke Brown, Penns Grove (fifth-2018, 220); Sr. Jervey Sistrunk, Bound Brook (third-2018, 285); Sr. Kevin Cerruti, Long Branch (seventh-2018, 285).

Previous placewinners (6, 2019 weights): Jr. Justin Bierdumpfel, St. Joseph-Montvale (seventh-2017, 120); Sr. Hunter Gutierrez, Lacey (fifth-2017, 132); Sr. Darby Diedrich, Howell (seventh-2017, 138); Sr. Robbie Garcia, Pope John (fourth-2017, 152); Sr. Nicholas O'Connell, Southern (eighth-2017, 152); Sr. Zach DelVecchio, South Plainfield (seventh-2016, fourth-2017, 220).

Returning medal winners by region:

Region 1 (8, Ventresca, Bierdumpfel, Alvarez, Grater, Aragona, McCarthy, Garcia, Mafaro)
Region 2 (8, Kayal, Howard, N. Cabanillas, Mazzeo, R. Cabanillas, Unger, Foca, Cardenas)
Region 3 (5, Melofchik, Nardone, Anthony Clark, Olivieri, Raimo)
Region 4 (6, Composto, Jones, Harrison, Poznanski, Fernandes, Sistrunk)
Region 5 (6, Ungar, Peterson, Bobchin, Addison, Niemeyer, DelVecchio)
Region 6 (3, Poniros, Kanniard, Cerruti)
Region 7 (10, Santaniello, Gutierrez, Andrew Clark, Diedrich, Revano, Worthy, Fischer, Reitsma, Green, Morina)
Region 8 (4, Bell, Bennett, O'Connell, Brown)