Open Mike

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Wrestling: Del Val, P'burg upended in title matches

PISCATAWAY -- It was one of those tough days at the office for Delaware Valley and Phillipsburg's wrestling teams.

For the first time since 2019, the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area went without a state champion as Delaware Valley came up short in a 33-25 loss to Paulsboro in the Group 1 title match, while P'burg suffered a 45-21 defeat against Southern in the Group 5 final on Sunday morning at Rutgers University's Jersey Mike's Arena.

"They wanted it more than us," said Del Val coach Andy Fitz, who became the school's all-time wins leader in the team's 81-0 rout of Point Pleasant Beach in the Central Jersey, Group 1 sectional title victory on Wednesday.

P'burg was seeking its first title since 2022

Del Val (20-2), which was bidding for the program's 11th championship overall and third in a row, was not sharp against a hungry Paulsboro team looking to avenge disappointing losses in the previous two seasons vs. the Terriers (34-31 in the 2023 Group 1 final and 33-27 in the '22 semifinals). This was the rubber match after splitting four postseason meetings from 2019-23 (no tournaments in 2021 due to the pandemic), including Del Val losses in the 2019 semifinals (61-9) and '20 final (50-9) in Toms River.

As a result, Paulsboro (22-2) extended its state record for titles to 34 and kept HWS off the board for just the fifth time since the tournaments began in 1982. The tri-county area also missed in 1993, 2007 and 2010.

"We won two very close matches the last two years," Fitz said. "[Paulsboro was] obsessed with winning this match and we weren't. I'll take the blame. I tried all year to convey to them ... what Paulsboro was doing ... and we weren't ready."

Paulsboro, which suffered brutal losses in early January at the hands of West Deptford (53-16 on Jan. 4) and Delsea (45-18 in the Boresch Duals final two days later), reeled off 17 in a row, including a 40-24 win over Kittatinny in Friday's Group 1 semifinal. Longtime coach Paul Morina said things started to turn after wrestling in Brick Memorial's Mustang Classic in late December.

"The kids talked about [those previous losses to Del Val] all the time that we have to get it this year," said Morina, whose teams are now 790-52-4 in his 40 seasons in charge at his alma mater. "It motivated us the whole year. In the offseason this was the goal.

"We lost a tough match early in the year [to West Deptford] and we kind of shook our heads. It was OK, though, because we had some things to work out in our lineup."

Things did not go well for Del Val out of the gate as Paulsboro got the toss and reeled off five straight wins to take a 15-4 lead after Terriers senior Anderson Olcott's match-opening 14-4 major at 190 pounds. The Red Raiders won a key 8-5 decision at 215 and another at 285, where Jared Hazel gave up a tying escape late before converting the winning takedown against Kyle Cooke for a 7-5 victory.

"Our kids wrestled hard," said Morina, who adeptly aligned his team on the scale. "They didn't quit in every situation and we won some overtime matches. That's big. Even the first kid we sent out [Luke Metz], we bumped him up and not getting pinned was a big bonus for us. Our heavyweight did a great job for us.

"The first three kids did a good job of setting the tone."

The Del Val-Paulsboro series is tied at 4-4-1 since 1989

In summation, Paulsboro was able to capitalize at four weights (215, 285, 106 and 113) where Del Val has struggled much of this season. The Terriers also lost a big one at 120, where Aundre Hill scored a 4-2 decision over Jake Taylor with a third-period takedown.

"We lost the toss, but we weren't ready and the credit goes to Paulsboro," said Fitz, who was less than pleased with the officiating, especially with several stall calls in the second bout at 215. We did want to win the toss. We worried about them doing what they did [bumping Willetts away from Olcott].

"I was surprised they weighed [Sawyer] Cabanas up, but it made sense. We lost the toss and we couldn't follow with Olcott. We lost a winnable bout at 215 with a lot of stall calls going against us. We didn't get the pin at 190, lost 215 and heavyweight. We were wondering what they'd do to compensate for their gap at 126, and they did exactly what I thought. They were the favorite at 106, 113 and 120 by staying down and take three of the four weights."

Those early losses forced Fitz to maneuver his lineup in the hopes of making up some ground. Inserting Tye Falkenstein at 126 produced six points and Jaden Perez pinned Keros Cooper at 132 to give Del Val a 16-15 lead.

After Sean Daniels nearly decked Del Val state placewinner Matt Roche with a cement job in an 11-7 loss at 138, Paulsboro essentially put the match away with Logan Sichelstiel's pin of Jackson Bush at 144. That put the Terriers in a 21-19 hole with four bouts to go and Kyere Harvey's 6-4 sudden-victory win at 144 further iced things with Red Raider stars Chase Bish, who scored a 6-3 win at 157, and Roman Onorato waiting in the wings. Onorato's quick pin in the 13th bout officially wrapped it up.

"They had the perfect recipe," Fitz said. "They could beat us at the top two [weights] and the lower two, and they had a couple hammers through the middle. That is the recipe to beat us. We were able to kind of hide that all year.

"Hopefully we can regroup and have a good individual postseason. Maybe we'll be back next year."

Ram tough

Phillipsburg's mission for the program's 24th state championship was much more difficult in facing the consensus No. 1 public school. The Stateliners (18-1), who were bidding for their first perfect season since 2014 and just the fifth in their history, ran up against a relentless Southern squad that just doesn't allow opponents to breathe up-and-down the lineup.

P'burg won its 41st sectional title on Wednesday

Southern (18-2), which won its sixth championship overall and fourth since 2019, put a serious dent in P'burg's upset hopes when Bradford Birch decked Derek Stone in the opening bout at 190. Collin French followed with a pin at 215 as the Rams won four of the first five to grab a 19-6 lead.

With his team's hopes fading, first-year P'burg head coach Tim Longacre opted to forfeit at 132 and bump sophomore Gavin Geleta up to 138. But that didn't work either as Geleta dropped a 4-0 decision.

Junior Luke Geleta also lost a tough one -- 3-1 in sudden victory to Wyatt Stout -- in a battle of returning sixth-place medal winners in last season's state tournament. It was that kind of day for the Stateliners, now 23-12 all-time in state title matches, who won just four bouts as senior John Wargo (285), freshman Owen Garriques (120) and junior Gavin Hawk (150) registered pins, while senior Liam Packer (175) added a 5-4 decision over Mitch Bivona in a good matchup to close the proceedings.

Southern now owns an 11-7 edge in a series dating to 1997, including nine postseason meetings. The Rams, who have won three straight vs. the 'Liners, also prevailed in title matchups in 2023 (41-14) and '05 (30-25). P'burg, which scored a 27-25 win in the '22 Group 5 semifinals, was victorious in the '97 (53-9) and '14 (32-21) finals in Group 4.

GROUP 1

PAULSBORO 33, DELAWARE VALLEY 25

190 -- Sr. Anderson Olcott (26-2), DV, md. Sr. Luke Metz (17-14), 14-4.
215 -- Sr. Austin Willetts (18-8), P, d. Sr. Evan Newman (10-6), 8-5.
285 -- Jr. Jared Hazel (24-10), P, d. Sr. Kyle Cooke (18-9), 7-5 SV.
106 -- Fr. Will Cruz (16-6), P, d. So. Tristan Fawthrop (16-13), 10-4.
113 -- Jr. Hayden Holmes (24-7), P, d. Jr. Luacs Beyers (14-16), 9-3.
120 -- Jr. Aundre Hill (28-5), P, d. Sr. Jake Taylor (20-6), 4-2.
126 -- So. Tye Falkenstein (8-2), DV, p. Sr. Olivia Palmer (1-1), 1:53.
132 -- Jr. Jaden Perez (29-1), DV, p. Sr. Keros Cooper (17-3), 2:41.
138 -- Sr. Matt Roche (26-2), DV, d. Sr. Sean Daniels (15-8), 11-7.
144 -- Sr. Logan Sichelstiel (11-2), P, p. Jr. Jackson Bush (24-4), 3:27.
150 -- So. Kyare Harvey (14-4), P, d. So. Sebastian Dobak (6-6), 6-4 SV.
157 -- Sr. Chase Bish (29-6), P, d. Sr. Ben Levy (23-5), 6-3.
165 -- Sr. Roman Onorato (30-3), P, p. Sr. Mitchell Sutter (24-6), :47.
175 -- Sr. Kevin Roman (23-6), DV, injury, Sr. Sawyer Cabanas (21-5), 2:00.
Records -- Delaware Valley 20-2; Paulsboro 22-2.
Officials -- Doug Hesse and Rick Solofsky.

GROUP 5

SOUTHERN 45, PHILLIPSBURG 21

190 -- Sr. Bradford Birch (25-5), S, p. Jr. Derek Stone (23-9), 5:38.
215 -- Sr. Collin French (28-6), S, p. Sr. Nathan Smith (22-12), 3:41.
285 -- Sr. John Wargo (26-1), P, p. Jr. Caleb Counts (6-10), :41.
106 -- So. Anthony Mason (27-6), S, md. Fr. Anthony Pettinelli (22-10), 9-0.
113 -- Fr. Cash McVey (23-9), S, d. So. Massimo Gonzalez (20-7), 4-3.
120 -- Fr. Owen Garriques (19-12), P, p. Sr. Jacob Chambers (12-14), 5:39.
126 -- So. Attila Vigilante (14-4), S, p. Sr. Dawson McWilliams (14-4), 4:35.
132 -- Jr. Bryce Manera (27-4), S, forfeit.
138 -- Jr. Scottie Sari (24-7), S, d. So. Gavin Geleta (23-9), 4-0.
144 -- Jr. Wyatt Stout (27-4), S, d. Jr. Luke Geleta (28-2), 3-1 SV.
150 -- Jr. Gavin Hawk (29-1), P, p. Sr. Tyler Chase (11-4), 1:27.
157 -- Sr. Matt Henrich (30-3), S, md. Sr. Patrick Day (14-7), 13-3.
165 -- Jr. Hayden Hochstrasser (26-7), S, md. Sr. Johnathon Roth (23-10), 10-0.
175 -- Sr. Liam Packer (28-3), P, d. Sr. Mitch Bivona (21-6), 5-4.
Records -- Phillipsburg 18-1; Southern 18-2.

Saturday, February 10, 2024

Wrestling: Hawk soars to 100; DV cruises in semis

Phillipsburg star Gavin Hawk made it perfectly clear that he's "more focused on what's ahead" this season than what's down the road after capturing a program-best third Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament title last month.

Hawk is the first to hit 100 wins as a junior at P'burg

The junior enjoyed another historic moment on the mat on Friday night by becoming the 28th Stateliner wrestler to reach the century mark in career wins as his pin at 150 pounds highlighted Phillipsburg's 65-9 dismantling of Clifton in a Group 5 semifinal matchup in Lopatcong Township.

P'burg (18-0), now 35-4 all-time in state semifinals, will battle an old nemesis in pursuit of the program's 24th state championship when it faces Southern in the Group 5 final at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Rutgers University's Jersey Mike's Arena.

Southern (17-2), which handed Hunterdon Central a 40-21 loss in the other semifinal, eyes its sixth title overall and second in a row after handing P'burg a 41-14 defeat in the 2023 title match. The 'Liners have finished unbeaten only four times (1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70 and 2013-14) in their previous 75 seasons.

On an adjacent mat, Delaware Valley (20-1) will face Paulsboro in a rematch of last year's Group 1 final as the Terriers eye the program's first three-peat since winning four straight in Group 2 from 1987-90.

Hawk (28-1), who is among the state title hopefuls at 150 pounds, improved to 100-17 overall by decking Jarvis Rodriguez in 5:21. In true P'burg fashion, the milestone victory prompted a big hand from the Stateliner faithful while the impressive videoboard on the gym wall displayed his picture in congratulatory fashion.

Last season's disappointing finish -- a Blood Round loss in the state tournament -- has been a constant source of motivation for Hawk since last March. Hawk, whose only loss is 5-1 to Quakertown's Collin Gaj, a Pennsylvania Class AAA state champion, in the Bethlehem Holiday Classic finals on Dec. 28, seems poised to make another deep run this season in pursuit of his first state medal. He showed that by beating Delsea state placewinner Jamar Dixon Jr. (3-1 in SV on Dec. 23) and Ocean Township's James Farina (pin in 3:28 on Jan. 27).

P'burg (23) is behind only Paulsboro (33) in state titles

"At states last year, I lost to two tough kids [5-3 to Morristown's Jack Meyers and 3-1 to St. Joseph-Montvale's Donny Almeyda -- the third- and fourth-place medalists at 132 pounds]," Hawk said after his HWS run last month. I worked so hard and I was like, 'Why didn't I get the results that I wanted?'

"Even though it sucked, it was honestly the best thing that could have happened because it kept me motivated all offseason and summer, and even this season ... thinking about going to AC and kind of redeeming myself."

Hawk, who helped spark Phillipsburg's last state title win (51-8 against Howell in 2022), joins an elite group of 100-match winners for P'burg and is the first Stateliner to accomplish the feat since James Day (112-32 from 2018-22), who currently ranks 11th on the all-time list.

Back for more

Delaware Valley also cruised in pursuit of the program's 11th state championship with a 55-16 victory over Hanover Park in a Group 1 semifinal at Daniel Hutchins Memorial Gym in Alexandria Township.

The Terriers, who reached the 20-win mark for the first time since going a program-best 23-3 en route to capturing the program's eighth and last Group 2 title in 2016-17, are 9-1 all-time against Hanover Park, including a 50-18 win this season on Jan. 20 and a 45-24 victory in the 2023 Group 1 semis.

Senior Matt Roche (25-2 at 132) a returning state placewinner, logged one of seven pins for Del Val, which handed Paulsboro a 34-31 setback in last season's Group 1 final. The Terriers are 4-3-1 in that series, including four postseason meetings.

Kittatinny has won just one title in Group 1 (2008)

Kittatinny saw its season end in the Group 1 semifinals for a season straight season against Paulsboro with a 40-24 loss in Hampton Township.

The Cougars (19-4), who were seeking a Sussex County-best ninth state title and first since 2008, won only five bouts, including a stunning defensive pin at 120 pounds, where sophomore Nikolas Martinez erased a 5-0 deficit against Hayden Holmes.

Holmes (23-7) attempted to throw in the legs while on top and Martinez (16-17) went big bird near the edge of the mat and reached back for the head to secure the fall while laying directly on top of Holmes. That could have been a huge swing, but Paulsboro, which had won key decisions at 106 and 113 to open the match, reeled off wins in five of the next six, including three pins and a major, along with Roman Onorato's key 11-5 decision of Reece Smith in battle of state qualifiers at 157.

The final nail was Luke Metz's stunning pin of Bryce Coesfeld in the 11th bout of the night at 175 pounds that gave Paulsboro an insurmountable 37-15 lead. Metz (17-13) was down 7-2 after two periods and 9-3 in the third, when Coesfeld (28-4) took a poor shot with his elbows out and was pancaked with just four seconds left on the clock.

That loss typified the evening for Kittatinny, which was thoroughly dominated in the neutral position as Paulsboro (21-2) finished with a 36-7 advantage in takedowns. The loss also dropped legendary coach John Gill's record against the South Jersey power to 0-6, including a 39-21 setback here in last year's Group 1 semifinals. Paulsboro's other wins were in Group 1 title matches (37-25 in 2011, 28-27 in '16, 44-16 in '17 and 63-3 in '19). Legendary coaches Gill (656-208-5 in 44 seasons and Paul Morina (789-52-4 in 40 seasons) have combined for 1,445 wins.

Here are Sunday's title matchups:

Group 5

Phillipsburg (18-0) vs. Southern (17-2), 11 a.m.

Group 4

Mount Olive (15-4) vs. Ridge (20-2), 11 a.m.

Group 3

Delsea (18-4) vs. Cranford (19-2), 1:30 p.m.

Group 2

Jefferson (17-5) vs. Rumson-Fair Haven (17-1), 1:30 p.m.

Group 1

Delaware Valley (20-1) vs. Paulsboro (21-2), 11 a.m.

Non-Public A

Delbarton (16-4) vs. St. Joseph-Montvale (12-0), 1:30 p.m.

Non-Public B

St. John Vianney (13-1) vs. Camden Catholic (15-1), 11 a.m.

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Wrestling: Four! HWS adds to sectional title history

There aren't many things more reliable than the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area producing sectional wrestling championships.

Phillipsburg continued to crank them out almost like clockwork as the storied program collected its 41st with a 57-13 victory over Bridgewater-Raritan in the North 2, Group 5 final on Wednesday night in Lopatcong Township.

"This team is believing that if they do everything right and we stay healthy, we're going to give everybody a run," first-year P'burg head coach Tim Longacre told iconic wrestling broadcaster Mike Moore of Stateliner Sports.

Central celebrates a county-best 23rd title

Hunterdon Central (Central Jersey, Group 5), Delaware Valley (Central Jersey, Group 1) and Kittatinny (North 1, Group 1) also brought home titles -- giving the area at least four winners for a ninth straight season.

All four locals earned the right to host state semifinals on Friday. Winners advance to the Group state championships on Sunday at Rutgers University's Jersey Mike's Arena.

High Point (North 1, Group 2) and North Hunterdon (North 2, Group 4) were denied in bids to repeat as sectional champions. The 'Cats, who won the Group 2 title last season, lost a tough 32-29 decision to Jefferson in legendary coach John Gardner's final dual meet with the boys program after 26 memorable seasons. It was quite a run as High Point reached its 14th straight sectional final and suffered its first title loss since 2016.

North, which won Group 4 a year ago, came up short in a 30-28 loss to Ridge, which won its second sectional title and first since 1986.

The tri-county has produced no fewer than three titles -- including an area-best seven five times (1988, '94, '95, 2002, '22) -- in all 44 tournaments dating to 1980 (there were no team events held in 2021 due to the pandemic).

P'burg proud

The Stateliners (17-0), who won their quarterfinal and semifinal matchups by a combined score of 151-0 on Monday, finally lost a bout in a title rematch vs. Bridgewater-Raritan, which dropped a 69-3 decision when the teams met in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division clash on Dec. 20.

It was also the first sectional championship as a head coach for Longacre, who won three as a Stateliner wrestler (1989, '91 and '92). The latter was the infamous North 2, Group 4 title match against Belleville, in which a brawl erupted and sent the visitors heading for the bus after just seven bouts. The evening ended with six P'burg wrestlers trotting out from the locker room one-by-one to have their hand raised in forfeit wins, including Longacre at 152 pounds.

"That was the team's sectional title. They earned it. I'm just a vessel to help guide them," said Longacre, whose team is seeking the program's second Group 5 title in three seasons after winning it all in 2022 (No. 23 overall). "All the performance is on them."

Junior Gavin Hawk (27-1) took another step toward program history as he improved to 99-17 overall with a 35-second pin -- one of seven for P'burg -- at 157 pounds.

P'burg ranks second behind only Paulsboro (43) in titles

Freshman Owen Garriques (120) and junior Derek Stone (190), along with seniors Patrick Day (150), Liam Packer (175), Nathan Smith (215) and John Wargo (285), also registered falls as P'burg improved to 41-3 all-time in sectional finals -- missing against Warren Hills (1990), Hunterdon Central (2013) and North Hunterdon (2020).

Hawk will look to become the 28th wrestler at Phillipsburg -- and first since James Day (112-32) in 2022 -- to reach the century mark in wins when the 'Liners host North 1 champion Clifton in one semifinal at 6 p.m. on Friday. Hunterdon Central takes on Southern in the other matchup and the winners will meet in the Group 5 title match on Sunday.

Hunterdon Central rolled to a 40-30 win over Hillsborough to pick up the program's 23rd sectional title and first since 2019. It was also the fourth under coach Jon Cantagallo-Rohm, now 180-40 overall in his 10 seasons at the helm.

The Red Devils (21-2), who also scored a 44-28 win over Hillsborough in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division tilt on Dec. 20, seek their first Group 5 title appearance since a 34-27 loss to Southern on Feb. 10, 2019.

Ones to watch

It was a supremely special night for Delaware Valley, which cruised to the program's fifth straight title and 22nd overall with an 81-0 rout of Point Pleasant Beach in the Central Jersey, Group 1 final at Daniel Hutchins Memorial Gym.

Andy and Vince Fitz share a moment after the title win

The Terriers (19-1), who are seeking a third consecutive Group 1 title, engaged in a dual celebration as Andy Fitz became his alma mater's all-time winningest coach at 285-95 in 17 seasons -- surpassing his father, Vince (284-60-3), who guided the program to seven sectional titles and six Group 2 titles in 19 seasons from 1971-90.

Del Val, which has won 10 state titles (second only to Phillipsburg's 23 in the HWS area), racked up 13 pins, including 11 before the third period, along with a 7-6 win. In three consecutive finals meetings, the Terriers have outscored Beach, 227-9, including losses of 68-6 in 2022 and 78-3 in '23.

Kittatinny claimed its third consecutive title in North 1, Group 1 with a 35-21 victory over Emerson-Park Ridge in Hampton Township.

Kittatinny celebrates a title and its 688th win

The Cougars (19-3), who have won titles in four decades under legendary coach John Gill, advanced to meet South Jersey power Paulsboro on Friday, while Delaware Valley takes on Hanover Park in the other Group 1 semifinal on Friday. Del Val owns wins over Kittatinny (37-21 on Jan. 6) and Hanover Park (50-18 on Jan. 20) this season.

Kittatinny also matched Camden Catholic for fourth place on the all-time sectional titles list at 25 -- behind only Paulsboro (43), Phillipsburg (41) and High Point (30). Gill, whose teams are 656-207-5 in 44 seasons, seeks his first career win over Paulsboro, which has won a record 33 state titles.

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Wrestling: NJSIAA state semifinals matchups

Pairings for the public semifinals in Groups 1-5 set for Friday at the higher seed and the Non-Public A and B semifinals slated for Thursday. Winners on the public side advance to the state championships on Sunday at Rutgers University (Groups 1, 4, 5, and Non-Public B at 11 a.m.; Groups 2, 3 and Non-Public A at 1:30 p.m.).

The Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area produced at least four sectional champions for the ninth straight season as Phillipsburg (North 2, Group 5), Hunterdon Central (Central Jersey, Group 5), Delaware Valley (Central Jersey, Group 1) and Kittatinny (North 1, Group 1) are set to host on Friday.