Plainfield football

Clint Jones is still officially the head football coach at Plainfield High School, but his job is being advertised for -- as if he isn't the head coach.

I've been told by a member of the Plainfield Board of Education that the head football job has always been advertised annually, but that the district is "taking it a bit more serious," this year.

Most school districts do this for their extra-curricular activities. But Plainfield has fielded applications from at least six different candidates I've been told. Jones has to re-apply.

More on this as we go along. Plainfield went 1-9 last year.

Region reflections

Nice to see former state champ Tony Siragusa (David Brearley, heavyweight 1985) at the Region 3 tournament Saturday in Union. Tony was one of those guys who proved that you could be an outstanding wrestler AND football player. He also has a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

Region 5 has one of the more unheralded wrestlers in the state in my opinion -- senior 152-pounder Frankie McLaughlin of Hillsborough. McLaughlin won his second region title Saturday. He won at 160 last year and went on to place sixth in the state. McLaughlin should improve on that place by a few rungs this weekend at Atlantic City.

McLaughlin beat Bridgewater-Raritan junior Wayne Hampton in the region final. He also beat Hampton in the District 18 final last week.

"It gets more difficult each time because he naturally has to get better, it's kind of like taking the SATS over and over again," said McLaughlin of seeing the same opponent several times during the season. "It also makes it easy for me because my confidence is good because I've already beaten him. The thing about wrestling it's not like other sports. It's all individuals. If you don't make any mistakes you shouldn't really lose. In a team sport like basketball, you can do everything perfectly, but the four other guys can screw it up for you. There's always a chance you can get caught (in wrestling), or your opponent can come in with a better strategy. But it's really all you."

McLaughlin used a low single to score on Hampton.

Once again there was talk at Region 5 about moving the tournament from Hunterdon Central to another venue. Hunterdon Central has a great wrestling community that comes out every year to support and work the tournament. The problem is logistics -- the way the gymnasium is shaped -- the way the mat is "floated" for the finals -- doesn't work. People are tripping on the mats as they walk to and fro alongside the mat. Again, this isn't about the people who run it or the school. The sight lines are much better at Region 3 at Union.

Who would take it? How about using the support group as the meet makes a transition move to say Franklin? Just a tought.

Bishop Ahr sophomore 140-pounder Joe McAuley from Dunellen was the Outstanding Wrestler at Region 5 and deservedly so. The weight class was stacked with District 17 champ Nick LaFevre of Delaware Valley, District 18 champ Dan Liss of Bridgewater-Raritan and District 18 runner-up and returning region runner-up Rob Bolomey of Somerville.
"It was pretty stacked," McAuley said. "I was pretty set on not going to wrestlebacks. I really concentrated on my semifinal because I know I didn't want to be in the wrestlebacks. When I got to the finals I knew I already was going to A.C., so I just wrestled."

McAuley, second in District 19 to J.P. Stevens' junior Greg Zannetti, beat Hillsborough senior CHris Ambrose 14-7, pinned Bolomey in 49 seconds, edged Liss 4-3 in the semis then pinned eighth-seeded Will Buchan of Woodbridge to win it.

38 left

Here's a list of the state tournament qualifiers from the Courier News area -- that would mean all of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, parts of Union (Governor Livingston, New Providence Westfield, Scotch Plains-Fanwood) and Middlesex (Dunellen/Middlesex, Piscataway, South Plainfield). These are the schools that have qualifiers.

The qualifiers
103: Fr. Nick Heilman (South Plainfield, second in Region 3)
112: Jr. Patrick Hunter (South Plainfield, first in Region 3), Sr. Dan Kelly (Delaware Valley, first in Region 5), Jr. Peter Terrezza (New Providence, second in Region 3)
119: Sr. Pat Strizki (Hunterdon Central, first in Region 5)
125: Sr. Kris Sigafoos (Delaware Valley, first in Region 5), Sr. Sal Gano (Scotch Plains-Fanwood, first in Region 3); Soph. Matt Nobbs (New Providence, second in Region 3), Jr. Jimmy Kirchner (Somerville, third in Region 5)
130: Sr. Richie Russoniello (Bernards, first in Region 5), Fr. Mike Hafke (Voorhees, second in Region 5), Sr. Bryan Hunt (South Plainfield, second in Region 3), Sr. A.J. Hrabar (Piscataway, third in Region 5)
135: Sr. Nick Murray (Bound Brook, first in Region 5), Sr. Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, second in Region 3), Sr. Adam Friedman (Bridgewater-Raritan, second in Region 5), Jr. Richie Gebert (Delaware Valley, third in Region 5), Sr. Ricky Olsson (Scotch Plains-Fanwood, third in Region 3)
140: Sr. Nick Dorey (South Plainfield, second in Region 3).
145: Sr. Pat Mineo (Scotch Plains-Fanwood, first in Region 3), Sr. Tyler Riccio (Bridgewater-Raritan, first in Region 5), Sr. Mike Jakubik (South Plainfield, second in Region 3)
152: Sr. Frankie McLaughlin (Hillsborough, first in Region 5), Jr., Wayne Hampton (Bridgewater-Raritan, second in Region 5), Soph. Mike Dessino (Middlesex, second in Region 3), Sr. Kevin Alparone (Hunterdon Central, third in Region 5), Sr. Sam Martin (South Plainfield, third in Region 3).
160: Sr. John Mangini (Hillsborough, first in Region 5), Soph. Brendan Ard (Watchung Hills, first in Region 3), Jr., Mark Wagner (South Plainfield, second in Region 3), Sr. J.R. Nettuno (Hunterdon Central, third in Region 5), Sr. Brian Erdek (Voorhees, second in Region 5).
171: Jr. Matt Fullowan (Governor Livingston, second in Region 3), Sr. Bradley Gelegonya (Delaware Valley, third in Region 5)
189: Sr., Joe Bozzomo (Middlesex, first in Region 3), Sr. Drew Ives (Bridgewater-Raritan, second in Region 5).
215: Sr. Roy E. Dragon III (Bridgewater-Raritan, first in Region 5), Sr. Preston Johnson (South Plainfield, second in Region 3).
285: None.

Region5Fridaynight

I was talking to Andy Fitz, the assistant coach at Delaware Valley, during last week's District 17 tournament and we discused how difficult 140 would be at Region 5. How correct a projection!

Look at how 140 turned out Friday night.

Two region runners-up from a year ago lost: Delaware Valley junior Nick LaFevre, the top seed, lost to eighth-seededed sophomore Will Buchan of Woodbridge. No. 3 seed senior Rob Bolomey of Somerville was pinned by Bishop Ahr sophomore Joe McAuley, the sixth seed. No. 2 seed Dan Liss of Bridgewater-Raritan beat seventh-seeded Matt Sanquini of Hunterdon Central 1-0.

I think fourth-seeded Ryan Smith of South Brunswick will win the weight. He had a very good match Friday night, beating J.P. Stevens junior Greg Zannetti. Some people had Zannetti a dark horse to win. So it's Smith-Buchan and Liss-McAuley in the semifinals Saturday morning. Should be entertaining.

Speaking of entertaining: is there anybody more fun to watch than Del Val senior 171-pounder Brad Gelegonya?

Del Val has freshman Bobby Stevely (103), senior Dan Kelly (112), senior Kris Sigafoos (125), junior Richie Gebert (135) and Gelegonya still in the winner's bracket. Bridgewater-Raritan has Liss, senior Adam Friedman (135), junior Wayne Hampton (152) and seniors Drew Ives (189) and Roy E. Dragon III (215) alive in the semifinals.

Tough night for North Hunterdon. The Lions were 1-7 with senior Brian Levandowski winning at 119.

By the way, I thought it was kind of strange to see North Hunterdon assistant coach Joe LaSpada coaching against one of his soccer players in the 130-pound bout where Lions' senior Andrew Boyle wrestled against Bernards' senior Rich Russoniello. Russoniello was a big contributor to Bernards' state Group I soccer title last fall. LaSpada is the Mountaineers' head soccer coach. Russoniello beat Boyle 6-4 in a pretty good bout.

correction, alteration, etc..

A few of my friends in the media and I have had a tough week naming the the Hunterdon County wrestlers Delaware Valley senior 125-pounder Kris Sigafoos joined as a four-time District 17 champ.


We were right in Sunday's paper: Hunterdon Central's Tom Gibble (1978) and Kyle Brewer (2000-03) and North Hunterdon's Ricky Frondorf (00-03) and Justin Bagley (1995-98) were four-time winners. But we missed two obvious ones -in Voorhees 1998 state champ John Brienza (1995-98) and 1996 state runner-up Eric Hall (1993-96).

But we were off again, missing two. North Hunterdon former greats and state champs Dave Gaunt (1968-71) and Tom McGourty (1982-85).

region ready

We'll have our Region 3 and 5 predictions in the paper Friday, so don't forget to either log in to our website or buy the print version and tell me how lousy my projections are. You can always wait until late Saturday afternoon to point out how bad I did.

The regions are a special time, but it just means that we only have one more week of the season. Of course, we know that for a lot of year-round wrestlers, that's just part of the schedule to other tournaments.

I'll be a Region 5 this year. I try to rotate between the two. Region 3 is always good because of South Plainfield's presence and Watchung Hills. South Plainfield has 12 wrestlers still alive in the region quarterfinals. Outstanding. How many winners will have the Tigers have? Patrick Hunter is a good bet. Mark Wagner should get another opportunity to wrestle Brendan Ard of Watchung Hills at 160. Last week, Ard pinned Wagner to win the District 12 tournament. South's Billy Ashnault and Delbarton's Trevor Melde could be another compelling final at 135.

Bound Brook has six wrestlers going tonight in Region 5. We've pointed out how well Bridgewater-Raritan has done and deservedly so. The Panthers have eight, including two strong favorites in seniors Roy Dragon III (285) and Tyler Riccio (145) and another top seed in senior Drew Ives (189).

Bound Brook has seniors Nick Murray (130), Reggie Perry (152) and Stephen Lawrence (215) leading the way. Murray is a two-time region winner. Lawrence, by the way, has to be one of the more unheralded wrestlers around. He's 27-9.

By the way, North Hunterdon has gone under the radar a bit -- maybe because of its third-place District 17 finish last week behind Hunterdon Central and champ Delaware Valley. But the Lions went 6-for-6 Tuesday night and the pre-quarters and have two champs to join them tonight in Billy Loftus (140) and Russ Korbul (189). That makes eight.


Remember to use pencils for your bracket sheets...:)

Region 5 quarterfinal pairings

REGION 5 QUARTERFINAL SEEDINGS
103
No. 1 Brian Bistis (Hunterdon Central) vs. No. 8 Sam Emburgia (Monroe); No. 2 Tom Hogan (John F. Kennedy) vs. No. 7 Bobby Stevely (Delaware Valley); No. 3 Heriberto Quintana (Perth Amboy) vs. No. 6 Kyle Doerr (Bound Brook); No. 4. Conor Hayes (Old Bridge) vs. No. 5 Erik Biago (Montgomery).

112
No. 1 Dan Kelly (Delaware Valley) vs. No. 8 Jairo Bernal (Perth Amboy); No. 2 Mike FrancoBandiero (Edison) vs. No. 7 Joe Stitley (Somerville); No. 3. Andrew Roberto (Notre Dame) vs. No. 6. Ryan Radwanski (Bridgewater-Raritan); No. 4 Tony Fusco (North Hunterdon) vs. No. 5 Adam Mongelli (South River).

119
No. 1 Patrick Strizki (Hunterdon Central) vs. No. 8 Andrew Conkin (Bridgewater-Raritan); No. 2 Gabriel Roman (Perth Amboy) vs. No. 7 Dave DeCamp (Notre Dame); No. 3 Bill Belfi (North Brunswick) vs. No. 6 Nestor Taffur (Bound Brook); No. 4. Matt Valentino (Old Bridge) vs. No. 5 Brian Levandowski (North Hunterdon).

125
No. 1 Kris Sigafoos (Delaware Valley) vs. NO. 8. Jamie Mandaglio (North Hunterdon); No. 2 Dan Keiser (J.P. Stevens) vs. No. 7 Gabe Gleason (Bound Brook); No. 3 Eric Tsang (Sayreville) vs. No. 6 C.J. Adams (Piscataway); No. 4 Jimmy Kirchner (Somerville) vs. No. 5 John Giusti (Old Bridge).


130
No. 1 Matt Buchan (Woodbridge) vs. No. 8 David Saley (Monroe); No. 2 A.J. Hrabar (Piscataway) vs. No. 7 Chris Leva (Notre Dame); No. 3 Rich Russoniello (Bernards) vs. No. 6 Andrew Boyle (North Hunterdon); No. 4 Mike Jachim (Metuchen) vs. No. 5 Mike Hafke (Voorhees).

135
No. 1 Nick Murray (Bound Brook) vs. No. 8. Anthony Guzman (Highland Park); No. 2 Adam Friedman (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 7. Joey Morales (Perth Amboy); No. 3 Ramon Santiago (Sayreville) vs. No. 6 Kevin Catullo (North Hunterdon); No. 4 Jeff Rotella (West Windsor Plainsboro North) vs. No. 5 Rich Gebert (Delaware Valley).

140
No. 1 Nick LaFevre (Delaware Valley) vs. No. 8 Will Buchan (Woodbridge); No. 2 Dan Liss (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 7 Matt Sanquini (Hunterdon Central); No. 3. Rob Bolomey (Somerville) vs. No. 6 Joe McAuley (Bishop Ahr); No. 4. Ryan Smith (South Brunswick) vs. No. 5 Greg Zannetti (J.P. Stevens).

145
No. 1 Tyler Riccio (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 8 Rich Foor (Delaware Valley); No. 2. Brandon Swift (Edison) vs. No. 7 Tim McGuigan (West Windsor-Plainsboro North); No. 3. Scott Poore (Sayreville) vs. No. 6 Bill Loftus (North Hunterdon); No. 4 Anthony Howard (John F. Kennedy) vs. No. 5 Brenton Mack (Old Bridge).

152
No. 1 Frankie McLaughlin (Hillsborough) vs. No. 8 Dustin Rudy (John F. Kennedy); No. 2. Wayne Hampton (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 7 Mike Scott (Lawrence); No. 3 Kevin Alparone (Hunterdon Central) vs. No. 6 Mike DeLuco (Sayreville); No. 4. John Meyers (Bishop Ahr) vs. No. 5 Reggie Perry (Bound Brook).

160
No. 1 John Mangini (Hillsborough) vs. No. 8 Dan Barlow (Ewing); No. 2 Mike Knight (Sayreville) vs. No. 7 Brian Erdek (Voorhees); No. 3. Craig Batista (Woodbridge) vs. No. 6 Chris Suozzo (Old Bridge); No. 4. J.R. Nettuno (Hunterdon Central) vs. No. 5 Gary Repke (J.P. Stevens).

171
No. 1 Eddie Ebewo (Old Bridge) vs. No. 8 James SantaMaria (Somerville); No. 2 Pete Simon (John F. Kennedy) vs. No. 7 Luke Dawson (Hillsborough); No. 3 Brad Gelegonya (Delaware Valley) vs. No. 6 Duane Quarles (Bishop Ahr); No. 4 John Lorio (Ridge) vs. No. 5 Malcolm McQueen (South Brunswick).

189
No. 1 Drew Ives (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 8 Sheamus O'Connor (Notre Dame); No. 2. Chris Orzechowski (Old Bridge) vs. No. 7 Marek Szwast (Metuchen); No. 3 Russ Korbul (North Hunterdon) vs. No. 6 Sergio Garcia (East Brunswick); No. 4 George Saliba (Hopewell Valley) vs. No. 5 Joe Everingham (West Windsor-Plainsboro South).

215
No. 1 Roy Dragon III (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 8 Max Borisenko (Hillsborough); No. 2. Travis Gerdon (Old Bridge) vs. No. 7 Steve Lawrence (Bound Brook); No. 3 Vin Maglione (John F. Kennedy) vs. No. 6 Frank Aversa (Hunterdon Central); No. 4 Jake Nale (Monroe) vs. No. 5 Travis Hoffman (Voorhees).

285
No. 1 Drew Mackay (Spotswood) vs. No. 8 Colin Curzi (North Hunterdon); No. 2 Ben Grant (Notre Dame) vs. No. 7 Jeramie Powell (Piscataway); No. 3 Kenny Kaszyk (Voorhees) vs. No. 6 Dan Walker (Edison); No. 4 Derrick Williams (Franklin) vs. No. 5 Argenis Minaya (Perth Amboy)

District thoughts

Some thoughts about the district tournament and the regions ahead.

Nice job by Middlesex at District 12 where South Plainfield overshadowed the field by winning for the 23rd straight time.

Middlesex had winners in Joe Bozzomo (189) and Mike Dessino (152) and six Region 3 qualifiers in all. The Blue Jays were also the reason South Plainfield won't be sending 14 to the regions. Middlesex' Mike Gattuso beat Nick Pauls in the 125-pound consolation final 4-2.

Plainfield senior Dan Wilson will be the only Cardinal at Region 3. Wilson took third at 189 at District 12. He wrestled at Easton Area High last year, but transferred back to New Jersey and to Plainfield before the school year. Dan's brother Chris is the starting 215-pounder at Easton.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood's Joe Blaes, the fifth seed at 285 at District 11, wound up winning the title. Regular 285-pounder Johnny Loomis was out with a sprained ankle.

Senior 125-pounder Kris Sigafoos, Delaware Valley's first four-time District 17 champion, is considering Penn and Duke.

Couple possible interesting finals at Region 3 -- South Plainfield's Billy Ashnault against Delbarton's Trevor Melde at 135 and the Tigers' Mike Jakubik and Scotch Plains-Fanwood's Pat Mineo at 145. Melde was second in the state last year at 130. Ashnault was second in the state two years ago at 112 to Rahway's Ryan Wilson.

Nice job by District 18 and 17 for finishing quickly. The District 17 finals actually started at 2:40 -- 20 minutes earlier than the scheduled 3 p.m. start. Nobody complained.

Region 5 pre-quarterfinal pairings

REGION 5 (at Hunterdon Central High School)
103 -- Bobby Stevely (Delaware Valley) vs. Anthony Peterson (Edison); Kyle Doerr (Bound Brook) vs. Derek DeLorenzo (West Windsor-Plainsboro South); Tom Hogan (John F. Kennedy) vs. Vinny Peoni (Voorhees); Sam Umburgia (Monroe) vs. Chris Stitley (Somerville).
112 -- Andrew Roberto (Notre Dame) vs. Henry Shapiro (Bound Brook); Ryan Radwanski (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. Derek Dellacruz (Bishop Ahr); Jairo Bernal (Perth Amboy) vs. Adam Mongelli (South River); Brendan Hodel (Monroe) vs. Tony Fusco (North Hunterdon).
119 -- Brian Levandowski (North Hunterdon) vs. Matt Hart (John F. Kennedy); Andrew Conkin (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. Matt Ackerman (East Brunswick); Jeff Peterson (Edison) vs. Dave Decamp (Notre Dame); Matt Valentino (Old Bridge) vs. Justin Schaufler (Bernards).
125 -- Jamie Mandaglio (North Hunterdon) vs. Nick Paribello (East Brunswick); Gabe Gleason (Bound Brook) Vs. Rob Diletto (Notre Dame); C.J. Adams (Piscataway) vs. Anthony Palma (Bernards); John Guisti (Old Bridge) vs. Pete Buttitta (John F. Kennedy).
130 -- Andrew Boyle (North Hunterdon) vs. Clemment Bommier (Ridge); Erik Willis (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. Mike Jachim (Metuchen); A.J. Hrabar (Piscataway) vs. Ted Hirt (West Windsor-Plainsboro North); John Boulton (Sayreville) vs. Chris Leva (Notre Dame).
135 -- Kevin Catullo (Nroth Hunterdon) vs. David Powell (Piscataway); Adam Friedman (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. Trevor Haughney (Old Bridge); Joey Morales (Perth Amboy) vs. Bill Bickel (Notre Dame); Jeff Rotella (West Windsor-Plainsboro North) vs. Will Goddiess (Hillsborough).
140 -- Matt Sanquini (Hunterdon Central) vs. Todd Maryott (East Brunswick); Rob Bolomey (Somerville) vs. Will Bohn (Voorhees); Joe McAuley (Bishop Ahr) vs. Chris Ambrose (Hillsborough); Mike Conway (Old Bridge) vs. Will Buchan (Woodbridge).
145 -- Rich Foor (Delaware Valley) vs. Bennett Radinovic (Ridge); Dan Soffer (Somerville) vs. Brandon Swift (Edison); Tyler Adams (Piscataway) vs. Tim McGuigan (West Windsor-Plainsboro North); Brendon Mack (Old Bridge) vs. James Matlack (Ewing).
152 -- Mike Scott (Lawrence) vs. Ben Hohman (Metuchen); Wayne Hampton (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. Justin Kitchen (Old Bridge); Dustin Rudy (John F. Kennedy) vs. Vinny Collura (Delaware Valley); Dan Fryer (West Windsor-Plainsboro South) vs. Reggie Perry (Bound Brook).
160 -- Brian Erdek (Voorhees) vs. Rodney Dixon (South Brunswick); Trevor Topf (Pingry) vs. Dan Barlow (Ewing); Gary Repke (J.P. Stevens) vs. C.J. Lyons (Ridge); Chris Suozzo (Old Bridge) vs. Gabe Pagliere (Highland Park).
171 -- Dan Lyness (Hunterdon Central) vs. John Lorio (Ridge); James Santa Maria (Somerville) vs. Will Randall-Goodwin (Highland Park); Duane Quarles (Bishop Ahr) vs. Bryan Pediero (Old Bridge); Malcolm McQueen (South Brunswick) vs. Alex Pearson (Lawrence).
189 -- George Saliba (Hopewell Valley) vs. Rich Bonohomme (John F. Kennedy); Brandon McNeil (Franklin) vs. Joe Everingham (West Windsor-Plainsboro South); Don Gottlick (Bishop Ahr) vs. Sheamus O'Connor (Notre Dame); Sergio Garcia (East Brunswick) vs. Matthew Birmingham (Bernards).
215 -- Frank Aversa (Hunterdon Central) vs. Andrew O'Shaugnessy (West Windsor-Plainsboro South); Steve Lawrence (Bound Brook) vs. Ryan Huff (Delaware Valley); Jose Gonzalez (Woodbridge) vs. Max Borisenko (Hillsborough); Jake Nale (Monroe) vs. Brian Pascal (Edison).
285 -- Kenny Kasczyk (Voorhees) vs. Christian Mackey (Somerville); Mark Manderski (Manville) vs. Jermaine Powell (Piscataway); Dan Walker (Edison) vs. Robert Borzelleri (Sayreville); Troy DeCeuster (Old Bridge) vs. Colin Curzi (North Hunterdon)

Region 3 pre-quarterfinal matchups

REGION 3Pre-quarterfinal matchups103- Steve Godine (Whippany Park) vs. Chris Roberts (Johnson), Anthony Casselli (Roselle Park) vs. Chris Savino (Hanover Park), Brian Buontempo (Cranford) vs. Sam Waters (Millburn), Vinny Zaccardi (Middlesex) vs. Joseph Wesley (Shabazz)112- Anthony Mariano (Parsippany) vs. Allen Phillips (Brearley), Greg Pollock (Millburn) vs. Angelo Matias (Elizabeth), Tristian Bundy (Scotch Plains) vs. Vinny Dispenziere (Middlesex), Peter Terrezza (New Providence) vs. Mike Johnstone (Hanover Park)119- Ben McNeil (Parippany Hills) vs. Carlos Lacambe (Weequahic), Chris Puorro (Seton Hall) vs. Ryan Sacco (South Plainfield), Jesse Hynes (Cranford) vs. Christian Mazzochi (Madison), Yurri Urita (North Plainfield) vs. Calvin LaMatty (Union)125- Anthony Johnston (Hanover Park) vs. Mike Gattuso (Middlesex), Joe Pisauro (Roselle Park) vs. Keith Switzer (Delbarton), Stewart Minaya (Rahway) vs. Christian Alvarez (Union), Yamil Cobb (North Plainfield) vs. Mesut Ozcan (Cranford)130- Colin Hayes (Delbarton) vs. Russell Benner (Roselle Park), Bryan Gomes (Union) vs. Elysee Thomas (Weequahic), Mike Ferrara (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) vs. Wade Baldwin (New Providence), Bryan Hunt (South Plainfield) vs. Mike Egan (Parsippany Hills)135- Rich Szymcak (Hanover Park) vs. Chinedu Eldanya (Elizabeth), Alex Pelham-Webb (Millburn) vs. Gus Gallinot (New Providence), Octavio Bent (Rahway) vs. Aaron Velasquez (Morristown) vs. Andrew Burke (Irvington)140 -- CJ Engleberger (Whippany Park) vs. Josh Alpizar (Watchung Hills), Dan Coppola (Seton Hall) vs. Nick Questa (Boonton), Mike Ridge (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) vs. Matt Loffa (Brearley), Matt Ellery (Middlesex) vs. Nick Celestin (Linden).
145 -- Rob Hernandez (Whippany Park) vs. Tom Mannix (Brearley), Eric Rice (Millburn) vs. Jason Pryor (Elizabeth), Kevin Carbajal (Rahway) vs. Rob Coughlin (Governor Livingston), Chris Jessen (Watchung Hills) vs. Rob Cali (Hanover Park).
152- Jake Greubert (Hanover Park) vs. Aaron Hurtalt (Rahway), Matt Schon (Seton Hall) vs. Sam Martin (South Plainfield), Andy Castronao (Westfield) vs. Ray Prostasiewicz (Whippany Park), Larry Peotter (New Providence) vs. Rob Gabriel (Roselle Park)160 -- Paul Chrutchlow (Parsippany Hills) vs. Scott Mack (Governor Livingston), Burim Kadrijaj (Roselle Park) vs. Mike Lomio (Hanover Park), Dave DeNichilo (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) vs. Noah Levin (Millburn), Mark Wagner (South Plainfield) vs. Chad Hopkins (Newark Central).
171 -- Ron Landy (Hanover Park) vs. Sam Schwartz (Millburn), Clint Lewis (Barringer) vs. Edwin Jiminez (Elizabeth), Joe Bachi (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) vs. Robert Scriffiano (Watchung Hills), Dan Pompilio (South Plainfield) vs. Justin Eckert (Boonton).
189 -- Joe Williams (Hanover Park) vs. Lee Isom (Newark Central), Richie Benner (Roselle Park) vs. Dan Wilson (Plainfield), Billy Jacobs (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) vs. Chris Lloyd (Morristown), Jon Conroy (South Plainfield) vs. Joe DeMarzo (Seton Hall).
215 -- Casey Flynn (Morristown) vs. Mark Wroblewski (Watchung Hills), Mike Lefano (Roselle Park) vs. Dave Crotty (Whippany Park), Sandile Manzini (Rahway) vs. Conor Sweeney (Seton Hall), Trevor Martin (New Providence) vs. Keith Baker (Scotch Plains-Fanwood).
285 -- Spencer Williams (Par Hills) vs. Eric DuBeau (Brearley), Chris Brower (Seton Hall) vs. Martin Pierre (Linden), Andre Hunt (Rahway) vs. Brad Martin (South Plainfield), Kevin Romero (North Plainfield) vs. Doug Meringer (Hanover Park),

District 18 seedings

District 18 (At Hillsborough)
103 -- No. 1 Kyle Doerr (Bound Brook) bye; No. 5 Cody Hresan (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 4 Chris Stitley (Somerville); No. 3. Erik Biago (Montgomery) vs. No. 6 Steve Woolford (Ridge); No. 2 Andrew Hewitt (Franklin) bye.

112 -- No. 1 Ryan Radwanski (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 8 Tom Reynolds (Montgomery); No. 4 Joe Colon (Franklin) vs. No. 5 Clay Schuler (Bernards); No. 3. Henry Shapiro (Bound Brook) vs. No. 6 Ben Tumol (Ridge); No. 7. David Olmstead (Manville) vs. No. 2 Joseph Stitely (Somerville)

119 -- No. 1 Nestor Taffur (Bound Brook) bye; No. 9 Adam Wolcott (Manville) vs. No. 8 Mathais Cassar (Montgomery); No. 5 Waldo Guzman (Franklin) vs. No. 4 Matt Milliman (Hillsborough); No. 3 Justin Schaufler (Bernards) vs. No. 6 Tyler Sanders (Somerville); No. 7 Ryan Metcalfe (Ridge) vs. No. 10 Robby Allen (Pingry); No. 2 Andrew Conkin (Bridgewater-Raritan) bye.

125 -- No. 1 Jimmy Kirchner (Somerville) bye; No. 9 J.J. Artfitch (Manville) vs. No. 8 Mike Oake (Montgomery); No. 5 Kenny Maslow (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 4 Alex Gacos (Ridge); No. 3 Anthony Palma (Benrards) vs. No. 6 Issac Muck (Hillsborough); No. 7 Ricardo Marquez (Franklin) vs. No. 2 Gabe Gleason (Bound Brook)

130 -- No. 1 Rich Russoniello (Bernards) vs. No. 8 Jesse DiBlasio (Hillsborough); No. 5 Nick Stitley (Somerville) vs. No. 4 Jeremiah Stephenson (Franklin); No. 3 Erik Willis (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 6 Jorge Rentas (Bound Brook); No. 7 Trevor Thomas (Montgomery) vs. No. 2 Clemment Bommier (Ridge).

135 -- No. 1 Nick Murray (Bound Brook) bye; No. 9 Mike Martinson (Pingry) vs. No. 8 Nick Cassar (Montgomery); No. 5 Kevin McWhorter (Ridge) vs. No. 4 Kevin Stiles (Somerville); No. 3 Will Goddiess (Hillsborough) vs. No. 6 Arlen Mase (Bernards); No. 7 Bryan Weber (Franklin) vs. No. 10 Tyler Britt (Manville); No. 2 Adam Friedman (Bridgewater-Raritan) bye.

140 --No. 1 Rob Bolomey (Somerville) vs. No. 8 Andrew Stubbs (Pingry); No. 5 Joe Homza (Bernards) vs. No. 4 Stephen Bercik (Ridge); No. 3 Chris Ambrose (Hillsborough) vs. No. 6 Abdel Abouhaib (Montgomery); No. 7 Brian Stapleton (Franklin) vs. No. 2 Dan Liss (Bridgewater-Raritan)

145 -- No. 1 Tyler Riccio (Bridgewater-Raritan) bye; No. 9 Ben Bentivigna (Bound Brook) vs. No. 8 Chris Kocur (Manville); No. 5 Bennett Radonvic (Ridge) vs. No. 4 George Goddiess (Hillsborough); No. 3 Dan Soffer (Somerville) vs. No. 6 Billy Youngblood (Pingry); No. 7. Alex Balthaser (Montgomery) vs. No. 10 Abram Bernstein (Pingry); No. 2 Nate Arline (Franklin) bye.

152 -- No. 1 Frankie McLaughlin (Hillsborough) bye; No. 5 Payton Smith (Franklin) vs. No. 4 Tom Formisano (Ridge); No. 3 Reggie Perry (Bound Brook) vs. No. 6 Alex Sottile (Montgomery): No. 2 Wayne Hampton (Bridgewater-Raritan) bye.

160---No. 1 John Mangini (Hillsborough) bye; No. 9 Kevin Sellar (Manville) vs. No. 8 Alvaro Gonzalez (Bernards); No. 5 Oscar Carcamo (Bound Brook) vs. No. 4 Biagio Mineo (Somerville); No. 3 Trevor Topf (Pingry) vs. No. 6 Alex Colarusso (Montgomery); No. 7 Jordan Rothman (Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. No. 2 C.J. Lyons (Ridge)

171 -- No. 1 Andrew Hampton (Bridgewater-Raritan) bye; No. 9 Jack Muller (Pingry) vs. No. 8. Anthony Chairello (Franklin); No. 5 Marty Faulborn (Bernards) vs. No. 4 James Santa Maria (Somerville); No. 3 Luke Dawson (Hillsborough) vs. No. 6 Lukasz Bogdanowicz (Manville); No. 7 Dan Snyder (Montgomery) vs. No. 2 Jon Lorio (Ridge)

189 -- No. 1 Drew Ives (Bridgewater-Raritan) bye; No. 9 David Young (Pingry) vs. No. 8 Glen Hall (Manville); No. 5 Tom McCarthy (Somerville) vs. No. 4 Nick Wilson (RidgE); No. 3 Matty Birmingham (Bernards) vs. No. 6 Jared Leon (Hillsborough); No. 7 Norman James (Montgomery) vs. No. 10 Andrew LaFleur (Bound Brook) No. 2 Brandon McNeal (Franklin) bye.

215 -- No. 1 Roy Dragon III (Bridgewater-Raritan) bye; No. 9 Max Fawcett (BernardS) vs. No. 8 Mike McNellis (Ridge); No. 5 Josh Sadler (Somerville) vs. No. 4 Max Borisenko (Hillsborough); No. 3 Zac Flowerman (Pingry) vs. No. 6 Tim Bodner (Franklin); No. 7 Joe Smogard (Montgomery) vs. No. 2 Steve Lawrence (Bound Brook)

285 -- No. 1 Derrick Williams (Franklin) bye; No. 9 Aaron Glenn (Hillsborough) vs. No. 8 Padraic Czekaj (Bridgewater-Raritan); No. 5 Brad Castronovo (Montgomery) vs. No. 4 Alex Larramendia (Bernards); No. 3 Christian Mackey (Somerville) vs. Oleem O'Garro (Bound Brook); No. 7. Erik Mandeen (Ridge) vs. No. 2 Mark Manderski (Manville)

Ritacco reflection

The No. 1 question after Sunday's state group finals at the Ritacco Center was - what would happen if Jackson wrestled South Plainfield? How about a wresting tournament of champions like basketball has? From what I heard from New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association officials Sunday, that won't be happening anytime soon. Jackson looked dominant in beating Southern 38-22 in the State Group IV final, while South Plainfield routed Hackettstown 42-9 in the state Group II championship.

Jackson is No. 1 in the Gannett New Jersey Poll. South Plainfield is No. 2. There were over 5,000 folks at the Ritacco Center Sunday. Could you imagine what a Tournament of Champions would draw?

South Plainfield looked terrific in winning 11 out of 14 bouts. The one thing that has really impressed me over the last three years is how the Tigers refuse to give up bonus points. South Plainfield just doesn't do it and that's one of the reasons why it has won three straight group titles.

The Tigers allowed just one bonus point victory Sunday and that was wiped off the board after South Plainfield's Billy Ashnault beat Taylor Ulm in overtime at 135. Officials took one team point away because of how Ulm acted after the four overtime epic. South Plainfield didn't allow any bonus points against Hackettstown in January when it won 27-21.

South Plainfield coach Kevin McCann laughed when it was suggested to him that his team hasn't had a bad match this year. I wasn't at the Bergen Catholic loss, but it came early in the season and geez, a team should be allowed one poor performance.

The Tigers lost three matches in Minnesota at the Clash Tournament in late December, then lost to Bergen Catholic. It's interesting to note that the Tigers were 6-4 at one point this season. That means they'll bring a 16-match winning streak into the 2007-08 season.

Now it's time for the districts. I'll be at District 17 for the weekend and my colleague Sim Pincus, who's been off the wrestling beat for a couple of years, will take in District 18.

More on the districts in the next few days.

South Plainfield wins third straight group title

State Group II final
South Plainfield (42), Hackettstown (9)
103--Nick Heilman (32-1) p. Corey Kozimor (22-8) 0:38.
112--Ryan Sacco (12-5) SP. d. Travis Tjong (16-13) 5-3
119 -- Patrick Hunter (31-1) SP. tf. Luckson Etienne (26-6) 18-3, 4:56.
125 -- Bryan Hunt (24-9) SP. md. Keith Swanson (24-8) 11-2
130--Keith Morris (23-7) H md. Nicky Pauls (14-16) 12-1 (South Plainfield clinches Group II title)
135--Bill Ashnault (30-2) SP. d. Taylor Ulm (28-3) 6-5 (4OTs)
140--Nick Dorey (27-6) SP. d. Billy Strathern (24-7) 4-3
145--Mike Jakubik SP. d. Corey Vernon 5-3
152--Sam Martin (21-6) SP d. Owen Vernon (25-6) 6-4.
160--Mark Wagner (21-7) SP won by forfeit.
171--Dan Pompilio (22-12) SP. d. J.J. Mitchell (27-5) 5-4
189 --Zach Ulm (28-3) H. d. Jon Conroy (18-14) 5-2
215--Preston Johnson (10-1) SP. d. Patrick Bourland (14-14) 3-0
285--Nick Souders (22-10) H. d. Brad Martin (8-12) 5-3
(Hackettstown deducted one team point because of unsportsmanlike conduct after 130 pound bout)

State Group II semifinal boxcore

State Group II semifinal
South Plainfield 58, Point Pleasant Boro 6
103 – Nick Heilman (SP) p. Sean Brand :22. 112 – Ryan Sacco (SP) p. Pat Hunt 5:03. 119 – Patrick Hunter (SP) md. Jordan Beverly 11-1. 125 – Nick Pauls (SP) d. Anthony Tarantin 8-7. 130 – Bryan Hunt (SP) tf. Brian Munsie 15-0, 4:31. 135 – Billy Ashnault (SP) p. Joe Kosequat 1:11. 140 – Nick Dorey (SP) won by forfeit. 145 – Mike Jakubik (SP) p. Jeff Nase :39. 152 – Sam Martin (SP) md. Joe Bontempo 16-3. 160 – Mark Wagner (SP) p. Sean Casey 1:51. 171 – Dan Pompilio (SP) d. Skyler Engelken 8-7. 189 – Kyle Coleman (PPB) d. Jon Conroy 10-8. 215 – Preston Johnson (SP) d. Gage Bongiovi 7-2. 285 –Marty Infante (PPB) d. Brad Martin 10-8.
MATCH BEGAN AT: 145.
RECORDS: South Plainfield 21-4, Point Pleasant Boro 21-4

South Plainfield will win No. 3

South Plainfield will win its third straight group title Sunday at the Ritacco Center. The Tigers know how to win close bouts in these kind of settings. Throw in the fact that head coach Kevin McCann believes he has arrived at the team's best lineup and the Tigers look like they should have enough to beat either Hackettstown or Kittatinny in the state Group II final Sunday afternoon.

Here's a capsule look at the Tigers' semifinal match with Point Pleasant Boro.


POINT PLEASANT BORO (21-3) VS. SOUTH PLAINFIELD (20-4)
Point Pleasant Boro won its first sectional title Thursday night as freshman 112-pounder Jordan Beverly (25-3), brother of New Jersey state champ Jeff Beverly (125, 1999), clinched the victory over Cinnaminson with a fall.

McCann said he would like to wrestle junior Patrick Hunter (29-1) against Beverly. Hunter, third in the state last year at 103, has been at 112, but has moved up to 119.

South Plainfield's upper weights will be challenged by the likes of junior 160-pounder Sean Casey (18-10), junior 171-pounder Skylar Engelken (28-1), junior 189-pounder Kyle Coleman (27-3), senior 215-pounder Gage Bongiovi (27-3) and junior 285-pounder Marty Infante (18-6). South Plainfield, ranked No. 2 in the Gannett New Jersey Top 20, may go wit the same lineup that routed Raritan in the sectional final.

Senior 215-pounder Preston Johnson moved up to 285 and won by fallin the sectional final. Junior 160-pounder Mark Wagner (25-1), sophomore 171-pounder Jon Conroy (17-12) or junior Dan Pompilio (20-12) and junior Brad Martin (9-10) have been overshadowed. South Plainfield is a strong favorite to advance to its third straight group final.

IF SOUTH PLAINFIELD WINS
The Tigers, who won state Group III titles the last two years, will meet a familiar team in the final. The Tigers beat North 2 winner Hackettstown 27-21 Jan. 15 and North I champ Kittatinny 32-21 Jan. 20. South split 14 bouts with Hackettstown, but had a pin, technical fall and major win. Hackettstown had no bonus points. The teams split two overtime decisions. The Tigers won nine of 14 bouts five days later in the victory over Kittatinny. Both wins were achieved without Johnson, who was out because of disciplinary reasons.

South Plainfield-Raritan possible lineups

Central Jersey Group II final, 7 p.m. tonight at South Plainfield

RARITAN (22-1) vs. SOUTH PLAINFIELD (19-4)
Possible lineups
Greg Alexander (23-7) 103 Nick Heilmann (29-1)
Chris VanFechtman (18-10) 112 Patrick Hunter (28-1)
Cody Mooney (23-7) 119 Ryan Sacco (9-5)
T.J. Mitchell (29-1) 125 Nicky Pauls (13-14)
Kevin Moore (13-8) 130 Bryan Hunt (22-8)
Billy Voutsinas (24-2) 135 Billy Ashnault (27-2)
Dave Seidenberg (27-3) 140 Nick Dorey (25-5)
Chris Lobello (15-9) 145 Mike Jakubik (24-6)
Bob Hornacek (18-9) 152 Sam Martin (18-6)
Dave Seidenberg (27-2) 160 Mark Wagner (24-1)
Dan Bilowus (22-8) 171 Dan Pompilio (20-11)
Aaron Cruez (8-16) 189 Jon Conroy (17-12)
Chris Mooney (4-5) 215 Preston Johnson (8-1)
Matt Walsh (6-11) HWT Rocco Petriello (8-16)
Others weighing in: Raritan: Brian Whalen (10-6, 130), Pat Susino (6-4, 152), Nick
Hungerford (2-2, 160); South Plainfield: Brad Martin (8-10,

Help

The condensing of the wrestling regular season by one week this year has been a headache for us media types. With the added number of quad and triangular meets on Saturdays this year, it's been quite a chore in trying to get all of the matches reported and in the newspaper.

Now this week -- the last week of regular season matches -- will be especially tricky. A lot of schools schedule on the run this week. If that happens, please call us a DAY or TWO before the match so we can add it to our schedule.

Please call your results in from your side of the tri or quad. The host school WON'T be calling in their match with the other visiting team. Keep that in mind.

Thanks.

The best week

The sectional wrestling championships begin this coming week with quarterfinals and semifinals Tuesday, followed by the sectional finals Friday and finally the state groups Sunday at the Ritacco Center in Toms River.

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The dual meet season, which can be a drag, is at its best this week.

Our area has 10 teams that have qualified: Bound Brook in Central Jersey Group I; South Plainfield and Delaware Valley in CJ Group II and Hunterdon Central in CJ IV.

Bernards has qualified in North 2, Group I, Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Voorhees in North 2, Group III and Bridgewater-Raritan, Watchung Hills and North Hunterdon in North 2, IV.

The best bet to make it to the state group final is South Plainfield, which will need to repeat a regular season win over defending section champ Delaware Valley to get to the final four. The Tigers won the state Group III title and have already beaten defending Group II champ Kittatinny and defending North 1, Group II champ Hackettstown during the regular season.

I also like Scotch Plains-Fanwood to reach the final four. Scotch Plains-Fanwood lost to North Hunterdon 42-24 in the sectional quarterfinals last year. But the Raiders could beat Voorhees and Warren Hills to get to the Group III final four.

Bridgewater-Raritan looks like it will have an opportunity to avenge its regular-season loss to Phillipsburg. Phillipsburg is the No. 1 seed and Bridgewater-Raritan is No. 2. They should meet Thursday night for the sectional title.

Bound Brook gets a trip to Roselle Park where it could meet longtime former Mountain Valley Conference rival Roselle Park if it can beat Shore Regional in the section quarterfinals. Bound Brook simply has too many holes to beat Roselle Park.

We'll have a closer look at the sectionals in Monday's newspaper.

Thursday night

Phillipsburg's 26-23 win over Delaware Valley was a thriller Wednesday night. If you're a Delaware Valley fan, you're wondering why the Terriers couldn't have stolen at least one of the close losses they suffered. A tremendous crowd by the way -- closer to 1,100 in Alexandria.

Delaware Valley coach Brent Conly had to feel a great opportunity had slipped through his team's hands.

Bernards' 66-0 loss at Hackettstown Wednesday night did feature one great match. Previously unbeaten Bernards' enior Rich Russoniello was beaten 3-1 by Taylor Ulm at 135. If Russoniello can stay healthy, he's going to be the third Bernards wrestler to place high at the state tournament next month, joining graduated stars Greg Hart and Pat Riley. Hart was third at 125 and Riley was fourth at 140 last year.