North Jersey Male Athlete of the Week finally gets his shot to shine in Atlantic City
August Hibler has been waiting a long time for this.
State finals in Atlantic City?
Of course. The Leonia/Palisades Park star expected himself to be one of the top wrestlers in his weight class since he enrolled at Bergen Catholic in the fall of 2020. But things don't always work out as planned.
COVID-19, an inopportune injury and a wrestle-off loss cost him chances to get to Boardwalk Hall before his impressive run through the Region 2 144-pound class last weekend.
But that's not all that Hibler has been waiting for since he transferred to Leonia High School after moving to Edgewater in August.
There's also a steak dinner promised to him by acting Leonia vice principal Anthony Servis if he won a regional title and advanced to states.
Hibler already has his order in mind.
"An order of fried calamari, medium-rare steak (the only way to have it), roasted potatoes, grilled asparagus and Blackhorse Chocolate Cake with cherries for dessert," said Hibler, who has missed many of his favorite meals during the season in order to eat healthy and achieve his goals.
Hibler is Leonia's first regional champion since heavyweight Chris Farulla won the 2007 Region 2 crown. If things go well this weekend, he could become Leonia's first state medalist since Joel Raucci won back-to-back golds in 1971 and 1972.
He doesn't lack for confidence.
"I'm super ready," said Hibler, who wrestles year round for the Apex Wrestling Club under the direction of Erik Norgaard, a Leonia resident who captured the 145-pound state crown while wrestling for St. Joseph Regional in 2000. "I was seeded third at regions after waiting so long to get the chance to wrestle, it felt like I was finally unleashed."
Big wins over a pair of state medalists gave him his first regional title and confirmed his status as a Northwestern commit. He'll study business at the Evanston, Illinois campus and wrestle in the Big Ten, the best collegiate wrestling conference in the country.
He doesn't like to rehash what led him to transfer from Bergen Catholic, where he had several major upset wins over the years, including a huge win against St. Joseph Regional in 2022 when he came off the bench to replace injured state champion Joe Cangro and beat a three-time state medalist.
"I'm still friends with a lot of the wrestlers there and even the coaches, but it wasn't a good place for me to go back to," he said.
So he and younger brother Seach, a sophomore, transferred to Leonia and the co-op Leonia/Palisades Park wrestling program, and both will be in Atlantic City this weekend. Seach finished third in Region 2 at 126 pounds.
"It's super special to be going to states for the first time and have him there too," said August, named for the subject of a Grateful Dead song, Wharf Rat, one of his father's favorites. "He tells me he's been to states the same number of times as I have and he's two years younger than me. But he's been my practice partner for a long time and he helped me stay sharp while I was sitting out (early in the season due to NJSIAA transfer rules)."
Both Hiblers advanced into the state quarterfinals with two wins on the first day of the state tournament on Thursday, August with a pin and a 12-4 victory, and Seach, the No. 16 seed, by upsetting No. 1 seed Sammy Spaulding of Camden Catholic in the second round.
August has wrestled in big tournaments before, mainly in U.S. Wrestling events outside of the regular high school season, but he was looking forward to stepping onto the mat at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for his first round match.
"I expect a lot of lights, a lot of people and a tournament that's not like any other," he said. "New Jersey is one of the few states (10 to be exact) that has just one division and that makes things more intense. I'm really excited to finally get the chance."
August Hibler
Sport: Wrestling
School: Leonia
Class: Senior. Age: 19
Accomplishment: Hibler won his first regional title in dominant fashion, beating Bergen County champion James Sloan of St. Joseph and state medalist Luke Geleta of Phillipsburg en route to the Region 2 144-pound title.
Also nominated: Devin Ryan of New Milford and Gavin Seiler of Westwood for wrestling, and Vincenzo Capano of Northern Highlands for ice hockey.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen Record Male Athlete of the Week: August Hibler, Leonia
