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Wrestling rankings: This week's area Skyland and UCC Top 10

andy mendlowitz, mycentraljersey.com
·3 min read

The week included some exciting duals and the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament. Here is how the Courier News Top 10 wound up this week.

NOTE: The Courier News area consists of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, with parts of Middlesex (South Plainfield, Piscataway, Middlesex/Dunellen) and Union (Governor Livingston, Plainfield, New Providence, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Westfield).

More: Wrestling: Top GMC boys and girls performers of the week

Courier News Area Top 10

(Records through Monday, Jan. 15)

1. Hunterdon Central (9-1) – last ranking No. 1: The Red Devils dropped an anticipated dual to fellow state-ranked Phillipsburg 45-13 on Wednesday. The bounce-back? Saturday’s Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament. Hunterdon Central had a stunning performance by capturing its first championship with 225 points to edge Phillipsburg (220). Champions Ryan Sherlock (113), Anthony Rossi (120) and Thomas Brunetti (190) led the way.

2. Delaware Valley (7-0) – last ranking No. 2: The Terriers topped county rival Voorhees and placed third in the 17-team H/W/S with champion Jackson Bush (138) and 10 other place-winners, including finalists Jaden Perez (126) and Anderson Olcott (190).

3. Governor Livingston (14-2) – last ranking No. 3: The Highlanders took a road trip Saturday to New York and went 4-0 at the Uniondale Duals. GL also earned big in-state wins over New Providence, 60-15, and Roselle Park, 56-18. The Highlanders look for a high finish in Saturday’s Union County Tournament.

4. Ridge (8-1) – last ranking No. 4:  The Red Devils traveled south to the 43rd annual Virginia Duals and went 3-1 to place third in the Cliff Keen High School Division. The Somerset County Tournament champions have key upcoming Skyland Raritan Division matches with Voorhees and Delaware Valley.

5. North Hunterdon (4-5) – last ranking No. 5: North Hunterdon had some gutsy wrestling to edge Bridgewater-Raritan 34-27. Brian Wilson (165) won 4-2 and Owen Dandeo (215) and Anthony DeSimone (285) each pulled out overtime tiebreaker victories. The Lions finished eighth in the H/W/S.

6. Watchung Hills (6-5) – last ranking No. 7: Drama. That seems to be the best word to describe the Warriors’ week. Watchung Hills had three one-point decision wins in beating Warren Hills, 33-32 (on Criteria F), Woodstown, 39-38, and Hillsborough, 30-29 (remember last year’s 33-33 dual that Hillsborough won on criteria?) Drama.

7. Hillsborough (5-5) – last ranking No. 6: If you wrestle tough teams, you’re going to take some losses. The Raiders dropped close ones to Watchung Hills and Emerson/Park Ridge before beating Woodstown, 36-30. The Raiders have an intriguing dual Friday against Bridgewater-Raritan.

Dane Sorensen (Bridgewater-Raritan) won by decision over Matt Miller (Hillsborough) in the 165 lb. weight class on Jan. 5, 2024 evening at the East Brunswick High School gymnasium in East Brunswick.
Dane Sorensen (Bridgewater-Raritan) won by decision over Matt Miller (Hillsborough) in the 165 lb. weight class on Jan. 5, 2024 evening at the East Brunswick High School gymnasium in East Brunswick.

8. Bridgewater-Raritan (6-5) – last ranking No. 8: The Panthers had a 4-1 week, just losing the close dual to North Hunterdon. Bridgewater-Raritan beat Bernards, 49-21, and snagged non-conference victories over Bayonne and East Side.

9. Bernards (6-2) – last ranking No. 9: The Mountaineers rebounded after the loss to Bridgewater-Raritan by going 3-0 in a non-conference tri-meet against Belleville, Pompton Lakes and Randolph. Bernards meets Pingry in a Skyland Raritan Division dual before Saturday’s quad at Mountain Lakes.

10. Voorhees (4-6) – last ranking No. 10: In a light dual week, the Vikings lost to Delaware Valley and then placed 10th in the H/W/S. Trevor Zabroski (215) took third and Logan Wiecoreck (165) placed fourth for the highest Voorhees’ finishes.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ wrestling: This week's area Skyland and UCC Top 10