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The singlets are put away. The mats are rolled up.
It was another fun season with plenty of exciting dual meets. Here is the final Home News Tribune Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10.
More: Wrestling: Handy index of postseason links from the team tournament to All-Area honors
More: Vote: Readers' Choice 2024-25 Boys Wrestler of the Year poll
More: Wrestling: Home News Tribune 2024-25 All-GMC selections
1. St. Joseph (18-4): Once again, there’s no debate, no controversy – the Falcons are the No. 1 team in Middlesex County. St. Joseph went undefeated against GMC squads and captured its third consecutive GMC Tournament title. They had a deep lineup who liked another one, witness the pre-practice dodge ball games, and then performed under the spotlight. They finished state-ranked and sent nine to the state tournament highlighted by junior placewinners Tyler Whitford and Morgan Schwarz.
2. Monroe (18-15): Monroe was 7-10 on Jan. 11 after wrestling some tough teams with still getting guys in the right weight. Things started clicking and the Falcons had a magical run to their first sectional title by taking the Central Group 5 crown and they advanced nine to Region 5. Joe Eurell was our Coach of the Year for leading the way.
3. Old Bridge (15-8): A move here or there, and the Knights might have pulled out the win over Monroe in the Central Group 5 final. However, Old Bridge fans shouldn’t lament what could have been and instead savor another fine season. The Knight finished second in the always tough Red Division and placed second in the GMCT led by two-time champ Gavin Young.
4. South Plainfield (15-6): Hands raised in South Plainfield, now that’s more like it. The Tigers rebounded from a rare rebuilding campaign to earn another winning season, place third in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament and reach the North 2 Group 3 final.
5. Sayreville (16-9): The Bombers have been known for their heavyweight and upper weight wrestlers and Bryce Bouchard (190) and Kacper Trzeciak (285) kept the tradition going with GMCT titles, while Michael Zaunczkowski (175) reached his second straight final. Sayreville had a top 10 finish as a team and battled in the Red Division.
6. Edison (15-9): The Eagles moved up to the Red Division from the White and held their own in the league’s toughest grouping. While Edison finished 1-6 in the division, it had close losses against No. 2 Monroe, No. 4 South Plainfield and No. 5 Sayreville. They did avenge an early defeat against East Brunswick with an exciting 40-39 win in the Central Group 5 quarterfinals. The Eagles’ four GMCT finalists are all back next season in champ Fernando Avellan and runners-up Tyler “Candie” Northern, Jeremy Negron and Nicholas Campaneilli.
7. Woodbridge (16-6): Woodbridge had some stars like Tyler Boelhower, but mostly consisted of a gritty team with quality, pesky guys at each weight who never rolled over easy. The proof? The Barrons reached the sectional tournament for the first time since 2022 and captured the White Division for the first time since 2017.
8. East Brunswick (8-13): Some years, you get all the breaks. Other years, well, things just seem a tad out of reach. While the Bears had several strong individual performances, they just couldn’t gain traction in the dual campaign and had an 11-match losing streak from the second week in January into February. The Bears still qualified for the sectional tournament and nearly pulled out a win over Edison, falling 40-39. Several nice pieces are back.
9. Colonia (17-5): The Patriots finished as the White Division’s second-best squad going 6-1 with their only loss against Woodbridge. Colonia has a nice base returning led by Hudson Platt and Joshua Parks, who each placed fifth in Region 4.
10.North Brunswick (14-11): There’s enthusiasm and high spirits in the Raiders wrestling room these days. North Brunswick captured the program’s first GMC division title by earning the Blue Division crown. The Raiders also reached their first double digit win total since 2010 and had their first winning campaign since going 9-6 in 2019. The township has a recently restarted youth program and the mat future looks bright.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Wrestling rankings: The final Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10
Continue reading...
It was another fun season with plenty of exciting dual meets. Here is the final Home News Tribune Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10.
More: Wrestling: Handy index of postseason links from the team tournament to All-Area honors
More: Vote: Readers' Choice 2024-25 Boys Wrestler of the Year poll
More: Wrestling: Home News Tribune 2024-25 All-GMC selections
1. St. Joseph (18-4): Once again, there’s no debate, no controversy – the Falcons are the No. 1 team in Middlesex County. St. Joseph went undefeated against GMC squads and captured its third consecutive GMC Tournament title. They had a deep lineup who liked another one, witness the pre-practice dodge ball games, and then performed under the spotlight. They finished state-ranked and sent nine to the state tournament highlighted by junior placewinners Tyler Whitford and Morgan Schwarz.
2. Monroe (18-15): Monroe was 7-10 on Jan. 11 after wrestling some tough teams with still getting guys in the right weight. Things started clicking and the Falcons had a magical run to their first sectional title by taking the Central Group 5 crown and they advanced nine to Region 5. Joe Eurell was our Coach of the Year for leading the way.
3. Old Bridge (15-8): A move here or there, and the Knights might have pulled out the win over Monroe in the Central Group 5 final. However, Old Bridge fans shouldn’t lament what could have been and instead savor another fine season. The Knight finished second in the always tough Red Division and placed second in the GMCT led by two-time champ Gavin Young.
4. South Plainfield (15-6): Hands raised in South Plainfield, now that’s more like it. The Tigers rebounded from a rare rebuilding campaign to earn another winning season, place third in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament and reach the North 2 Group 3 final.
5. Sayreville (16-9): The Bombers have been known for their heavyweight and upper weight wrestlers and Bryce Bouchard (190) and Kacper Trzeciak (285) kept the tradition going with GMCT titles, while Michael Zaunczkowski (175) reached his second straight final. Sayreville had a top 10 finish as a team and battled in the Red Division.
6. Edison (15-9): The Eagles moved up to the Red Division from the White and held their own in the league’s toughest grouping. While Edison finished 1-6 in the division, it had close losses against No. 2 Monroe, No. 4 South Plainfield and No. 5 Sayreville. They did avenge an early defeat against East Brunswick with an exciting 40-39 win in the Central Group 5 quarterfinals. The Eagles’ four GMCT finalists are all back next season in champ Fernando Avellan and runners-up Tyler “Candie” Northern, Jeremy Negron and Nicholas Campaneilli.
7. Woodbridge (16-6): Woodbridge had some stars like Tyler Boelhower, but mostly consisted of a gritty team with quality, pesky guys at each weight who never rolled over easy. The proof? The Barrons reached the sectional tournament for the first time since 2022 and captured the White Division for the first time since 2017.
8. East Brunswick (8-13): Some years, you get all the breaks. Other years, well, things just seem a tad out of reach. While the Bears had several strong individual performances, they just couldn’t gain traction in the dual campaign and had an 11-match losing streak from the second week in January into February. The Bears still qualified for the sectional tournament and nearly pulled out a win over Edison, falling 40-39. Several nice pieces are back.
9. Colonia (17-5): The Patriots finished as the White Division’s second-best squad going 6-1 with their only loss against Woodbridge. Colonia has a nice base returning led by Hudson Platt and Joshua Parks, who each placed fifth in Region 4.
10.North Brunswick (14-11): There’s enthusiasm and high spirits in the Raiders wrestling room these days. North Brunswick captured the program’s first GMC division title by earning the Blue Division crown. The Raiders also reached their first double digit win total since 2010 and had their first winning campaign since going 9-6 in 2019. The township has a recently restarted youth program and the mat future looks bright.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Wrestling rankings: The final Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10
Continue reading...
