By Andy Loigu

A big local sports weekend is coming up as the Hackettstown Tigers have reached the boys basketball final in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament and a bevy of local wrestlers are headed to this weekend’s regional competition. Also, one of the ladies has already secured a spot at the state wrestling showcase in Atlantic City in two weeks.

The tenacious Tigers (21-3 as of this writing) have reached the H/W/S final with crisp and unselfish ball movement (creating high percentage shots) and a helping man to man defense. They will contend with Hunterdon Central for the championship on Friday evening, Feb. 28, with a 7 p.m. tipoff scheduled at Centenary University’s sparkling gymnasium.

Seniors Tyler Gorczyca, Tyler Kirkpatrick, Jalen Baptiste and Ryan Omelia along with junior Shawn Morgan, have been making magic happen in a season which has included a 14-game win streak.

They defeated Phillipsburg in the semifinal last Friday evening, despite a slow start. The offense exploded in the third period and Hackettstown rolled to a 64-41 win.

In the state tournament, Hackettstown will host Harrison in a first round North 2 Group 2 contest on March 3.

The Warren Hills and North Warren girls reached the semifinals in the H/W/S basketball brackets, but did not reach the finals. The Blue Streaks lost 57-48 at Sparta, a really tough place to play, and North Warren lost 40-29 to Newton.

In state tournament action, the Blue Streaks will host Rahway at 5:30 p.m. on March 2 in the opening round of the North 2 Group 3 chase. North Warren will host the Hopatcong Chiefs in a first round North 1 Group 1 game on March 2.

Wrestlers Survive And Advance

Warren Hills, Hackettstown, and Belvidere will be well represented at the Region 3 wrestling competition at West Orange this weekend, Feb. 28 and 29.

After last weekend’s district tournaments, Warren Hills boasts 11 region qualifiers, Hackettstown has five, and Belvidere has two. The regions are where state qualifiers for the big final showcase at Atlantic City are determined.

Warren Hills edged West Morris 217-206.5 for the team title in District 12 at Becton in Bergen County. The Blue Streaks celebrate five district champions, senior Geir Nemeth at 138 pounds by fall  in 43 seconds, and four super sophomores, Jared Lee at 120, Stephen Malia at 152, Owen Frizzell at 160, and Tyler McCatharn at 285. Incidentally, McCatharn defeated Belvidere junior Carson Grogan 5-0 in an All-Warren final matchup.

Blue Streak runner-ups were seniors Greg Slivka at 113, Logan Nauta at 132, and Nick Hildebrandt at 170, along with fabulous freshman Jarett Pantuso at 182. Third place qualifiers from Warren Hills were junior Reese Manfredi at 145, and freshman Shawn Redfield at 106.

Hackettstown had two champions at the District 11 competition at Morristown, senior Zeb Burke at 152 and freshman Austin Zellars at 106, to lead a squad of five Tigers who are moving on to West Orange.

Senior Alejandro Castro at 160, junior Matt Bremner at 195, and senior Cody Motto at 285 all punched their tickets with third place finishes.

Belvidere earned a District 12 championship at 106 pounds, where junior Hunter Lensi won a dominant 8-0 major over Mike Campanaro of West Morris, helping their good neighbor Warren Hills hold its lead in the team standings. He and Grogan are Big Red’s two qualifiers.

In the North Jersey Region Tournament at Union, Courtney Hoff of Warren Hills won the 121-pound girls championship. She will be going for a crown at Atlantic City in two weeks.

Congratulations and good luck to all.

….Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.