HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP — Group III is wide open, and each of the eight teams remaining knows it has a chance to win it all and make history on Sunday at Pine Belt Arena.

Count Brick among that group. With a couple of key late-season additions and a tough-as-nails schedule as preparation, the Dragons may have found their stride at the perfect time.

The third-seeded Dragons took eight of 11 contested bouts from second-seeded Hopewell Valley on Wednesday night, getting pins from Kyle Wojtaszek, Kyle Marino and Dan Rackliffe, and a technical fall from Will Scott for a 35-30 victory in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III semifinals.

Brick led 35-12 after Connor Mulligan’s decision at 120 pounds and forfeited the final three bouts. The Dragons move on to face top-seeded Ocean in the sectional final, which is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., weather permitting.

“We really stress each one of the guys doing their jobs, and those are different every match,” said head coach Matt Opacity. “We did a pretty good job today with that.”

“Coaches are big on everyone getting their jobs done, and that’s the reason we’re so successful,” Wojtaszek said. “Everyone on the team does their job.”

Brick is looking for its third sectional title in program history and second in a row. The Dragons have defeated Ocean each time, including a 42-23 victory in last season’s sectional final. Brick has never won a group championship.

With the match beginning at 145 pounds, Brick (17-5) had a chance to grab an early lead and momentum with the strongest part of its lineup taking the mat first. Scott won by technical fall at 145, 16-0 over Owen Clarke, before junior Nick Pollara edged Sean Kent, 4-3, at 152. Wojtaszek followed with a first period pin of Kevin Thompson and Dean Sherry defeated Chris DeClerico, 13-6, to give Brick a 17-0 lead through four bouts.

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“Considering we had all our weapons coming out right away, it gave the team a huge confidence boost,” Wojtaszek said. “We all came out with wins and that made the match a lot easier on us.”

“That’s our strongest part of the lineup, and we knew if we all won we’d set the momentum for the team,” Sherry said.

Brick remained in control through heavyweight as Jack Jachim held Evan Carlton (26-3) to a 5-0 decision before junior Ray Fattaruso defeated Ward Taggart (21-10) 3-0 at 195. Fattaruso, who helped lead Brick’s football team to the Central Jersey Group IV title, recently rejoined the team after starting the year on the bowling team. He is 7-0 since returning.

Hopewell Valley picked up bonus points when Mike Markulec, New Jersey’s third-ranked 220-pounder, won by fall over Vinny Piparo to cut Brick’s lead to 20-9. Sophomore Kelvin Tomasello then held Patrick Rojvall to a 2-0 decision in a bout Hopewell was looking to get bonus points in. Brick then won the next three bouts to close out the victory.

Leading 20-12 heading into 106, Marino pinned Spencer Brost in 36 seconds and Rackliffe won by fall in 3:30 over Ryan Butcavage to extend Brick’s lead to 32-12 with four bouts left.

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Mulligan, a senior and returning District 23 champ who had been sidelined with a concussion and just returned in the sectional quarterfinals, clinched the match with a 4-3 victory over Austin Roskos at 120 pounds, enabling Brick to forfeit out and advance to the sectional final.

Group III is much different this season compared to seasons past. The bracket has been won by state heavyweights since 2001, with South Plainfield winning six titles, Phillipsburg winning three and High Point earning a pair of championships. Of the eight teams remaining in Group III - Paramus, Wayne Valley, Warren Hills, Roxbury, Ocean, Brick, Kingsway and Clearview - only Kingsway (3) and Warren Hills (2) have ever won group titles. The championship is there for the taking. It really is anybody’s to win.

“The way we’re wrestling can take us all the way into group finals,” Wojtaszek said. “Our team is tough as nails. If we show up to wrestle, we have a chance, and we know that.”

 

Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament
Sectional Semifinals
Central Jersey Group III

3-Brick 35, 2-Hopewell Valley 30
145: Will Scott (Brick) tf. Owen Clarke 4:45 (16-0)
152: Nick Pollara (Brick) d. Sean Kent 4-3
160: Kyle Wojtaszek (Brick) p. Kevin Thompson 1:12
170: Sean Sherry (Brick) d. Chris DeClerico 13-6
182: Evan Carlton (HV) d. Jack Jachim 5-0
195: Ray Fattaruso (Brick) d. Ward Taggart 3-0
220: Mike Markulec (HV) p. Vinny Piparo 1:15
Hwt: Patrick Rojvall (HV) d. Kelvin Tomasello 2-0
106: Kyle Marino (Brick) p. Spencer Brost 0:36
113: Dan Rackliffe (Brick) p. Ryan Butcavage 3:30
120: Connor Mulligan (Brick) d. Austin Roskos 4-3
126: Mark Gerstacker (HV) by forfeit
132: Dean Clarke (HV) by forfeit
138: Connor Rittley (HV) by forfeit
Records: at Hopewell Valley (15-5); Brick (17-5).

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