With the top three teams in the state residing well below the state capitol, most of the attention on girls wrestling has been focused in the south. But largely below the radar, several northern teams have been making their moves and establishing themselves as some of the toughest dual meet teams in the state.
Vernon is one team that has ventured to South Jersey and finished fourth at the Kingsway Duals for the second consecutive year. The Lions are currently ranked No. 4 in the NJ.com Top 10 and are joined on that list by two other North Jersey teams, No. 5 Newton/Kittatinny and No. 8 Morris Hills.
Vernon scored a 39-30 dual meet win over Morris Hills earlier this season in the only meeting between the three teams. But Newton will be wrestling both Vernon and Morris Hills in the coming week to settle the matter of North Jersey girls wrestling dominance.
Vernon had been the presumptive top team in the north and seemed to reinforce that again with its performance at the Kingsway Duals but that balance of power may be threatened by changes at both Newton and Morris Hills.
Both Newton and Kittatinny have traditionally had several strong wrestlers each, but as a combined coop the team has emerged as a legitimate state power and will challenge Vernon at home Monday in a dual meet.
Morris Hills meanwhile has experienced a tremendous growth in the sport’s popularity on its Rockaway campus, doubling the number of girls in the room over a single season. That has made the Scarlet Knights a formidable dual meet team. In their loss to Vernon, the Knights actually lost two bouts on pins after leading on points.
“We had the same thing happen at High Point,” Morris Hills coach Dave Sylvester said of his squad’s 42-27 loss to the No. 7 Wildcats. “Things didn’t go our way but I would put us up there against any team in the state. We’re tough and we’re learning to fight and we’re learning to wrestle. We have a lot of inexperience. A lot of our girls are first and second year wrestlers.”
The centerpiece of the Morris Hills team is, of course, Kyara Montoya, a two time state place winner and one of the best wrestlers in the state. She is currently 13-3 on the season. At the moment, she is the exception rather than the rule but Sylvester feels that her example and her efforts on and off the mat are a big reason why that is now changing.
“We have great senior leadership,” Sylvester said. “Kyara Montoya had some health issues last year but she is coming on strong now. She is a great spokeswoman for our sport and has pushed for more girls in our school and in our community to give wrestling a shot. Without her drive and work ethic I’m not sure where we would be. She has helped build and drive this program forward.”
In addition to Montoya, the Scarlet Knights field a formidable, if young, lineup.
Starting with Madison Ridner at 100, Sylvester will be adding returnee Sophia Garcia at 107 as she becomes eligible. That will lead into Kyara Olivera and Drew Bonnet at 114, followed by Montoya at 120. Ava Hosonitz at 126 and Phoebe Abboud at 132 complete Morris Hills’ strength down low.
“Our middle is strong and (185 pounder Evette) Colon seals the deal up top,” Sylvester says. “Hosonitz has really come on. She is very physical and athletic through and through. Colon is getting better every day and is coming on strong and really learning. Amaya Legra at 145-152 is first year but has been like a sponge and is putting in some great work. We have a great underclassmen group and are able to fill every weight with girls who are athletic, who work and who fight. Everyone from 100 to 235 just fights and when you see that fight paying off in team wins, that’s one of the best things in wrestling.”
It is the particular drama and excitement of dual meets that Sylvester recognizes as one of the key motivating factors for his ability to recruit new talent to the wrestling room at Morris Hills. And he expects his team’s newly acquired ability to field a complete lineup that can compete regularly in dual meets to pay dividends down the road.
“The girls absolutely love the Lehigh introductions and the full warm-ups,” he said. “Our first home match was very electric and everyone was excited. We couldn’t be happier to be at the same level as the boys. Treating duals like the boys varsity matches is going to explode this sport around the state. It’s creating a real buzz. When I walk in the school, that’s what I hear people talking about. I don’t know if people are aware how fun this sport can be. If they can see the team aspect more, if they can see the girls rely on each other more, that can help other girls to come out and give it a shot.”
With greater numbers in the room, comes the ability to stage more dual meets. According to Sylvester, that feeds the success of his program.
“I think we’ve had a lot of success having the wrestlers be the loudspeakers for us,” he said. “The middle school program in Wharton has really jump started all of this for us. A few of our girls got early exposure. Getting girls out at the high school age can be difficult. When people see our dual meets, they see the comaraderie that our team has. They are a great group of girls and they have created a sisterhood. They love each other. We have created this culture of a tight knit community on our team. The girls have responded.”
Morris Hills is coming off a strong showing at the Bergen Tournament where it placed four wrestlers, including second place finishers Montoya at 120 and Legra at 145, as well as third place finisher Colon at 185 and 126 pounder Honowitz, who finished fourth.
“At the Bergen Tournament we showed a lot of grit,” Sylvester said of his wrestlers. “We beat some really tough girls. Other coaches were saying to me, ‘Wow, you have a solid team from top to bottom.’ I think Bergen is a tough tournament. That was definitely a high point for us in terms of performance. We placed four girls and everyone won at least one match.”
Morris Hills will be trying to build on that success as it wraps up its schedule with its conference tournament, the NJAC, on Feb. 4 and a dual with Newton/Kittatinny on Feb. 10. The state regional tournaments follow on Feb. 19.
It’s a challenging finish but Sylvester feels confident that his wrestlers are up to the job and he thinks this team and the program in general has a bright future.
“Moving forward into the post season, I’m very excited,” he said. “I think a lot of people are going to be turning their heads (and saying) ‘Who’s that?’ The girls are ready to make some noise when they show up at regions. Whether they win or lose, they are going to fight.”
NJ.com Girls Wrestling Top 10
1. Jackson Memorial
2. Lakewood
3. Kingsway
4. Vernon
5. Newton/Kittatiny
6. St. Thomas Aquinas
7. High Point
8. Morris Hills
9. Perth Amboy
10. North Hunterdon
Mike Holcombe covers girls wrestling for NJ.com. He can be reached at holcombesports@gmail.com.
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