What an incredible ride it has been for a deep and balanced Caldwell wrestling squad and now it’s time for the ultimate challenge for what has been a very together mat squad: an NJSIAA group state final.
The 19th ranked Chiefs (24-1), fresh off Friday night’s 38-30 state semifinal home-standing triumph over High Point, will take on a powerful and fifth-ranked Rumson-Fair Haven (R-FH) squad (27-1) at noon Sunday in the overall Group 2 state final on the mats inside the Rutgers Jersey Mike's Arena.
R-FH, the highest ranked public school in the state according to nj.com, advanced to Sunday’s Group 2 final following a 57-24 semifinal victory over South Jersey champ Middle Township to extend its dual match winning streak to 23 in a row which includes victories over No. 4 ranked Christian Brothers Academy and No. 8 Southern Regional, a Group 5 finalist.
Caldwell, which has won 47 of its last 50 matches in capturing back-to-back North 2, Group 2 state sectional titles, will be making its first team group state finals appearance since 1990.
Among those leading the way once again on Sunday will be key members of a solid senior class of top performers and team leaders who coach Sean Romano always points to as setting the tone for one of Caldwell’s better all-time mat squads.
One of those vital seniors, Jake Simone (29-3), moved up from 175 to 190 for a key bout vs. High Point and registered a 10-2 major decision vs. Jack Kithcart at 190 to give the Chiefs a 34-30 lead in the late going in Friday night’s Group 2 semis in the James Caldwell High School gymnasium.
Simone’s upper weight senior teammate Mike Mignone (24-2) once again revealed the immense strength which made him one of the Super Football Conference’s top linebackers last fall for the Caldwell football team when he scored his own climactic major decision with a 9-0 victory over Donald Weiss of High Point who came in with a 25-5 record.
Important lower weight victories for the Chiefs were turned in by both Matthew Ruane at 106 and Yankee Major at 126 with the former battling back from a 3-0 deficit to record a second-period pin of Logan Takach, and the latter defeating Colton Joust in overtime in what would be considered two important swing bouts in an eventual Caldwell team victory.
Those aforementioned Chiefs victories were huge because North 1 champ High Point (19-6) eventually battled back from a 25-8 deficit to within 25-20 following victories at both 144 and 150 for Jesse Huebling and Nick Clayton.
Then, the Sussex County power’s Jayden Ruplall had earned an 8-0 major decision vs. the Chiefs’ Andrew Fonseca at 275 to knot the score at 30-30 before both Simone and Mignone led the decisive comeback toward a Caldwell team triumph.
Facing a juggernaut like defending Group 2 team state champion R-FH will be a huge challenge for Caldwell; however, Romano’s Chiefs always come ready to battle in each bout.
