By Joe Hofmann
Last week, I touched on the 1993 state semifinals, which saw two Morris County 140-pound wrestlers seemingly on a collision course to get to the finals.
One of them – Jefferson’s Jeremy Bailer – wound up winning the state championship.
The other – West Morris’ Brian McGuire – wound up losing on a controversial call in the semifinals.
I left my Cup of Joe column with an interesting trivia question: When was the last time we had two Morris County wrestlers compete in the state finals?
The answer: 1992, when Boonton’s Francis Dunn beat Montville’s John LaScala in the 140-pound finals, which was at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall for the very first time.
So, with the state sectional tournament pairings decided this week, it’s time for some more wrestling trivia: Can you name the year when Morris County had four sectional champions won on the mat? (Answer below).
When I was writing full-time for the Daily Record, I stated that that night was the “biggest night in the history of Morris County wrestling.”
There may have been a single day that was better when talking about the Group championships. There was a season when Morris County had TWO Group champions. More trivia: What was the year, and who were the two Group champions? (Answer below).
In 1995, Pequannock (Section 2, Group I), Jefferson (Section 2, Group II), and Randolph (Section 2, Group IV) won their public sections, and Bayley-Ellard (North Parochial B) won its section while unopposed. I remember giving Vito Luppino Coach of the Year because of his work with the Bishops, who could barely fill out a lineup in previous seasons (which is why I started referring to them as Barely-Ellard).
Trivia answer two: In 1993, Jefferson (Group II) and Randolph (Group IV) won the state Group championship, the only time Morris has had two Group champions.
Jefferson benefited from Delaware Valley’s eventual state champion Rickey Krieger’s infamous slam of Jefferson’s Jim Tanis, which turned a certain defeat into a Falcons victory. I remember afterwards Del Val coach Jody Karam being so upset and daring Star-Ledger wrestling writer Bruce Moran to name Del Val New Jersey’s No. 1 team when the season was over. Jefferson wound up being No. 1.
Randolph, on that same day, pulled out a stunning state semifinal win over Highland Regional, which had won the previous two Group IV championships and was arguably as good a program at the time as any in New Jersey. The Rams beat Hunterdon Central later that day.
Both Jefferson and Randolph had quite a run back then, when I was just starting out on the wrestling beat. Jefferson won six sectional titles in a row (for a bonus trivia question, who beat out the Falcons when they went for No. 7?).
Randolph, meanwhile, had won five straight sectional titles (for a second bonus trivia question, I’ll leave you with this: Who beat the Rams as they went for No. 6?).
Jefferson trivia answer: The Falcons lost at Hanover Park in the Section 2, Group II sectional final in 1997. Two days later, the Groups were held at Hanover’s small gym (before the days of the Ritacco Center), which could barely hold the four participating schools: Hanover, Hopatcong, South Plainfield, and eventual champion Kingsway). One of the highlights of that Group day was the James LaValle-Anthony Bunnicant (Hopatcong) match. As I recall, LaValle was up a weight and built up a 9-0 lead before losing in OT. I believe Bunnicant placed in the state that year.
Randolph trivia answer: Roxbury, which had lost to Randolph earlier in the year, turned the tables on the Rams and won the section that year. I remember the Roxbury parents that year wanting to crucify Gaels coach Buddy Freund. The night Roxbury won the section, they all wanted to give Buddy a great big hug!
