ANNANDALE, NJ (December 17, 2024) – The North Hunterdon Lady Lions had their home opener against Hunterdon Central, Del Val and Scotch Plains Fanwood earlier tonight, and they won in dominant fashion throughout all three matchups. North’s first matchup was against Hunterdon Central, and they started off hot. Before they could catch their breath, North was up 24-6 with a mix of pins and forfeits. Wrestlers such as Riley Conaty, Riley Dunn, Mackenzie Marks and more all grabbed pins in the first dual of the quad. Mackenzie Marks had a very different pregame ritual that stuck out, smacking both sides of her head gear furiously as her opponent checked in, then pinning her in just 14 seconds to end the first duel. North Hunterdon defeated Hunterdon Central 60-12.

In North’s second dual, they faced off against Scotch Plains Fanwood, and a similar result ensued. To start off, North grabbed a quick 12-0 lead via pinfall as well as forfeit. Scotch Plains Fanwood then went up 18-12, winning the next three matches, putting North on the ropes for the first time during the quad. In the 145 pound matchup, Senior Riley Conaty snagged a pin with her and her opponents entire body out of bounds while barely keeping her feet in the circle, giving North the lead 24-18 and securing a clutch pin. One Senior making leaps and bounds of improvement is Grace Dangell, going undefeated on the day and winning with a second period pin, extending the lead to 42-18. Mackenzie Marks opened up her match with another unique move, starting in a near crawling position out of the gate. Marks won her match via pin in 89 seconds, securing a 51-18 win over Scotch Plains Fanwood.

North’s third and final matchup was against Del Val, starting at 114 pounds where Maeve Perry won a very close match. Later in the quad, North found themselves in another hole, down 9-12, but Del Val didn’t have wrestlers from 132 all the way to 185, making it 39-12 in North’s favor once the action began. In the 107-pound bout Lydia Bagley of Del Val showed off an incredible performance, notching a win over Allie Borzelli in dominant and impressive fashion. North ended up winning 45-15, making their average margin of victory 37 points. North Hunterdon showed their strength in the Lady Lions Classic earlier last weekend, but if their home opener is a glimpse of what we’ll see this season, this could be one of the best teams we’ve seen the Lions put together.