Photo Courtesy of Robert Preston (North Hunterdon Wrestling Club)
ANNANDALE, NJ (January 31, 2025) – Is there a team that wrestling fans know currently that has had the best week of wrestling as the North Hunterdon Lions has? As many of the North Hunterdon fans like to call it, the “Bell” effect is starting to take its course. The “Bell” effect is a sight that teams across the state will need to fear heading into the final week of the regular season and leading up to the state sectionals and individual tournaments start up. After statement wins over extreme upset wins over Phillipsburg (34-24) on Wednesday night and Ridge (35-29) on Friday night, the North Hunterdon Lions are showing that they are not going down without a fight.
Head Coach Dave Bell in second year at the Hunterdon county school, has been talking about his teams success to where they stand currently in his standards.
“We’ve been talking about peaking at the right time,” Coach Bell said of his team’s performance this week. “Getting past those [state ranked] teams, doesn’t matter where they come from and what their credentials are, [I want them to] come out and compete and to wrestle for six minutes.”
The key victories whether they won or lost certain bouts for the Lion’s were key for them to focus on not giving up the bonus points and keeping themselves in the match regardless of what happens. The match started at 215lbs where Ridge jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with a pin from Nate Engdahl over Anthony DeSimone in just 0:21 seconds. From there, the individuals bouts were kept to just regular decision wins from 285 lber Mark Simonovic, 106 lber Tanner Connelly, and 113 lber Owen O’Leary. At 106 lbs, North Hunterdon’s, Cayden Wadle seemed early on that he had things under control early in the first two period and then a Connelly takedown with about 20 seconds to go in the second period was extremely crucial that led for Connelly to ride Wadle out for nearly the entire third period until a last second escape made it a 8-6 victory. As for O’Leary, he was trailing 3-2 at the start of the third period to North Hunterdon’s Owen Fol. Fol went in to get a takedown with around 30 seconds left in the match to extend the lead to 6-2. People would tell you that bout would have been already over but O’Leary says, “hold on,” as he gets the reversal of his own and caught Fol in a brutal leg cradle with about 15 seconds left to go in regulation. O’Leary, who was trailing for about 5 minutes and 45 seconds of the bout turned into a victory of his to help Ridge jump out to an early 15-0 lead.
North Hunterdon’s momentum changed for the rest of the match as they were able to deliver bonus point victories from Joe Celentano who received a technical fall victory at 120lbs, pins from Reid Buzby and Aidan Yarussi at 126 lbs and 132 lbs respectively as the team took a 17-15 lead as the Lions first lead of the night. Ridge needed some key bonus point victories but were unable to deliver as 138 lbs Gavin Duran walked away with a 7-2 decision over Kieran Raley, surrendering both a pin at 144 lbs and a forfeit at 150 lbs.
Trailing 29-18 with four bouts to go, Ridge kept things interesting with a major decision wins from 157lber William Corbett, 13-5, 165lber Ryan Engle who mustered to a 5-1 winner over the Lions’ Joshua Joubert, and 175lber, Liam Thoma who earned a hard earned major decision win, 14-2. Heading into the last bout of the evening, with the dual match being deadlocked at 29, it all came down to North Hunterdon’s Owen Dandeo. Dandeo, who was 15-10 heading into the match, knew that he just needed to win and did not have to rush anything as long as he was able to control the match to go in his favor. Sure enough, it panned out to be just that by getting the victory for his team with a pin of his at the 4:33 mark.
“It was really stressful,” Dandeo said of his match. “I was confident from what my teammates and coaches were telling me to get it done [for my team].
As many wrestling fans know, Coach Bell spent his 25 years as a head coach for Bergen Catholic before coming to North Hunterdon High School. With his expertise and knowledge he brings to the table, the wrestlers are now buying into what he has to offer. After a transitional year a season ago, Coach Bell is credited by Owen Dandeo for the amount of hard work they put in as a team. The way of where wrestling starts is conditioning.
“I feel like it surpasses most of the schools we wrestle because our coaches push us so hard in the [wrestling] room and we just want to be better than any other team we wrestle,” Dandeo said of his coaches. “[Coach Bell] gives us the full confidence we need….. and to believe in ourselves and we can do it.”
“It’s a great mix of personalities,” Coach Bell said of his wrestlers, including Dandeo. “This year, they are pulling for one another. We talk about it in practice in picking each other up. Leadership is coming up from not only the [underclassmen] but in the [upperclassmen] as well and they are really buying into it.”
With the positive mentality that Coach Bell brings to the table, it most certainly shows the general wrestling community and North Hunterdon High School that anything can happen as long as a rapport with the wrestlers are there and the coaching staff is showing support of how much they care and believe in this team. Coach Bell has this team on the radar as they improve to 11-6 on the year whereas the Ridge Red Devils drops to 13-5 and will be making the adjustments they need to make for a state sectional run
What’s coming up next for both of these teams?
Ridge will be heading back home for an early home quad on Saturday morning (02/01) facing AL Johnson, Nutley, and Glen Rock, a home match on Wednesday (02/05) versus Voorhees, a home the following day (02/06) versus Fair Lawn, and a Friday night match (02/07) on the road to Bound Brook. As for North Hunterdon, their final regular season match will be going to their rivals, Voorhees for a 11:00am match Saturday morning (02/01) looking to end the regular season on a high note.
