Mericle wins H/W/S wrestling title
SUSSEX. High Point team places sixth in tri-county tournament.
Sussex /
| 12 Jan 2025 | 06:24
Kittatinny's Lina Hull handles the ball in the game against High Point on Jan. 4. Kittatinny won, 37-29. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
A Kittatinny Cougar and a High Point Wildcat reach for the ball during the tip-off to start the game.
Kittatinny's Holly Sajdak holds the ball while covered by High Point's Grace Elston. Sajdak grabbed two rebounds and is credited with one assist and one steal.
Kittatinny Cougars and High Point Wildcats battle for possession of the ball on the basketball court.
High Point's Claire Sieminski holds the ball as Kittatinny's Taylor Hough reaches for it. Sieminski scored five points.
High Point's Grace Elston handles the ball while covered by Kittatinny's Katie Sajdak. Elston scored seven points.
Kittatinny's Taylor Hough holds the ball during a foul shot attempt. She scored 13 points.
Kittatinny's Katie Sajdak dribbles the ball. She scored seven points.
Kittatinny's Taylor Hough scored 13 points.
Kittatinny's girls basketball head coach Joshua Reed instructs players during a break.
Junior Gavin Mericle captured the 285-pound championship and junior Jack Kithcart took home the silver medal at 190 pounds to pace High Point Regional High School to a sixth-place finish in the 15th annual Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament on Saturday night, Jan. 11 at Phillipsburg High School.
High Point finished with 109 points. Seventeen schools took part in the tournament.
Phillipsburg won the event for the fourth time in the past six seasons and ninth time overall.
Mericle, who received a first-round bye, pinned Samir Mrad of Hackettstown in 48 seconds in the quarterfinals and Hunterdon Central’s Declan Joyce in 1:20 in the semifinal round. In the finals, Mericle, 14-1, was dominant in recording a 10-0 major decision victory over Ben Ellis of Phillipsburg.
Kithcart defeated David Kocsor of Warren Hills, 8-2, in the quarterfinals and Kyle Blew of Belvidere, 10-7, in the semifinals before suffering an 11-2 loss to Pope John’s David Thomson in the 190-pound finals.
Other place-winners for the Wildcats included Jesse Huelbig (third at 144 pounds), Logan Takach (fourth at 106), Jayden Ruplall (fourth at 165) and Donald Weiss (fifth at 215).
Here’s how other High Point teams fared recently:
Boys basketball
Tucker Berry scored 17 points, Noah Reilly added 16 points and Kyle Morsell dropped in 11 points to lead a balanced attack as High Point rolled to a 66-47 victory over Lenape Valley at home Friday night, Jan. 10.
The Wildcats started the game with an 18-9 first-quarter showing and extended to a 38-16 advantage at the half.
Colin Tennant added eight points for High Point, which improved to 5-4 this winter.
On Wednesday, Jan. 8, High Point received 15 points, 21 rebounds, four blocks and two steals from Berry as the Wildcats earned a 58-50 overtime decision over Newton on the road.
Aiden Hamilton added 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals and Morsell totaled 13 points, eight rebounds and five steals in the decision.
Berry, a senior forward, is averaging 9.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season.
Reilly (9.3 ppg) and Morsell (9.1 ppg) round out the top three scorers for the Wildcats.
High Point will play at Jefferson at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16.
Girls basketball
The Wildcats used a 16-2 fourth-quarter effort to earn a 33-28 victory over previously undefeated Newton at home Jan. 8.
Claire Sieminski (13 points), Grace Elston (eight points), Daphne Mathews (five points), Brooke Wagner (five points) and Ashley Schell (two points) led the way for High Point.
On Jan. 11, Wagner had a game-high 13 points, Sieminski added 12 points and Schell scored 11 to pace a 47-23 decision over West Caldwell Tech there.
High Point (8-4) is slated to play host to Jefferson at 4 p.m. Jan. 16.
The annual “Play for the Pink” game, which raises money to fight cancer, will be at home at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 against Vernon.
Ice hockey
Alex Sonvico scored 3:08 into overtime to lift High Point to a 6-5 victory over Morris Catholic on Thursday, Jan. 9 at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.
Sonvico ended the game with a goal and three assists, with Anthony Tokar adding two goals, Brady Reid totaling a goal and an assist, and Bradyn Husarenko and Stephen Daidone each scoring a goal.
The Wildcats (6-5) will play Roxbury at 8 p.m. Jan. 18 at Skylands Ice World in Stockholm.
Bowling
Keira Lewis had a high series of 583, including a high game of 240, to key High Point’s 7-0 victory over Hopatcong on Monday, Jan. 6 at Sparta Lanes.
Hailey Southard (493 high series), Kadee Bruno (477 high series), Jocelyn Nadal (345 high series), Rebecca Fetherman (343 high series) and Morgan Christmann (315 high series) also paced the decision.
High Point (4-5) will bowl against Jefferson at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at Sparta Lanes.