Warren Hills Regional High School’s wrestling team is getting exactly what it asked for.
A second chance at Cranford.
The Blue Streaks 46-15 win over Passaic Valley sets up a rematch with the undefeated Cougars. But this time, it’s for all the sectional marbles.
Second-seeded Warren Hills (15-9) travels to Union County to face No. 1 seed Cranford in the North 2 Group 3 championship match at 7 p.m. Friday.
Cranford (19-0), ranked No. 4 in the New Jersey Wrestling Writer’s Association Top-20, beat Warren Hills pretty handily (48-21) back on Jan. 28.
“We talked after that match and all we wanted was a chance,” Warren Hills coach Jarrett Hosbach said. “We just wanted a chance at them again. And Cranford’s a great team. They are. But we’re going to show up.”
You might think the Blue Streaks should to be careful what they wish for.
But the Cougars might be seeing a different team than what took the mat a couple weeks ago.
“We wanted to see Cranford again,” senior Rashon Wade Taylor said. “We didn’t get the outcome we wanted the last time we wrestled, but we knew if we wrestled well, we’d have a chance to see them again.”
Wade Taylor, who won a 13-5 major decision against Passaic Valley on Wednesday, was one of just five winners against Cranford in January.
The Blue Streaks have not lost since that Saturday two weeks ago.
And Wednesday, everything seemed to be coming together.
Warren Hills jumped out to a 36-0 lead before losing a bout and compiled a hefty 24-5 takedown advantage on the night, showing a extra level of aggressiveness on their feet.
“We’re doing our best wrestling right now,” Hosbach said.
“We’ve been very focused since that match,” Wade Taylor said. “And we’re going to have to wrestle the same way we did tonight.”
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