Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s wrestling team now stands just one victory away from winning the program’s first state sectional championship since 2016.
Bridgewater-Raritan, the No. 1 seed in the North Jersey Section 2, Group 5 state sectional tournament, swept to two victories in the opening round on Monday, February 10, on its home mat at Vaughn Stapleton Gymnasium in Bridgewater.
Bridgewater-Raritan will now wrestle in the state sectional championship bout on Wednesday, February 12, in its home gym against third-seeded Bayonne High School at 6 p.m.
Bridgewater-Raritan started the state sectional tournament with a 54-23 victory over eighth-seeded Kearny High School and then followed with a 51-22 victory over fourth-seeded Columbia High School in the semifinals to close out Monday evening, February 10.
Bayonne upset second-seeded Union High School in the other North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 semifinal on Februry 10.
The North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 champion will wrestle in the Group 5 semifinals on Friday, February 13, against a team and site to be determined.
The three other No. 1 seeds in the Group 5 sections—Old Bridge High School in Central Jersey, Southern Regional High School in South Jersey and Passaic County Technical Institute in North Jersey, Section 1–are all favored to advance to the Group 5 semifinals.
Old Bridge defeated Bridgewater-Raritan this season, 40-36, on January 15 in Bridgewater. Southern Regional is the defending Group 5 state champion.
On Sunday, February 16, all five public school groups and the two non-public groups will wrestle for the seven state championship at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway.