By: centraljersey.com
Lawrence High freshman Gordon Wolf is not only a good wrestler, he’s a good prognosticator.
Wolf, who finished second at 112 pounds in the Region 5 Tournament and earned a trip to this weekend’s state finals at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, predicted he would face Hamilton West’s Jared Staub in Friday night’s opening round. When the brackets were released, Staub was his opponent.
"He called it," Lawrence coach Chris Lynne said. "Are you kidding me? How many Mercer (County) kids make the state tournament? And then to have two of them have to wrestle and one gets knocked out in the first round. It is what it is, but what are the odds?"
Wolf and Staub met once in the regular season, with Wolf winning a 6-5 decision in a Feb. 5 dual. Staub, who is 24-6, finished third in the Region 7 Tournament. He was a state qualifier last year as a freshman.
"To wrestle someone that hasn’t seen (Wolf) is better for him because he’s so unorthodox," Lynne said. "There’s nothing new here. You know what you’re getting, but they’ve known each other forever.
"The question is who is on that day. They’re that close. It’s usually who is mentally tougher at the state tournament because everyone is good at the state tournament."
At the region tourney, the seventh-seeded Wolf lost to Hunterdon Central’s No. 1-seed Gary Dinmore in the championship bout, 8-3. It was a rematch of the District 17 final, which Dinmore won by a point.
Prior to the region final, Wolf beat Bishop Ahr’s Kyle Brady in the semifinals after posting an 18-9 major decision over No. 2 seed Gary Siriday of Sayreville in the quarters. Siriday, a junior, was last year’s region champ at 103.
Wolf brings a 28-5 record to Atlantic City.
"He was outstanding," Lynne said. "I talked to a bunch of different coaches up there and they all said the same thing: They love to watch him wrestle because he’s fearless. That’s a compliment coming from all the Hunterdon coaches.
"Dinmore is almost the same kind of wrestler and was able to counteract Gordon. But you saw what (Wolf) did to the defending region champ."
The winner of Friday’s Wolf-Staub match will face Don Bosco Prep’s Billy Reardon in the next round.
"I’m excited," Lynne said. "The goal is to get through the first match, regardless of how it’s lined up after that. A lot of people have said they like where he’s seeded. That doesn’t matter if you don’t win that first one. You win that first one and now it’s a double-elimination tournament. You get to experience Saturday and it’s just a whole different animal then.
"I’ve been to states with probably 15 different kids and I’ve only lost with one in the first round. I’m always to keep that trend going of not losing in the first round. We’ve been there before, we’ve had coaches that have wrestled there before, so there’s plenty of experience to draw from."
BACKPOINTS: Mercer County Tournament champion Mike Jennings, a freshman at 130, dropped his first bout at the region tourney and ended the season 25-4. Senior 160-pounder Tommy O’Rourke finished fourth in the Region 5 Tournament, just a win shy of reaching the state finals.
O’Rourke, who finished the campaign 22-5, was the District 17 and MCT runner-up this season.
"I felt bad for Tommy; that’s the second time he’s come in fourth," Lynne said. "That’s the breaks. He’s a two-time region place-winner, but you’d have liked to see him get his chance. Tommy is just an inspiration. Tommy is always there. Tommy always works hard.
"You can ask any teacher in the school; he’s a quality student. He’s a smart kid. He does very well in track, he’s a highly recruited soccer player; he’s just an all-around good kid."

