Bridgewater-Raritan High School is a state sectional wrestling champion for the first time since 2016.
Now Bridgewater-Raritan will attempt to pin down the Group 5 state championship.
Bridgewater-Raritan will oppose Monroe High School in the Group 5 state semifinals on Friday, February 14, at 6 p.m. in the high school's Vaughn Stapleton Gymnasium in Bridgewater.
Top-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan rolled to a 57-13 victory over third-seeded Bayonne High School in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 state tournament championship match on Wednesday, February 12, in Bridgewater.
Meanwhile, also on Wednesday, February 12, Monroe, the second seed in Central Jersey, Group 5, upset top-seeded Old Bridge High School, 34-31, in that section's final in Old Bridge. Old Bridge had defeated Bridgewater-Raritan this January , 40-36, in Bridgewater.
The other Group 5 state semifinal will be between the defending Group 5 state champion, Southern Regional High School, wrestling Passaic County Technical Institute, in Southern's gym in Manahawkin at 5 p.m.
Southern has been a force through this week's state sectional matches in South Jersey, Group 5.
Southern opened with a 69-0 domination of eighth-seeded Cherokee High School and then followed with a 65-12 victory over fourth-seeded Kingsway Regional High School in the semifinals. Southern claimed the sectional title when it smoked third-seeded Washington Township High School, 51-18, in the final.
Top-seeded Passaic Tech won the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state sectional title with a 42-24 victory over third-seeded Clifton High School on February 12.
The Group 5 state championship will be held on Sunday, February 16, at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. All five public school group championship bouts and the two non-public school finals will be wrestled on Sunday at Rutgers.