Phillipsburg 36, Middletown North 27 – Rapid Recap

Phillipsburg High School’s lightweights carried the wrestling team across the finish line on Friday night.

The Stateliners defeated Middletown North 36-27 in front of a boisterous home crowd in the NJSIAA North 2 Group 4 final.

Turning point: Phillipsburg trailed 27-24 when the lineup turned over with four bouts to go.

Cullen Day evened the team score with a 6-1 victory over Tyler Klinsky at 106 pounds.

Travis Jones rallied for an 11-6 victory at 113 pounds over Fred Luchs, and Tyris Manley added an impressive 9-2 decision against Andrew Lacey to seal things for the Stateliners, who ultimately won nine of 14 bouts.

Top performers: Jones, a sophomore, was an underdog against Luchs but came through in the clutch, scoring a late reversal and back points to salt things away in the third period.

Andrew Horun battled through a banged-up knee and scored a late pin of Kevin McCarthney in 5:33 at 195.

What it means: Phillipsburg wins its 36th sectional title in the 38-year history of the tournament.

The Stateliners advance to the state semifinals on Sunday at Toms River North.

Kyle Craig may be reached at kcraig@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KyleCraigSports. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.

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