The birds clashed on January 30th when the Hawks took down the Westwood Cardinals on the mat at home. This win was added to an 11-meet win streak that River Dell had been on. With the nail-biting 33–31 victory, the Hawks improved their record to 15–1. The win also symbolized a Patriot Division title for River Dell Wrestling, marking a perfect 5–0 division record.
Most of the match went back and forth between the Hawks and Cardinals, with both teams trading points and wins throughout the entire meet. Even though the Cardinals continued to win individual bouts, they were never able to topple the Hawks, who maintained the lead. The lighter weight classes held strong and were responsible for most of the Hawks’ victories during the meet.
River Dell’s success helped the team climb the rankings in the state of New Jersey, where they were ranked seventh overall out of more than 300 teams. The recent win over Westwood could even signify a move to the sixth spot, possibly higher. Overall, the Hawks had been doing fantastic work on the mat and hoped to continue that momentum through the rest of the regular season.
Senior wrestler Justin Ng reflected, “It was an amazing win, and the team was excited. Coach Baranello was proud, and I’m sure he got an amazing night’s sleep that night.” His sentiment was echoed by others on the team, who took pride in both the victory and the division title.
Ng also spoke about the atmosphere, saying, “It was really nice seeing the student section fill out the way it did.” The student section played a big role in the win, cheering throughout the duration of the meet and chanting for their friends who performed well.
River Dell planned to take the mat again on February 6th against Passaic Valley after extending their win streak once more to 17–1 with dominant wins over Wayne Hills and Northern Valley Old Tappan. The NVOT matchup stood out as a statement win, as the Hawks dismantled the Golden Knights with a final score of 49–19. River Dell remained on a hot streak with no plans of slowing down, hoping to defeat the Hornets on the 6th and finish the regular season strong.
