2 wrestlers going to states

Paige Weiss and Logan Hrenenko of Sparta High School are headed to Atlantic City.

Weiss, a sophomore, won the 114-pound title at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Girls North Region 1 championships Sunday afternoon, Feb. 25 in Vernon.

Weiss, who won the 100-pound state title last winter, improved to 16-0 with an 8-2 victory over Paige Kirk of Ramsey. Now 35-3 for her career, she will begin pursuit of her second state title Thursday, Feb. 29.

Hrenenko, a 138-pound junior, placed fourth in his weight class to lead the Sparta boys contingent at the NJSIAA Region 1 championships Saturday afternoon, Feb. 24 in West Milford.

The top four place-winners in each weight class at each of the eight regions qualify for the NJSIAA state tournament, held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City from Thursday through Saturday, March 2.

Hrenenko had reached the semifinal round, where he bowed to Ryan Langenmayr, 3-0. He then earned a 12-1 major decision over Kittatinny’s Jacob Savage in the wrestleback semifinal round before being pinned by Carlo Vanvolkenburgh of Seton Hall Prep in 3:47 in the third-place match.

Luke Brown, who had won the 190-pound District 4 title on Feb. 17, placed fifth Saturday. Peter Donnelly (113 pounds) and Connor White (215) also competed but did not place.

Here’s how other Sparta teams fared last week:

Ice hockey

Anthony Prunty and Braydon Sisco each assisted the other in the second period as the second-seeded Kinnelon/Jefferson/Sparta tri-op squad earned a 2-0 victory over seventh-seeded West Essex/Caldwell in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Public Co-Op Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 22 at Skylands Ice World in Stockholm.

Ryan Gibbons made 37 saves to register his third shutout this season for KJS United, which also received an assist from Jake Prunty.

KJS United (17-4) is scheduled to meet sixth-seeded Morris Knolls-Morris Hills in the sectional semifinal round Tuesday, Feb. 27. The sectional final is slated for Feb. 29.

KJS began its post-season play with a 9-1 victory over 15th-seeded Mount Olive on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at Skylands Ice World.

Sisco totaled three goals and two assists; Anthony Prunty collected two goals and two assists; and Anthony Pandiscia, Jake Prunty, Joey Kopec and Cormac Gibbons also found the back of the net to steer the offense.

Brian Sisti (19 saves) and Gibbons (10 saves) anchored the defense.

Girls basketball

Junior Moly Chapman had a team-high 12 points, but 11th-seeded Sparta bowed to sixth-seeded Northern Highlands in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament Feb. 22 in Allendale.

The Spartans trailed, 15-13, at the half, but Northern Highlands used a 17-2 third-quarter effort to take control of the contest.

Senior Malaya Dobbs and junior Abby Connors each added five points for Sparta.

The Spartans (8-18) were led offensively this season by Chapman (9.9 points per game, 30 three-pointers), Dobbs (7.3 ppg, 20 three-pointers), junior Katie Sutton (5.9 ppg) and Connors (5.9 ppg).