Phil Anastasia: Paulsboro pummels Collingswood, 45-21

From where Ron Hamrick was sitting, Paulsboro looked like the best team in South Jersey last night.

Of course, Hamrick had a slanted point of view. The Collingswood coach watched Paulsboro beat his team by a 45-21 score in a Colonial Conference match.

"I'd vote for Paulsboro," Hamrick said. "They would be kind of a sentimental choice for me."

Hamrick concedes he's a little biased, since he's a Colonial Conference guy and Paulsboro is a Colonial Conference team.

But he's not alone. Lots of wrestling people think Paulsboro is the best team in South Jersey this season - better than Camden Catholic, better than Washington Township, better than Eastern.

Paulsboro coach Paul Morina has plenty of confidence in his team. But he doesn't get caught up in the No. 1 debate.

"I don't worry about that stuff," Morina said after registering the 495th victory of his illustrious 25-year career. "That's why I stayed in it so long. When you start worrying about things like that, you start adding pressure to the kids. I don't want to do that.

"I just want us to keep winning."

Paulsboro (12-1, 5-0) is No. 2 in The Inquirer Top 10. Camden Catholic is No. 1, with Washington Township at No. 3 and Eastern at No. 4.

Paulsboro's schedule creates a bit of a complication in the No. 1 debate. The other three teams in the top four wrestle each other during the regular season. There's a great frame of reference.

Paulsboro doesn't wrestle any of those teams. But the Red Raiders will host Absegami on Jan. 30, and that match could go a long way toward sorting out this issue.

Absegami is 16-1 and No. 5 in the rankings. The Braves also are likely to face Washington Township or Eastern - and maybe even both - in the South Jersey Group 4 tournament.

That should help this picture come into focus.

"We don't even look at other teams," Paulsboro senior 125-pounder Joe Duca said after recording a first-period pin to improve his record to 20-0. "That's not something we get caught up in. We just worry about ourselves."

Paulsboro vs. Camden Catholic would be a sensational match. It's no secret that the Irish have made overtures in recent years about scheduling a showdown, but Morina said he's comfortable with his team's schedule.

That makes sense. Paulsboro is a Group 1 team, but the Red Raiders' schedule includes Group 4 powers Absegami and Phillipsburg as well as St. Augustine, Delsea, Kingsway and Hammonton.

"Every year it's somebody else," Morina said. "I remember when Mr. Fredrick [former Paulsboro coach Bob Fredrick] was here, it was Pemberton. Then it was Highland. I don't worry about all that stuff."

Clearly, the only place that Paulsboro and Camden Catholic will meet is on paper - although they also have been going at it on message boards, forums, watercooler discussions and taproom debates for years.

I could see those teams going 7-7 in bouts and Camden Catholic winning on bonus points. I also could see it going 8-6 or even 9-5 in favor of Paulsboro.

The Red Raiders are that strong.

A lot would depend on the matchups, and a lot of that would depend on the toss. Paulsboro is potent now and could get even stronger if junior Eric McMillan returns from an elbow injury. He was wrestling great in the summer and would fit nicely into the middle weights.

Camden Catholic, which lost last night to state power South Plainfield, should get better as the season goes along, too. The Irish got off to a choppy start because a skin condition shut down their room for days. They also have a great group of freshmen who are likely to improve as they get more comfortable in varsity competition.

The Irish also would need junior 119-pounder Matt Sausman, who has been out of the lineup for weeks with an injury, to be able to beat Paulsboro.

That might not be enough.

"The thing about Paulsboro is that they are always there," Hamrick said. "It's not a one year- or two-year thing. They are there year in and year out."

Paulsboro 45, Collingswood 21

Hwt.: Nick Curl, P, dec. Kevin King, 5-3; 103: Tony Giancola, C, dec. Cody Croce, 6-4; 112: Mike Zold, P, pin Donnie Daley, 0:28; 119: Sean DiEmma, P, win by forfeit; 125: Joe Duca, P, pin Dan Pennisi, 1:47; 130: Nick Cozzalio C, dec. Nick Knauer, 5-4; 135: Eric Hamrick, C, dec. Dymere Rappa, 5-4; 140: Tyree Ellis, P, dec. Alex Irwin, 9-4; 145: Brian Hairston, C, pin Mike Silvestro, 2:25; 152: Anthony Dawson, Pa, dec. Jim Pilanthos, 13-8; 160: Taylor Venanzi, C, pin Tyler Burlingame, 5:57; 171: Matt Cosgrove, P, pin Irvin Rey, 1:04; 189: Jamar Bussey, P, pin Ben Swan, 1:12; 215: Zach Greenwald, P, pin Tyler Strickland, 0:34.