When Mario Harpel took over the Hopewell Valley Central High wrestling program 19 years ago, he wasn’t intimidated by Mercer County’s less-than-sterling reputation in wrestling.
He knew if things were done right, he could build a team that would succeed at the state level.
“I always believed that,” Harpel said. “I had the opportunity to coach in Ohio and Pennsylvania before here and had some success. At Hopewell, I was just excited to start a positive program and develop and wrestle the best schedule we could wrestle; with the belief we could achieve anything we set our minds too. We took some huge steps from day one until now.”
They took the biggest on Feb. 7 by defeating Ocean Township, 33-32, to win the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship. It was the first sectional title in program history and just the third ever won by a Mercer team.
Prior to that day, the program had won over 300 matches, 15 Colonial Valley Conference division titles and 15 Mercer County Tournament crowns. The Bulldogs had come tantalizingly close to a sectional crown several times, including last year, and finally got over the hump before losing to Cranford in the Group III semifinals.
“It’s definitely something we thought we could do at the start of the year,” junior 157-pounder Konrad Haugeto said. “We just knew this year that everyone was good and if we worked hard we could do anything.
“We’ve been very close and this year we knew we could do it. It’s great for the team, it’s great for the school and I think we’re all very proud.”
Haugeto played a big part in the pulsating win that had Hopewell’s gym rocking in record sound decibels. He fell behind by four points before getting a third-period pin over Josh Calixte.
“We had a couple swing matches that didn’t go our way, I was thinking it was gonna be hard to win this,” said Jon Trainor, who took a 3-2 decision at 285 early in the match. “I saw Konrad going down, at one point he went to his back and I thought, ‘Oh well, another year of second place.’ But Konrad is relentless. He just keeps going, he’s a machine. He grabbed those six (points) up top and (Ethan) Barker took care of business.”
Barker followed with a pin to give the Bulldogs a 33-25 lead, rendering their forfeit in the final match moot.
“I knew when I was down I had to win,” Haugeto said. “I was down by four but that’s nothing. I’ve come back from many more than four points in even harder matches. I’ve been in that situation and I knew I needed to wrestle the way I do every day in practice. I went in with the same kind of mindset, just wrestle and do what I know how to do and try to wrestle my best.”
And the gym shook with excitement with the Dawg Pound leading the way.
“It was electric,” Trainor said. “A lot of people showed up. A lot of alumni and a lot of students. It’s not common for wrestling, it’s more common for basketball. When the students come it’s very electric and to win it the way we did it was very special.”
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The victory helped the Bulldogs finish with a 21-3 dual meet record as they prepared for the individual part of post-season at the Feb. 16-17 District 17 Tournament. But for the moment, Harpel enjoyed savoring the team aspect of the season
“It’s a great accomplishment,” he said. “I’m really proud of every single wrestler on the team. We put a lot of work in and it’s nice to finally be state sectional champions. You can’t take that away. We’ll be together forever, and everyone before them kind of feeds into that accomplishment. In a way, everyone’s a part of it.”
Indeed they are, as it takes time to build a dynasty, which Hopewell is when it comes to Mercer County. Countless quality wrestlers have come through the system and their accomplishments help draw younger wrestlers into the program. Having state success is another step in the right direction and the reasons are numerous.
It starts with an outstanding feeder system with the rec program and Timberlane Middle School, overseen by Ward Taggart and Brian Leibowitz.
“We have one of the best rec programs and middle school programs around,” Trainor said. “Coach Ward and coach Leibowitz have helped so much. A lot of our wrestlers have wrestled since we were pretty young. I’ve wrestled since third grade but many have wrestled since they were younger.”
Haugeto concurred, saying: “They’re some of the best coaches around. They’ve helped me and our entire team so much. We couldn’t be what we are without them.”
Harpel can’t say enough good things about Ward and Leibowitz.
“They’ve done an amazing job with that,” he said. “Kids come in at great levels. We’ve been very fortunate over the years with those groups coming in. The kids are just at a different level. You save some time and development.”
And it allows Hopewell to beef up its schedule with stronger competition.
“The key is to get out there and wrestle a level that challenges them to keep pulling them along,” Harpel said. “We’ve been pretty determined at that.”
Once the wrestlers reach CHS, the solid coaching continues. Harpel has high praise for assistants Joel Resnick, Hunter Martel, TJ Philipsheck and Travis Gerstnacker, who all came through the system.
Then there is the head man himself, who sets the tone with his knowledge and low-key demeanor that seems to keep everything under control. That attitude was key when the Bulldogs needed the late pins against Ocean.
“I’ve never been too high, too low,” Harpel said. “I’ve always been pretty calm I guess. The kids who still had to wrestle (late in the match) are still centered on me. There’s some people who are really good doing it a different way but for me, that’s just a natural thing. Whether right or wrong, it’s just who I am. ”
Harpel’s troops definitely feel it’s right.
“His attitude is everything,” Haugeto said. “It helps us know what we need to do and when we need to do it.”
“It helps a ton,” agreed Trainor. “You’re coming in there calm and collected, you know what you need to do. It’s a real advantage because those other kids are nervous and you’re calm. It’s like any day in practice.”
Trainor and Haugeto both extended their practice time and seasons by taking second place in their weight classes at the District 17 Tournament. Dean Meissner (106), Sam Lowe (113) and Barker (165) also took second to advance to regionals, and Hopewell was second as a team. Dylan Hersh (120), Luke Caldwell (132) and Isaac Miller (138) took third to give Hopewell eight regional qualifiers.
While those wrestlers kept making a name for themselves, Harpel feels the sectional title was made possible by every wrestler on the team. That includes the JVs, varsity reserves and other regulars Rex Peters, Jett Branagh, Michael Kennedy, Guiseppe Panzitta, Narsi Didi and senior captain Chase Overman, who suffered a season-ending injury early in the campaign. Meissner (106), Branagh (150), Haugeto (157) and Barker (165) all won Mercer County Tournament titles in helping Hopewell to another MCT title.
“Even though we’ve won it a lot, winning counties is still something big,” Haugeto said. “It’s still something nice, especially after we got second a few years ago.”
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Even though an abundance of Bulldogs enjoy individual success, they still take a team-first approach.
“We embrace the team concept a lot,” Haugeto said. “Every single person matters an equal amount. There’s 14 varsity kids and JV kids too. Everybody’s important and everyone helps an equal amount in winning a dual meet or a tournament.”
According to Trainor, it’s a brotherhood.
“We’re all good friends, we all hang out on the weekends together,” he said. “We all support each other, we’re all there for each other, pushing each other every day, making sure we’re the best we can be.
“I don’t think we’re the most talented team in Hopewell history. But everyone knows what they have to do and they all go out there and wrestle. I think it’s very special.”
The good news is it could become even more special next year, as Hopewell loses just three seniors from its starting lineup. That’s a pretty scary thought for future opponents.
“I’m super excited,” Harpel said. “It’s great to get most of the kids back and I’m sure it will be solid once we get moving over the summer and into next year. It should be exciting.”
Trainor is thinking big.
“There’s unlimited potential,” he said. “We’ve got 10, 11 guys coming back. A lot of our hard hitters are coming back. I think it can be a really special year. I really believe we can win the Group championship.”
It is the next logical step for a program that finally got that elusive CJ 3 title. Harpel is far from done building his empire.
The Hopewell Valley wrestling team on Feb. 7, 2024 in the Hopewell Valley wrestling center after winning the state sectional title over Ocean Township, 33-32.,
