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2/20: HOLMDEL TRI
Holmdel 50 - Keansburg 25 (BOX SCORE)
Middle Twp 43 - Holmdel 28 (BOX SCORE)


2/16: CJG2 STATE SECTIONAL QUARTERFINALS
#1 Pt Boro 47 - #8 Holmdel 27 (BOX SCORE)


2/7: NON-CONFERENCE
Monroe 45 - Holmdel 28 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel: L Placca, Rao, C Reyes, & N Paulino pin; A Reyes techs


2/6: NON-DIVISION
Holmdel 37 - Central 33 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel: D Placca & C Reyes pin in final 2 bouts to complete Hornet comeback
Central: Dunne, Setaro, Condello, & Darling win by pin


2/4: C-DIVISION
#10 Lacey - Holmdel 31 (BOX SCORE)
Lacey: R Leonard major in final bout wins it as Lions put up 16 points in final 3 bouts
Holmdel: Alexander Reyes records career win #147, new program record


1/31: MONMOUTH QUAD
Holmdel 46 - Matawan 27 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel 56 - Manchester 18 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel 57 - Monmouth 20 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel: L Plaaca, Rao, M Paulino, N Paulino, Denton, & A Reyes go 3-0

1/28: C-DIVISION
Holmdel 45 - Raritan 22 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel: Gann, M Paulino, D Placca, & N Paulino pin; L Placca, Rao, & C Reyes major
Raritan: Aronne, Foley, & Card with bonus wins


1/24: SHORE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Holmdel - 8th Place
2nd: Alexander Reyes (190)
3rd: Dylan Placca (138)
4th: Christian Reyes (144)
6th: Nicholas Paulino (132)

The Hornets set new program highs with 4 medal winners and an 8th-place team finish, topping their previous highs of 3 medal winners and a 10th-place finish set at last season's tournament.
Senior Alexander Reyes won his 4th SCT medal, while Christian Reyes and Dylan Placca won their 2nd.


1/31: C-DIVISION
Pt Boro 45 - Holmdel 27 (BOX SCORE)
Lacey: Killian Coluccio with the walk-off pin; 175 - #6 Colon d #9 Aronne
Raritan: Kobus, Manon, & Geoghan win by pin; Rodriguez majors


1/17: SOUTH BRUNSWICK QUAD
Holmdel 58 - Carteret 20 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel 64 - South Brunswick 14 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel 72 - South River 12 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel: L Placca, Rao, M Paulino, D Placca, C Reyes, N Paulino & Denton go 3-0


1/14: C-DIVISION
#6 RBC 44 - Holmdel 24 (BOX SCORE)
RBC: Hwt - Bertole p. #8 Gann; Rodriguez & Vezzosi pin
Holmdel: 138 - #5 Placca d. #7 Fritz / 190 - #2 Reyes p. #6 Garcia


1/10: ROXBURY QUAD
Roxbury 41 - Holmdel 38 (BOX SCORE)
West Morris Central 42 - Holmdel 30 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel 35 - Livingston 29 (BOX SCORE)


1/8: NON-DIVISION
#6 Jackson Twp 54 - Holmdel 15 (BOX SCORE)
Jackson: F Pazinko (11-3); A Nazurdinov (10-3); McCann (13-3); Schlenk (9-3)
Holmdel: 144 - C Reyes d. T Pazinko, 11-10; A Reyes (15-2); M Paulino pins


1/6: NON-DIVISION
TR East 39 - Holmdel 33 (BOX SCORE)
TRE: Ca Taylor, Lenaghan, Cappello, & Totten win by pin; Co Taylor techs
Holmdel: Rao & Denton pin; Paulino techs; C Reyes majors


1/3: BORESCH DUALS
Delsea 53 - Holmdel 19 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel 53 - Governor Livingston 26 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel 41 - South Plainfield 36 (BOX SCORE)


12/27: HOLMDEL HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Holmdel - 2nd Place
1st: Sayan Rao (113) / Dylan Placca (138) / Nicholas Paulino (150) / Alex Reyes (190)
2nd: Logan Placca (106) / Christian Reyes (144)
3rd: Christian Denton (175) / John Gann (Hwt)


12/21: BEAST OF THE EAST
7th Place: Alex Reyes (190)


12/20: RON MAZZOLA MEMORIAL
Holmdel - 17th Place
3rd: John Gann (Hwt)


12/16: NON-DIVISION
Holmdel 39 - Manasquan 33 (BOX SCORE)
Holmdel: Wins 8 bouts; D Placca, L Placca, Denton, A Reyes, & Crowther win by pin
Manasquan: Cavanaugh, Kerstetter, Havard, Tracey, & Dawson pin for Warriors


12/10: NON-DIVISION
Colts Neck 45 - Holmdel 27 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Jannucci, Fortunato, Walsh, Fischer, Michaels, Kaplan, & Anderson win by pin
Holmdel: A Reyes, D Placca, C Reyes, N Paulino with bonus wins

 

2026 Holmdel Hornets
Head Coach: Mike Oxley (5th Season in 2026 / 65-32)
Assistants: Greg McCrystal / Jimmy Speidel
Volunteers: Anthony Paulino / Orlando Reyes / Jimmy Ilvento
Section: CJG2 / Division: C / District: 18 / Region: 5


Eight starters are back from last year's District 20 championship team, the Hornets' first District team title in 43 years, and some promising newcomers are looking to make an immediate impact, as Holmdel looks to continue the program's winning ways in 2026.

The big name back is Alex Reyes. Already the program's only 2-time State medalist and 2-time Region champ, the Rutgers' commit has an eye on the ultimate prize in 2026, a spot on the top of the podium in Boardwalk Hall. He is the hammer up top for Holmdel for a group that will also feature a pair of juniors coming off of 20+ win sophomore seasons in Christian Denton, 21 wins, and John Gann, a 23-match winner. Gann is a candidate to have a huge breakout season. In his first two seasons, has put up 42 career wins and finished 4th at Districts twice wrestling as an underclassmen in the heavyweight division. With the two years under his belt, and now in his junior year, he has the potential to be a force for Holmdel at 285.

There is a strong, proven stretch in the middle. Juniors Dylan Placca and Nicholas Paulino enter their third season in the starting lineup. Both wrestlers are 2-time District medalists, with Placca winning a title last year on his way to advancing to Atlantic City after taking 3rd at Regions, while Paulino was a win away from the boardwalk after finishing 5th at Regions. Sophomore Christian Reyes is coming off an outstanding freshman season in which he finished second on the team with 32 wins and was a runner-up at Districts.

The Hornets will be very young down low, as they project to have nothing but underclassmen in the starting lineup. Sayan Rao won 21 matches in 2025 and won a District title, and along with fellow sophomore returning starter Michael Paulino, gives the Hornets some experience down low to break some new starters in around. Freshmen Logan Placca and Vincent Dinapoli are among the young newcomers looking to make an immediate impact in the lineup after solid middle school careers.

Holmdel's rise brought them to their first team championship in over 40 years last season. After several down years for the program, the Hornets have continued to stack together winning seasons together and have put together back-to-back 20+ win dual seasons. It's a young team overall, but they will look to continue their winning ways on the mat as a team, and in the individual postseason.


Possible Lineup in 2026