By RICK FORTENBAUGH
For BucksLocalSports.com

Here we go — again.

Although Robbinsville beat Hopewell Valley for Mercer County dual-match supremacy this week, there is hope for Hopewell going into the Mercer County Tournament that gets underway tonight at Trenton High.

It’s true Robbinsville came out of last night’s tournament meeting with a whopping five No. 1 seeds, but the Ravens only have one wrestler who is seeded second.

Hopewell Valley, by contrast, has three No. 1 seeds, and may be able to compensate by the fact five of its wrestlers are seeded second.

With full wrestle-backs, this could be all about making every bout count. Where Robbinsville could also have the edge, however, is it looks like it has more weights covered right now than the Bulldogs.

Defending individual champions are Robbinsville’s David Bossie, Jared Icenhower and Jordon Hankins, Ewing’s Josh Garzio, Allentown’s Sam Shonk and Ross Scheuerman, and Trenton’s Raahmiah and Canaan Bethea.

Allentown’s Taylor Maul is also a defending champion, but will not be competing in this year’s tourney.

The following is the top four seeds in each weight:

Key: Allentown (A); Ewing (E); Hamilton (Ha); Hightstown (Hi); Hopewell Valley (HV); Lawrence (L); Notre Dame (ND); Nottingham (N); Princeton (P); Robbinsville (R); Steinert (S); Trenton (T); West Windsor North (WWN); West Windsor South (WWS).

103. 1. David Bossie (R) 15-1; 2. Jared Staub (Ha) 15-1; 3. Joe Michel (S) 13-2; 4. Ian Snyder (P) 18-2.

Second at Region VII last year, Bossie is a big favorite. The Raven junior recently decisioned Staub, 4-0, and earlier beat Michel, 7-1. His only loss is to South Plainfield freshman hammer Anthony Ashnault, who is ranked first in the state by The Trentonian. Staub got the second seed by virtue of a 2-1 win over Michel.

112: 1. Brian O’Toole (R) 14-2; 2. Steve Palder (HV) 13-6; 3. Jon Delgado (N) 14-7; 4. Dylan Borsos (S) 8-6.

Both of O’Toole’s losses were out of county and he cemented the top seed with a 4-0 win over Palder Wednesday night. O’Toole will also be looking to make a big splash after sitting out last year’s tourney when he was beaten out for the 103 spot by Bossie.

A defending district champ Palder has found the going tougher this year at 112. The Hopewell senior did, however, major Delgado, 13-2. Borsos loss to Delgado, 7-1.

119: 1 Jared Icenhower (R) 13-2; 2. Matt Anderson (12-10); 3. Mike Staub (Ha) 12-4); 4. Cody Parker (Hi) 14-6.

Icenhower and Anderson did not hit Wednesday because Anderson was at 125. Icenhower, who is another big favorite for the Ravens, pinned Staub in the first period in a dual. He also pinned the fourth-seeded Parker. Staub went third after nipping Parker, 2-1, last week.

125: 1. Jeff Bruno (R) 13-2; 2. Josh Medina (Ha) 13-2; 3. Matt Bearden (E) 18-4; 4. Brian Oglesby (WWS) 12-5.

The fourth straight top seed for Robbinsville, Bruno recently decisioned Medina, 6-3. Bearden lost to Medina, 2-1, very early in the year and came up just short against Bruno by the score of 6-5. Bearden was on the verge of winning this bout, but Bruno was able to reverse at the third-period buzzer. Oglbesy lost to Bearden, 6-1.

130: 1. Josh Garzio (E) 21-1; 2. Damian Freeman (P) 14-1; 3. Matt Joseph (R) 13-3; 4. Joe Whartenby (Ha) 11-4.

Garzio and Freeman did not hit in their dual. A defending MCT champion, Garzio’s only loss is to Jake Scire of Rumson-Fairhaven. Freeman’s only loss was a 7-5 decision to a wrestler from Cedar Grove. Joseph and Garzio didn’t hit in their dual either and the Princeton-Robbinsville dual is not to Wednesday. Whartenby was pinned by Joseph and wasn’t in the lineup against Ewing.

135: 1. Christian Kalwa (HV) 16-5; 2. Jason Herrera (Hi) 13-4; 3. Cody Smith (S) 10-4; 4. Jeff Condit (R) 8-8.

This should be competitive. Kalwa is the top spot after beating Condit, 3-1, with an overtime takedown Wednesday night and earlier nipping Herrera, 5-4. Smith was recently decisioned by Hopewell 130-pounder Tim Gainsburg, 8-6, and was not in the lineup against Hightstown. Herrea flattened Condit in the second period around Christmas.

140: 1. Sam Shonk (A) 13-4; 2. Jeff Mulford (HV) 16-7; 3. Joe Wright (S) 11-4; 4. Jon Redmond (12-6).

Here’s another weight that could by up for grabs. Shonk is a defending MCT champion, but has a couple of losses in county, including 10-6 to Redmond. Mulford was pinned early in the year by Shonk, but has been coming on and was one of the few Bulldogs who wrestled with fire in his eye against Robbinsville. Mulford beat Wright, 6-2, on Saturday. Shonk and Wright have not yet wrestled.

145: 1. Raamiah Bethea (R) 18-0; 2. Tommy O’Rourke (L) 17-1; 3. Drew Reca (R) 11-5; 4. Rocky Ruffner HV) 13-8.

This is one of the few weights in the tourney with a little depth. Bethea is the guy to beat. The Trenton sophomore is a defending champion and has usually been up a weight. O’Rourke, however, is one of the top wrestlers in the county. His only loss was against Somerville. Reca dominated Ruffner this week, but was stuck by O’Rourke in the first period.

152: 1. Jon Sanchez (N) 18-1; 2. Jordon Hankins (R) 1-0; 3. Marc Schumm (E) 18-3; 4. Gerrayl Bryson (L) 12-4.

It’s unclear why Hankins is seeded second after winning districts and the MCT last year, but perhaps the coaches didn’t want to elevate him to No. 1 because he hadn’t wrested at all until this week. Sanchez is undefeated in Mercer, although Schumm gave him a good go in an 8-6 loss this week.

160: 1. Ross Scheuerman (A) 19-1; 2. Travis Gerstacker (HV) 18-4; 3. Calvin Brasor (P) 16-4; 4. Ian Wolf (L) 12-5.

Scheuerman has been wrestling at 171 this year and there was speculation if he would come down. Now, he has. It could be a fun final if its Scheuerman and Gerstacker. The Hopewell wrestler has four losses, but consider one of them was a one-point decision to Hunterdon Central’s Jerry Somma, who is ranked third in the state by The Trentonian.

171: 1. Canaan Bethea (T) 17-0; 2. Gregg Ratner (Hi) 16-4; 3. Austin Scharfstein (WWS) 12-2; 4. Jancel Nunez (N) 7-12.

It’s hard to imagine anyone coming close to stopping the state-ranked Bethea from becoming one of the few four-time MCT champions. Bethea is also on course to become the CVC’s all-time winningest wrestler. The battle is for second. One of Scharfstein’s two losses was a 7-6 setback to Ratner.

189: 1. Alex Saliba (HV) 20-2; 2. Chris Silakoski (ND) 14-2; 3. Jason Miller (S) 13-2; 4. Marcus Lawrence (Hi) 15-5.

Get ready for the fur to fly here because there’s a triangle working. Miller recently beat Saliba, 8-5, but went third because he lost to Silakoski in an 9-8 war. That and the fact Saliba beat Silakoski, 3-1. This is one of the rare weights with three guys who have a legitimate shot at first.

215: 1. Joe Tesauro (HV) 19-2; 2. Mike Silakoski (ND) 11-3; 3. Rico Burton (T) 8-6; 4. Bryan Aguilar (Ha) 8-7.

Tesauro is No. 1 after beating Silakoski, 7-3. Burton is third because he beat Aguilar, 8-4. This is not one of the best weights in the tourney.

Hvy: 1. Brandon DiDonato (R) 16-0; 2. Zach Ortman (HV) 15-5; 3. Glenn Friedeborn (L) 10-4; 4. Khalil Regis (N), 8-1.

Ranked second in the state by The Trentonian, DiDonato owns a 5-0 win over Ortman and a 6-2 decision over Friedeborn. Ortman pinned Friedeborn in a dual.