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The NJSIAA wrestling seeding committee hammered out the pairings in the 14 weight classes yesterday. Now it is time to address 10 of the more pressing questions as we pack for the state tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The tournament will run Friday through Sunday.

1. Can anyone stop Scott Winston?

A poster on the nj.com wrestling forum presented the preposterous notion on Friday that two-time state champion Scott Winston of Jackson, he of the undefeated career record, was going to lose in the Region 6 final at 160 pounds. Now there have been some bizarre posts on the wrestling forum, but this was heresy. Winston won his Region 6 final by technical fall and improved to 134-0 in his career.

Answer: Uh, no.

2. Can the four other returning 2007 state champions join Winston at the top of the medals’ podium?

Of the four with a shot to repeat, senior Trevor Melde (140) of DePaul, the state champion at 135 pounds last year, appears the most indestructible. Senior Nick Menditto (152) of Ocean Township, the 2007 gold medalist at 145 pounds, is a close second. The other two 2007 winners, Frank Cagnina (112) of Queen of Peace, who won at 103 last year for Bergen Catholic, and Joe Trause of Bergen Catholic, looking to repeat at 125 pounds, look vulnerable. Trause was decked in the Bergen County Tournament final in December by Matt Fusco of Queen of Peace and Cagnina dropped a 7-4 decision to Joey Langel of Howell at the N.J. Coaches All-Star Invitational on Jan. 27.

Answer: We’ll call it a yes on Melde, Menditto and Trause.

3. Can Michael Knight climb the medal mountain at 189 pounds?

Sayreville’s Knight, a senior and the leader of one of the state’s feel-good team stories this season, weighs 171 pounds but has opted to go after a state tournament medal at 189 pounds. That decision looked mighty astute when Knight took down Bound Brook’s Andrew Campolattano 29 seconds into the championship bout at Region 5 on Saturday. Campolattano, ranked No. 2 in the state by The Star-Ledger, eventually pinned Knight in the second period, but we are convinced the decision by Knight to go up will not keep him down.

Answer: Absolutely. Knight’s decision will pay off when he is awarded a medal for placing at 189. His natural weight class is much deeper, making it more difficult to place.

4. Should Jesse Boyden have gone up, too?

Brearley’s Boyden is a stronger, quicker and more technically sound wrestler than he was a year ago, when he placed sixth in the state tournament at 215 pounds. But sitting as the top seed in the 215-pound weight class is the seemingly impenetrable Glen Carson of Southern. Carson placed second at 215 last year and defeated Boyden, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. Carson also beat Boyden, 4-2, in last season’s N.J. Coaches All-Star Invitational. Also looming is Gerald Hodges of Paulsboro, who could meet Boyden in the semifinals.

Answer: No. The enduring image of Boyden tossing around Region 8 bronze medalist Dan Walker of Delsea before pinning him in the Group 2 semifinals could be a sign of things to come. Even though the heavyweight class is as mediocre as it’s been in many years, why should Boyden take the risk of some 285-pounder riding him out in the quarterfinals when he’s shown he and Carson are on level ground?

5. Byrnes-Santos Round 3?

The Nos. 1- and 2-ranked wrestlers in the state at 145 pounds, Sean Byrnes of Jackson and Steve Santos of Brick Memorial, have met twice since Feb. 15, and neither has proven clearly superior even though Byrnes won both matches. Byrnes, fourth in the state last year at 145, dropped down from 152 pounds around the mid-season point. He edged Santos, 3-2 in four overtimes, on Feb. 15 in the Central Jersey, Group 4 sectional team final and nipped him again in the Region 6 title bout, 1-0.

Answer: We can only hope. They are seeded the way they are ranked, meaning the rematch could come in the state final.

6. Will there be love for the wrestling officials at Boardwalk Hall?

When each of the final 14 bouts are contested on Sunday afternoon at Boardwalk Hall, there will be four people on the mat — two wrestlers and two officials. All four are under the microscope. No one wants to see an official gain more attention than the wrestlers. Close calls are part of every sport, but there seems to be an awful lot more in wrestling.

Answer: Love? No. Respect? Maybe.

7. Who should we add to our portfolio of wrestlers to watch?

The district and region tournaments are completed and the seeding committee has completed its job. Wrestling fans now own a perspective that simply did not exist two weeks ago. These are wrestlers we’d like to say we knew, all the way back in December, were medal contenders.

Answer: Ryan Callahan (160) of Wallkill Valley, Joe Orecchio (103) of Don Bosco Prep, Peter Terrezza (112) of New Providence, Mike Trasso (140) of Queen of Peace, Colin Hewitt (135) of Franklin, Brian Newman (189) of Toms River North, Tyler Scotton (119) of Willingboro and John Bakuckas (152) of Hammonton.

8. Who pays the most for the stay in New Jersey’s gambling mecca?

Let’s face it, if you are staying in one of the hotels along the boardwalk and you are not throwing chips around a betting table for least a few hours a day, you are still spending anywhere from $250 to $400-plus for your room.

Answer: The moms and dads whose sons surprised them the most on Saturday at the region tournaments.

9. What region has the best wrestlers?

This is always a question of depth. Just about every region has had its day in the sun, or should we say on center mat, in Atlantic City over the past 10 years. A year ago, Region 6 placed 12 wrestlers in the finals and five of them won a state championship.

Answer: Region 6. When quality wrestlers like Gene Accardi (112) of Freehold Township, sixth in the state tournament at 103 last year, and Nick Visicaro (152) of Long Branch can’t make it out of that black hole of a region, you know Region 6 is still clicking.

10. What will leave the biggest impression on wrestling fans come that long ride home — for some — on Sunday?

Answer: Two things come to mind. Scott Winston of Jackson completing his career undefeated and with a third state title. A monumental upset in the quarterfinals or semifinals can be almost counted on in this craziest of all crazy seasons.

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