Brandon Green is the South Jersey Times Wrestler of the Year and other honors

New Paulsboro state champion Brandon Green wants his spot on the wall.

Green became the 27^th state champion in the storied program's history less than two weeks ago when he defeated Howell's Shane Reitsma, 13-9, in the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics 170-pound state final.

The junior admitted he’s been a little impatient while waiting for his name to be added with the rest of the state champions on the wall in Paulsboro’s wrestling room.

“I’ve been bringing it up every day,” acknowledged Green. “I went in the wrestling room and was like ‘Where’s my name?’

“(The coaches tell me) they’re going to do it soon, but I don’t know when. I’d like them to put it up now. Ever since I walked into that wrestling room, I wanted my name to be up there as part of that legacy. Now I’m worried it won’t be up until next season.”

Green put it all together in the state tournament. He pinned his first three opponents to reach the semifinal then won by 10-2 major decision over Camden Catholic’s impressive freshman, Martin Cosgrove.

In the state final, Green avenged his loss to Reitsma from the Region 7 final the week before when he jumped out to a 3-0 lead but lost 6-4.

Green took another 2-0 lead in the first period against Reitsma, but this time added on in the second period with three takedowns to put the state final away.

Working with his coaches on keeping his hands down and defending Reitsma’s shots all week was a key for Green.

“Once I beat Cosgrove the way I did, I thought I’m on a roll right now and nobody can touch me,” said Green. “That’s how I felt.

“I worked really hard the last month of the season. My coaches told me if I grinded hard that last month, it would put me over the top. When I lost to (Reitsma) at regions, I just said I worked too hard to lose again. We talked about what I could clean up and fix and (the loss) made me want to win even more.”

RELATED: South Jersey Times All-Star Team

Green actually started the season with a third-place finish in the John and Betty Vogeding Tournament at Paulsboro – missing a chance to wrestle Reitsma, who won the title.

“He put it together this weekend, that’s what it’s all about,” said Paulsboro coach Paul Morina, who predicted Green would be a college All-American down the road. “He wrestled awesome the whole tournament. He was so focused.

“My son Sam (a former region champ and Paulsboro coach) spent a lot of time with him making adjustments, drilling with him. We knew what we had to do. He opened up, he’s unbelievable.”

Green, who says he has been contacted by Rutgers, Rider, North Carolina, Ohio State and Old Dominion, now has a chance to really leave his mark on the program.

Only Tom Curl, Matt Suter and Jermaine Ruffin have won two titles in Paulsboro history.

He’ll have competition, though. Green feels he’ll move up to 182 and Reitsma will stay at 170 next year. Cosgrove could also move up and 182-pound state runner-up John Poznanski of Colonia might be at the weight class as well.

“I think I can win it again,” assured Green. “I’ve worked hard and put the time in. I’ve been working to get to this level and win stuff like this. You see some guys win it and kind of relax, but I’m not trying to do that. I took a week off, and I’m already back in the practice room.”

Green said in school and on social media he continues to receive congratulations.

“It’s almost like I’m a celebrity,” said Green.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Mike Barikian took over the Kingsway wrestling program three years ago with a goal of winning a state title.

When the Dragons reached the semifinal his first season and were competitive in a loss to Phillipsburg, Barikian claimed no moral victories and lamented missed opportunities.

When the Dragons got another shot against Phillipsburg this season, they didn’t miss their chance. Kingsway wrestled a nearly perfect match to knock off the five-time defending group 4 state champs, 26-20, after avenging a loss to Jackson earlier in the day in the state semifinal.

For leading Kingsway to their first state title in 12 years, Barikian is the South Jersey Times Coach of the Year.

Barikian prepares his team with a loaded schedule that often leaves several losses on wrestler’s records.

Take 106-pound freshman Josh Palmucci, who was just 10-18 before picking up a big upset in the Phillipsburg match.

Barikian predicted Palmucci would qualify for regions and had a shot to make it to states – which he did starting districts as a fourth seed, finishing third in the region and moving on to Atlantic City.

“It’s such a long season and you just try to keep your eye on the prize,” said Barikian. “We’ve had a rough go of it at some points. Even in the write-up (for the semifinals and final) it said Kingsway hasn’t beaten any (Top 20) teams. Well, OK, we hadn’t but we know who we are, we know who our kids are, we know what we’re training for and we tried to stay focused on that. Trust me, there are times it is not easy.

“Josh Palmucci hasn’t been through this process before to just take me at my word, but I told him just stick with it. It was nice to get the win over Jackson after losing to them the first time and we came in here (against Phillipsburg) and every single kid did their job, every single one. Every single kid knew what they needed to do and did it. That’s rare.”

Barikian also helped oversee the beginning of the Kingsway girls program in the first season of NJSIAA girls wrestling. Over 40 girls started in the Kingsway program when many teams saw just a handful come out in the first year.

For the boys, only two starters graduate, so this could be the beginning of Kingsway’s own dynasty.

“We’re still not where we need to be,” said Barikian. “We’re state champs, which is a heck of an accomplishment, but this is another step in the right direction. It’s exciting to think where we can be.”

TEAM OF THE YEAR: This might have been one of Paulsboro's most dominant teams and that is saying something.

The Red Raiders went 25-1, defeated six other sectional champions – including Group 2 state champion and No. 4 South Plainfield and No. 8 Hunterdon Central – all by 20 points or more. Paulsboro downed Hunterdon Central, 51-16.

“It took a lot of hard work,” said senior 126-pounder Geno Duca. “We don’t just get this good. We’ve done so much no one else has done. We sacrificed a lot. It’s all part of the program,  it’s all part of the tradition.”

The Red Raiders routed Kittatinny, 63-3, in the state final – the fourth straight title and 32^nd overall for the program. It was Paulsboro coach Paul Morina's 700^th win.

“It’s a big feeling, for this whole town, we were in a four-year drought and now we’ve won four years in a row and you can’t ask for anything more than that,” said senior 195-pounder Anthony Morina, Paul’s son.

The only loss came to No. 1 Bergen Catholic, snapping a 68-match winning streak, but it didn’t dull the luster of a dominant season.

“Like anything else, if you stay focused on what’s in front of you, all the other stuff falls into place,” said Paul Morina. “There’s been so many streaks and accomplishments, these state championships are what’s special and these seniors won four. That’s really special.”

Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports. Like our NJ.com High School Wrestling Facebook Page.