A pair of old rivals, East Brunswick and South River, will renew acquaintances tonight when the high school wrestling teams meet in East Brunswick in what is a pivotal battle for both.

South River was 9-8 going into last night’s match with Highland Park and needs a victory over East Brunswick to stay at or above .500. The Bears were 7-9 headed into yesterday’s match at Monroe and would like nothing more than to defeat their cross-town opponent and keep alive their chances for a winning dual-meet record.

Both South River and East Brunswick were eliminated from the state sectionals on Monday. The Rams lost to a quality Roselle Park team, 55-15, while the Bears, making their first state appearance since 2003, were eliminated by a state-ranked Howell squad, 41-21.

“We’re doing what I expected,” said Matt Pazinko, East Brunswick coach. “We had some opportunities to finish ahead of Old Bridge and South Brunswick in the GMC (Greater Middlesex Conference) Red Division but didn’t wrestle with full lineups. I’m pleased we made the sectionals. We wrestle a very tough schedule, and we stayed close in our matches with quality teams.”

That regular-season competition will better prepare EBHS for the District Tournament, which takes place Feb. 17 and 18. In addition to qualifying for the state sectionals, Pazinko says another team goal is to win the districts. The Bears, along with Old Bridge and South Brunswick, will likely battle for the team title. Also at stake for individual wrestlers is the opportunity to move on to the pre-regionals and regionals the following week. The ultimate goal is to stay alive for the state finals in Atlantic City.

One of the East Brunswick wrestlers who could earn a trip toAtlantic City, site of the state finals, is 152-pounder John Schleifer. The sophomore is 23-1 and captured first place in the GMC Tournament two weeks ago.

The other Bear to have topped the 20- win mark is 160-pound Michael O’Kane. The junior is 21-3 and placed third in the GMCs. At 125 pounds, freshman Sean Glasgow has recorded a 16-3 mark, which included a third in the GMCs. Sophomore Michael Quintin (220) is 16-6 and placed fourth in the GMCs; senior Gregory Krueger (170) has a 17-8 record and finished fourth in the GMCs; Mike Nicolaro, a junior, is 13-9 at 126 pounds and placed fifth in the GMCs, and 120-pounder Eric Webber, a junior, has a 12-13 record, including a sixth in the GMCs.

Other East Brunswick wrestlers who have seen regular action include freshman Tyler Shwartz at 106; sophomore Tyler Gallegos at 113; junior James Kalbach (7-11) at 170; junior Garrett Kohn at 126; junior Travis Lutzko (9-12) at 138; and junior Patrick Dougherty at 145.

“Since I became coach [this is his third season],” said Pazinko, “I have been fortunate to have very hard workers in the wrestling room. Even if some are not the most talented, we have won matches due to our conditioning and drive.

“This year is no different,” he continued. “We have worked hard, and our talent level is increasing. We have one senior in the regular lineup, so the future of our program is promising.”