1 county, 2 stars, 3 sports

“Hey, let’s take five steps back!” an opposing coach shouted to his outfielders as Ramapo’s Charlie Wingfield stepped into the batter’s box for his at-bat.

“We need you hovering second base. He’s taking off any moment now; we’re taking no chances that you can’t beat him to the bag,” another coach instructed his second baseman with Rutherford’s Chris Gioia on first base, ready to steal second.

Despite opposing teams indiscreetly strategizing against these two players, it didn’t matter. Wingfield laced a go-ahead RBI triple off the fence, and Gioia stole three total bases, scoring twice.

Wingfield and Gioia, a pair of Bergen County three-sport stars, are connected in several layers of rarity. Not only are they close geographically, but they are both championship athletes sharing a chase for two rare baseball milestones. They have each notched 200 career strikeouts. Gioia recorded his 200th on April 19 at Paramus; Wingfield notched his 200th on April 28 at Northern Highlands.

Both players are also inching closer to 100 career hits, with Wingfield sitting at 96, and Gioia at 92 (entering May 8).

These two benchmarks, which only three other players in N.J. are currently close to attaining, indicate the prestige of a baseball player in New Jersey.

To have two seniors from the same area - who recently faced each other - simultaneously hunting down these milestones is simply unheard of. But, of all the layers of rarity on the diamond that bring these two stars together, what really connects them is that once the spring season wraps up, they are both hanging up their baseball spikes to play Division 1 football.

Wingfield is headed to Wake Forest as a tight end, and Gioia is going to Marist as a wide receiver.

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“This is pretty unique, right?” Wingfield said. “You don’t see it often. To be in the same conversation as someone like Chris is truly a blessing. He’s a phenomenal athlete and a great guy. I’m really happy for him and his success, not just mine.”

“This really is wild,” Gioia concurred. ”Closing in on two big milestones with another Bergen County guy is incredible. Charlie is as good of an athlete as you’ll ever find, so I’m humbled to be in the same conversation as him.”

Baseball was the first love for both Gioia and Wingfield. They started playing at a young age, which built their foundation as elite athletes.

Though it all began on the diamond for Gioia and Wingfield, they have racked up plenty of accomplishments in basketball and football, too.

Chris Gioia of Rutherford and Charlie Wingfield of Ramapo pose with a football on a baseball field in their baseball uniforms Tom Horak for NJ Advance Media

As standouts in all three sports, Gioia and Wingfield clearly love to compete. That level of focus is seemingly channeled at its peak when they pitch.

It would be easy to assume that at 6-foot-5, Wingfield relies on throwing a heavy fastball. That’s not the case, as he buries hitters with a biting slider and a curveball that consistently is thrown for strikes on each corner of the plate.

“Charlie is a gamer. His talent is spoken for, but his mentality to win every pitch is unbelievable. We trust him to get us out of the biggest jams in the biggest games,” Ramapo head coach Garrison Ward said.

Gioia, standing at 6-foot-1, is not afraid to be a bulldog and attack the strike zone with his upper-80s fastball, whether it’s high-and-inside or low-and-away.

He skillfully mixes in his curveball, which he likes to start low on a right-handed hitter, but it quickly drops off the table and out of the zone.

“We rely on Chris to win every time he pitches. He gives us a tremendous chance to stay in every game. He throws strikes and never gets fazed,” Rutherford head coach Carmen Spina said.

Athletic flexibility

Gioia and Wingfield’s success in all three sports widened the eyes of those recruiting them to play collegiate football.

It shows that they are agile, adaptable, strong, and prepared - all the makings for a productive collegiate student-athlete.

“Chris’ dominance and leadership across three sports shows that he can succeed in college athletics,” said Marist head football coach Mike Willis, who graduated from Rutherford in 2010.

“He is mentally and physically tough, and him coming up on these milestones in baseball is further proof of that.”

A star in multiple sports, Chris Gioia poses with a football on the mound. Tom Horak for NJ Advance Media

“[The] biggest thing we look for in football players and athletes is a blended skill set that we can develop. There isn’t anything better than a multi-sport athlete because of how diverse their skill set can be,” Wake Forest football head coach Jake Dickert said.

“Charlie embodies that, and once he gets to Wake and focuses on just one sport, the sky’s the limit for him. But to be successful in all the areas that Charlie is, it shows his mental toughness, inner drive and discipline it takes to be great at all these different sports.”

A star in multiple sports, Charlie Wingfield of Ramapo stands on the mound, in his baseball uniform, holding a football. Tom Horak for NJ Advance Media

Chris Gioia and Charlie Wingfield have about 10 or so more baseball games left in their high school career, and finally, almost at the finish line, they met on the same field for the first time.

They’d never competed against one another in any sport, at any age, until Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

Gioia and Wingfield met in the Bergen County Tournament in the Round of 16. Gioia was given the ball for Rutherford, batting leadoff for the 14th-seeded Bulldogs. Wingfield batted second at first base for third-seeded Ramapo.

It was by the fate of the county seeding committee that these two would actually compete in the same game. They were able to acknowledge each other halfway through the contest when Gioia reached base. Gioia and Wingfield had a brief moment at first base to say hello to each other and exchange a smile before Wingfield had to charge a bunt.

Chris Gioia (left) of Rutherford and Charlie Wingfield (right) of Ramapo shakes hands after the Bergen County Tournament game on May 7, 2025. Scott Faytok for NJ Advance Media

“That was cool. I’m glad we were able to get a game in against each other, especially in a county game,” Wingfield said. “He’s a tough guy to face.”

“It was surreal,” Gioia added. “Going into the game, I knew it would be a challenge. In the moment, it was all about competition and trying to win. After the game, it was all love and respect for him.”

Both players impressed in the game, too. Gioia dialed up six strikeouts in 6 ⅓ innings for the Bulldogs. He also walked in the top of the fifth inning and scored the go-ahead run to give Rutherford a 2-1 lead.

Wingfield answered with a go-ahead run himself in the bottom-half of the fifth. After hitting a double off of Gioia in a tie game, Wingfield stole third base and raced home moments later on an errant throw to give Ramapo a 3-2 lead.

Wingfield batted 1-for-3 with an intentional walk against Gioia, flying out twice as Ramapo held on for a 4-3 victory in walk-off fashion.

Chris Gioia and Charlie Wingfield are athletic unicorns. Already having compiled 200-plus strikeouts, they have plenty of time to secure the 100-hit milestone. But as they each look back on the sport that was their first passion, it’s not just about the statistics.

They have a few more weeks to enjoy what made them love sports, and to do it with the friends and coaches they’ve known since they were in elementary school, before they completely immerse themselves in Division 1 football.

Their legacy and status as all-time greats at their respective schools is already cemented, and they both credit their family for their unprecedented success.

Rutherford and Ramapo are each in line to contend in the postseason, but not against one another. Rutherford competes in the North 2, Group 2 section, and Ramapo is with North 1, Group 3.

However many games that Chris Gioia and Charlie Wingfield have left, they are basking in - and succeeding - in their final days as baseball players.

*UPDATE*

On Monday, May 19, 2025, Gioia and Wingfield recorded the 100th hit of their careers.

Doing so on the same day, their layer of connection only runs deeper. Gioia’s 100th hit came on a three-run home run against North Arlington as part of a 3-for-3 for day with four RBIs to steer the Bulldogs to a 14-4 win.

Wingfield’s 100th hit was on an RBI single to help give Ramapo a 6-0 victory against Demarest.

Gioia, Wingfield each get hit No. 100 on May 19, 2025

The two three-sport stars headed off to play Division 1 football this fall each collected the 100th hit of their career on the same day.