Wrestling enthusiasts often remind us that regardless of a rocky start or an unexpected loss during the season, it’s how you wrap things up that counts the most. If the 2024-2025 St. Joseph Regional team isn’t the epitome of that philosophy, it would certainly be surprising.

Currently, SJR sits atop the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public A rankings after defeating fellow powerhouse Delbarton, 30-26, during the state championship match at Rutgers University this past Sunday.

A glance at most rankings from December, including ours, would reveal the Green Knights as a top five contender and, in some cases, even higher; we had them ranked as the nation’s No. 3 team with Delbarton sitting at No. 6.

However, reality didn’t align with expectations as the teams hit the mats. St. Joe faced challenges with high-profile transfers not yet eligible and dealt with injuries that plagued them. Their initial showing at the Beast of the East ended in a sixth-place finish, which, at the time, did not significantly harm their national standing.

This sixth-place finish, combined with a series of disappointing results, eventually caused St. Joseph Regional to drop in our weekly rankings. By the time the final standings were counted for PowerAde, they were no longer in the top ten. At the Catholic School Duals in early January, the Knights were upset by No. 31 Christian Brothers Academy and No. 33 Bergen Catholic.

Meanwhile, Delbarton climbed to No. 5 in our rankings, enjoying a series of successes starting with a runner-up finish at the National Hall of Fame Duals against No. 2 Bishop McCort (PA). The Green Wave secured third place at PowerAde, trailing only McCort and No. 4 Lake Highland Prep of Florida.

The only notable setback for Delbarton that slightly impacted their ranking was a dual meet loss to No. 11 St. Edward, Ohio, while they were missing Trevor Jones from their lineup. The Green Wave even triumphed over fellow strong contender, No. 9 Blair Academy, for the first time.

Just over a week after the Catholic School Duals, St. Joe avenged their earlier loss to Bergen Catholic, signaling the start of a turnaround. A healthier, if not entirely fit team, secured a third-place finish at Escape the Rock, further illustrating their upward trajectory.

On February 11th, the New Jersey Non-Public, Group A State Dual meet tournament kicked off. Delbarton’s previous achievements helped them attain the No. 1 seed, granting them a first-round bye into the quarterfinals, where they overwhelmed Paramus Catholic, 61-9.

St. Joseph Regional entered as the sixth seed due to their early season difficulties. However, their recent positive momentum reflected in their climb back up the rankings, landing them at No. 8 as dual competition began.

The Green Knights easily prevailed against Seton Hall Prep, 62-10, setting the stage for a rematch with Christian Brothers. The 46-29 team score illuminated the Knights’ transformation as they decisively reversed their previous defeat, propelling them into the state semifinals scheduled for Thursday, the 13th.

In contrast, Delbarton faced No. 32 St. John Vianney and emerged victorious with a solid 45-17 win. St. Joe then took on No. 29 St. Peter’s Prep, overpowering them with a 39-21 score to set the stage for a title bout against Delbarton.

Sunday afternoon at the Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers would be the third consecutive Group A state final featuring these two rivals. Delbarton claimed victory last year, while St. Joe celebrated their title in 2023.

A victory on Sunday would essentially erase the early season turmoil for the Green Knights. After making their way back into the top ten, could they reclaim their position ahead of the Green Wave as they were predicted to do when the season commenced?

Current national rankings suggested that Delbarton was poised to claim their second consecutive crown, but it would be unwise to count out St. Joe, who was entering the arena with significant momentum on Sunday.

The matchup was set to commence at the 113lb weight class, which favored the Green Wave due to having the No. 5 ranked Cam Sontz set to clash with unranked Charles Esposito. Sontz utilized two takedowns to secure an 8-3 decision over Esposito.

However, Delbarton could not initiate a winning streak as No. 17 Johnathon McGinity stepped up for St. Joe at 120, facing honorable mention Tommy Marchetti. McGinity took control of the scoring, allowing only two escapes on his way to an 8-2 victory, evening the team score at three points each.

St. Joe’s Mikey Bautista, who has made appearances in our national rankings at 126, though currently unranked, was favored against Braden Jones, and he delivered with a solid performance, scoring heavily after a slow start to claim a 9-0 major decision.

The thrill of consecutive wins energized Vincent Paino, leading him to pull off an upset against No. 30 Ryan DeGeorge, finishing 5-3 in the ultimate tiebreaker, extending their lead to seven points at 10-3.

Next up for St. Joe at 138 was No. 6 Adrian DeJesus, who was expected to secure a fourth consecutive victory. However, honorable mention Chase Quenault had other ideas, shocking DeJesus and the crowd with a 9-2 victory that saw DeJesus requiring a late escape to avoid a major decision.

DeJesus, one of the Knights who had battled injuries, had just returned in time for the state duals, but it appeared he may have re-aggravated his injury, frequently grabbing at his neck and shoulder area as the bout with Quenault progressed.

Ryan Mitchell from St. Joe’s entered the competition largely unrecognized, boasting only a 5-1 record. In contrast, Nicholas Schwartz has been having a remarkable freshman year for Delbarton. Mitchell executed a cradle for a takedown during the first period and maintained his momentum, ultimately achieving a 9-2 victory, which restored their lead to seven points, making it 13-6.

Delbarton found themselves entering a segment of their lineup where they anticipated gathering much-needed bonus points. Of the initial six matches, only one major decision had been recorded, representing the only bonus points available thus far.

Jayden James, ranked No. 2 for the Green Wave, wasted no time at 150, pinning Angelo Paino in just 56 seconds, shrinking the deficit to one point at 13-12. Following that, Trevor Jones achieved a 19-3 technical fall over Joseph Paretti, which put Delbarton ahead for the first time that day, leading 17-13.

St. Joe inadvertently gifted Delbarton six additional points by opting not to face No. 5 Alessio Perentin at 165 lbs. This decision widened the gap to ten points, with Delbarton leading 23-13.

Ryan Burton, ranked No. 4 at 175, demonstrated vigorous persistence in his attempt to pin Jesse DeNegri, yet he couldn’t quite keep his opponent on his back. Ultimately, six takedowns propelled Burton to a commanding 20-5 tech fall.

Delbarton’s No. 8, CJ Betz, quickly negated any celebration from St. Joe by besting honorable mention Kaleb Jackson, 5-1, at 190 lbs, adding some points back for his team following Burton’s impressive victory.

With a score of 26-18 and three matches remaining, the Knights remained hopeful, as their line-up featured all nationally ranked wrestlers, while only one member from Delbarton shared that distinction.

For St. Joe’s Regional to upset Delbarton, they wouldn’t require a dramatic three-pin sequence as Stillwater did to clinch the 6A Oklahoma title just the previous day; however, they would still need to secure three consecutive victories.

Even landing just two pins could leave them at risk of being overtaken in the third match, as a 30-26 lead could still be reversed under the right circumstances.

After spending much of the year without No. 5 Anthony Harris due to transfer regulations, the Green Knights felt at ease having their standout athlete available at 215 against the unranked Elbrus Majagah. Harris appeared on track for a potential tech fall when he executed a smooth duck under that placed Majagah on his back, ultimately achieving the fall at the 3:09 mark.

Next up for St. Joe was No. 13 Cristian Alvarez at heavyweight, who faced August Moser, another unranked opponent. Moser put up a fight against Alvarez, managing to keep the bout close but ultimately fell by regular decision, losing 8-1.

With these two victories, the Knights edged ahead of the Green Wave, now leading by a slender point margin of 27-26. Any victory from either squad would now determine the state champion for this year.

As was the case in the previous two matches, St. Joe found themselves heavily favored once again, with No. 3 JoJo Burke scheduled to take the mat against Delbarton’s No. 20 PJ Terranova at 106 lbs. The bout initially appeared to favor Burke, yet Terranova showcased grit, keeping the match competitive before ultimately succumbing to Burke, 8-6.

Burke’s victory capped a remarkable turnaround for St. Joseph’s Regional, rescuing their season which had faced uncertainty and seemed to be heading off track back in early January.

As it turns out, the adage holds true, as St. Joe established itself as New Jersey’s premier team after all. While the journey had its ups and downs, ultimately, it’s the outcome that counts more than the winding path taken to reach it.

On Sunday, six other state titles were awarded. Camden Catholic claimed the Non-Public Group B title with a 32-20 victory over Pope John XXIII.

Five titles were awarded in public school classifications: Delaware Valley Regional triumphed in Group I, defeating Hanover Park 47-16. Rumson-Fair Haven took home the Group II championship with a 40-28 win over Caldwell. In Group III, Delsea secured victory against Brick Memorial, finishing 45-30. North Hunterdon came out on top in Group IV, edging Phillipsburg 37-27, while Southern Regional topped Bridgewater-Raritan 58-18 for the Group V title.

NP-A

Match #1 1st Place Match

St Joseph (Montvale) HS defeated Delbarton School 30-26

• 113 – Cameron Sontz (Delbarton School) over Charles Esposito (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) Dec 8-3
• 120 – Johnathon McGinty (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) over Tommy Marchetti (Delbarton School) Dec 8-2
• 126 – Mikey Bautista (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) over Braden Jones (Delbarton School) Maj 9-0
• 132 – Vincent Paino (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) over Ryan DeGeorge (Delbarton School) UTB 5-3
• 138 – Chase Quenault (Delbarton School) over Adrian DeJesus (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) Dec 9-2
• 144 – Ryan Mitchell (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) over Nicholas Schwartz (Delbarton School) Dec 9-2
• 150 – Jayden James (Delbarton School) defeated Angelo Paino (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) by fall in 0:57
• 157 – Trevor Jones (Delbarton School) surpassed Joseph Paretti (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) via technical fall, 19-3
• 165 – Alessio Perentin (Delbarton School) won against Unknown (Unattached) by forfeit
• 175 – Ryan Burton (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) triumphed over Jesse DeNegri (Delbarton School) with a technical fall, 20-5
• 190 – Carl Betz (Delbarton School) secured a victory against Kaleb Jackson (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) by decision, 5-1
• 215 – Anthony Harris (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) emerged victorious over Elbrus Majagah (Delbarton School) by fall in 3:09
• 285 – Cristian Alvarez (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) defeated August Moser (Delbarton School) by decision, 8-1
• 106 – JoJo Burke (St Joseph (Montvale) HS) overcame Peter Terranova (Delbarton School) by decision, 8-6

NP-B

Match #1 1st Place Match

Camden Catholic defeated Pope John Xxiii 32-30

• 126 – Lazarus Joyce (Camden Catholic) defeated Frankie Spagnola (Pope John Xxiii) by fall in 1:22
• 132 – Sammy Spaulding (Camden Catholic) topped Dalton Weber (Pope John Xxiii) by decision, 4-1
• 138 – Carson Walsh (Pope John Xxiii) won against EJ Bonnette (Camden Catholic) by technical fall, 20-3
• 144 – Donny Almeyda (Pope John Xxiii) secured victory over Eric Swanson (Camden Catholic) by major decision, 13-4
• 150 – Michael Craft (Camden Catholic) managed to defeat Lukas Katsigiannis (Pope John Xxiii) by decision, 9-3
• 157 – Kage Jones (Camden Catholic) outperformed Jake Zerden (Pope John Xxiii) with a technical fall, 18-2
• 165 – Braydan Lombreglia (Pope John Xxiii) took the win against Terry Terch (Camden Catholic) by decision, 11-4
• 175 – Cole Dunham (Pope John Xxiii) secured victory over Cole Trotz (Camden Catholic) by fall in 1:04
• 190 – Jaden Simpson (Camden Catholic) bested David Thomson (Pope John Xxiii) by decision, 10-4
• 215 – Shawn Baumann (Pope John Xxiii) bested Tristan Owen (Camden Catholic) by decision, 7-5
• 285 – Jarrod Cofrancesco (Pope John Xxiii) won against Lars Stegner (Camden Catholic) by fall in 3:46
• 106 – Zach Reali (Camden Catholic) won via forfeit against Unknown (Unattached)
• 113 – Jake Holly (Pope John Xxiii) emerged victorious over Dom Digiacomo (Camden Catholic) by decision, 5-3
• 120 – Chase Martino (Camden Catholic) toppled Matthew Reilly (Pope John Xxiii) by fall in 1:51

Group I

Match #1 1st Place Match

Delaware Valley Regional defeated Hanover Park Hs 47-16

• 126 – Jaden Perez (Delaware Valley Regional) defeated Nick DiFrancescantonio (Hanover Park Hs) by technical fall, 17-0
• 132 – Santino Danise (Hanover Park Hs) took the win over Tye Falkenstein (Delaware Valley Regional) by major decision, 9-1
• 138 – Michael Hasson (Delaware Valley Regional) won against Cristian Cesaro (Hanover Park Hs) by technical fall, 19-4
• 144 – Joey Tantawi (Hanover Park Hs) secured victory over Sebastian Dobak (Delaware Valley Regional) by decision, 4-2