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PISCATAWAY – In the end, there was never much doubt about the best wrestling team in New Jersey. What no one could have predicted was that Delbarton would finish the job behind a backup who wasn’t sure he’d wrestle and a banged‑up starter who showed up without his shoes.
Those were the turning points Sunday when top‑seeded Delbarton beat No. 2 Christian Brothers Academy, 34-20, in the Non-Public A final at Jersey Mike’s Arena. It’s the program’s second state title in three years and the fourth overall. The Green Wave, ranked No. 7 in the country by FloWrestling, completed an 18-2 season without a loss to an NJSIAA opponent.
“You can put this team up right now against any team that's ever wrestled in the NJSIAA,” coach Bryan Stoll said. “From top to bottom, we put out a good guy on the mat. We have the superstars, the big-time superstars and we've got a lot of role players that know how to wrestle and tough kids who care about each other.”
The championship was a rematch of last month’s Catholic School Duals final, where Delbarton won by 15.
This time, the dual swung for good at 215 pounds, where junior Jesse DeNegri, a Johns Hopkins lacrosse commit, stunned two‑time state medalist Brock Oizerowitz, 7-2. DeNegri had wrestled only five bouts all season before Sunday.
“I was pretty ecstatic,” DeNegri said. "I got my shot and I took advantage of the opportunity. I'm always ready to compete and it was huge to win it for my brothers, my team, the seniors, the coaches."
DeNegri didn’t know he was wrestling until “two or three matches before,” when a coach tapped him on the shoulder. But he had been preparing for the possibility all week and has experience after reaching last year's state blood round.
Stoll called DeNegri’s win the “icing on the cake,” but the match had already tilted when another surprise walked toward the scorer’s table – in borrowed equipment.
That came at 175 pounds, where state medalist and Michigan commit Gabe Logan returned to the lineup for the first time in a month and pinned Colton Quinn in 2:44. Logan had tweaked his knee in January, re‑aggravated it against Faith Christian, and was not expected to be in the lineup.
The plan all changed after 144 when CBA’s Bobby Duffy upset state champ and two-time finalist Ryan DeGeorge. Logan approached the coaching staff after the bout.
“It was a game‑time decision,” said Logan, who plans to wrestle in the district tournament. “I didn’t even bring my stuff. I kind of just called my dad up and was like, hey, the team kind of needs me to wrestle. I'm going to throw someone's shoes on."
“He’s trying to convince us he’s wrestling,” Stoll said. “And we’re telling him no, no, no. And then, right after [150 pounds], we look over and there was Gabe ready to wrestle [with Ryder Bernholtz’s shoes]. I'm like, you can't do this.”
Logan’s pin was a 10‑point swing from the regular season, when Delbarton gave up a major decision at 175 without him. It also ignited a six‑bout run from 150 to 215 that broke open what could have been a tense dual.
Delbarton got bonus points from two‑time state champion Cam Sontz (major at 120) and technical falls from Nicolas Marchetti (138), unbeaten Penn State commit Jayden James (165) and Carl Betz (190). Trevor Jones added a pivotal 7-3 win James Jakub at 157 after needing overtime to beat the CBA senior last time.
CBA, ranked No. 12 nationally, did counter with a surprise of its own. The Colts opened the dual by bumping state third‑place finisher Sean Kenny to 132, where he beat Braden Jones, 8-5, despite wrestling with a torn labrum.
But Delbarton’s depth – eight returning medalists and a 2024 place-winner in Logan – eventually overwhelmed the Colts. The Green Wave clinched the title at 113, even in defeat, with two weights still to go. They allowed only two bonus points after holding Bergen Catholic without one in the semifinal.
"We've definitely gone through the ringer this year," DeNegri said. "But our coaches make it that way. They want the toughest possible schedule to show that we can compete with anyone."
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Delbarton wrestling clinches state title in a battle for No. 1 ranking
Continue reading...
Those were the turning points Sunday when top‑seeded Delbarton beat No. 2 Christian Brothers Academy, 34-20, in the Non-Public A final at Jersey Mike’s Arena. It’s the program’s second state title in three years and the fourth overall. The Green Wave, ranked No. 7 in the country by FloWrestling, completed an 18-2 season without a loss to an NJSIAA opponent.
“You can put this team up right now against any team that's ever wrestled in the NJSIAA,” coach Bryan Stoll said. “From top to bottom, we put out a good guy on the mat. We have the superstars, the big-time superstars and we've got a lot of role players that know how to wrestle and tough kids who care about each other.”
A hero emerges
The championship was a rematch of last month’s Catholic School Duals final, where Delbarton won by 15.
This time, the dual swung for good at 215 pounds, where junior Jesse DeNegri, a Johns Hopkins lacrosse commit, stunned two‑time state medalist Brock Oizerowitz, 7-2. DeNegri had wrestled only five bouts all season before Sunday.
“I was pretty ecstatic,” DeNegri said. "I got my shot and I took advantage of the opportunity. I'm always ready to compete and it was huge to win it for my brothers, my team, the seniors, the coaches."
DeNegri didn’t know he was wrestling until “two or three matches before,” when a coach tapped him on the shoulder. But he had been preparing for the possibility all week and has experience after reaching last year's state blood round.
Stoll called DeNegri’s win the “icing on the cake,” but the match had already tilted when another surprise walked toward the scorer’s table – in borrowed equipment.
That came at 175 pounds, where state medalist and Michigan commit Gabe Logan returned to the lineup for the first time in a month and pinned Colton Quinn in 2:44. Logan had tweaked his knee in January, re‑aggravated it against Faith Christian, and was not expected to be in the lineup.
The plan all changed after 144 when CBA’s Bobby Duffy upset state champ and two-time finalist Ryan DeGeorge. Logan approached the coaching staff after the bout.
“It was a game‑time decision,” said Logan, who plans to wrestle in the district tournament. “I didn’t even bring my stuff. I kind of just called my dad up and was like, hey, the team kind of needs me to wrestle. I'm going to throw someone's shoes on."
“He’s trying to convince us he’s wrestling,” Stoll said. “And we’re telling him no, no, no. And then, right after [150 pounds], we look over and there was Gabe ready to wrestle [with Ryder Bernholtz’s shoes]. I'm like, you can't do this.”
The path to victory
Logan’s pin was a 10‑point swing from the regular season, when Delbarton gave up a major decision at 175 without him. It also ignited a six‑bout run from 150 to 215 that broke open what could have been a tense dual.
Delbarton got bonus points from two‑time state champion Cam Sontz (major at 120) and technical falls from Nicolas Marchetti (138), unbeaten Penn State commit Jayden James (165) and Carl Betz (190). Trevor Jones added a pivotal 7-3 win James Jakub at 157 after needing overtime to beat the CBA senior last time.
CBA, ranked No. 12 nationally, did counter with a surprise of its own. The Colts opened the dual by bumping state third‑place finisher Sean Kenny to 132, where he beat Braden Jones, 8-5, despite wrestling with a torn labrum.
But Delbarton’s depth – eight returning medalists and a 2024 place-winner in Logan – eventually overwhelmed the Colts. The Green Wave clinched the title at 113, even in defeat, with two weights still to go. They allowed only two bonus points after holding Bergen Catholic without one in the semifinal.
"We've definitely gone through the ringer this year," DeNegri said. "But our coaches make it that way. They want the toughest possible schedule to show that we can compete with anyone."
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Delbarton wrestling clinches state title in a battle for No. 1 ranking
Continue reading...
