What to know ahead of the NJ wrestling championships, including South Jersey wrestlers

Four hundred and seventy-two wrestlers will enter Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on Thursday with dreams of working their way to the top of the podium.

Only 24 wrestlers will reach that pinnacle.

The best wrestlers in the Garden state will convene for three days in Atlantic City at the NJSIAA state individual tournament.

Here’s a preview:

More:NJ wrestling brackets: First-round pairings for state championships

Schedule

Thursday: Wrestling starts at 1 p.m.; preliminary and pre-quarterfinal rounds

Friday: Wrestling starts at 9 a.m. with wrestlebacks; Quarterfinals, noon; Semifinals at 6 p.m.

Saturday: Wrestling starts at 9 a.m.; Placement bouts (third/fifth/seventh) around 10 a.m.; girls’ state finals around 1:30; Boys’ finals to follow starting no later than 4 p.m.

South Jersey’s returning place winners

Kaden Naame (St. Augustine, 3^rd, 2022 ; 8^th, 2021); Max Elton (Holy Spirit, 7^th, 2022); Jackson Young (Camden Catholic, 5^th, 2022), Nathan Taylor (Kingsway, 3^rd, 2022); Jamar Dixon Jr. (Delsea, 5^th, 2022); Branden Palcko (Paul VI, 8^th, 2022); Richie Grungo (St. Augustine, 4^th, 2022; 5^th, 2021); Jacob Zearfoss (Gloucester City, 6^th place, 2022); Roman Onorato (Paulsboro, 8^th, 2022); Jake Slotnick (St. Augustine, 7^th, 2022); Brock Zurawski (Lower Cape May, 8^th, 2022); Jared Schoppe (Delsea, 2^nd, 2022; 5^th, 2001; 8^th, 2020); Danny DiGiovacchino (Delsea, 8^th, 2022), Brady Conlin (St. Augustine, 3^rd, 2021; 8^th, 2020).

Toughest weight classes

During Tuesday’s seeding meeting, the 126 weight class was skipped over the first time around and for good reason – it was a crazy bracket to construct. As many as seven wrestlers have a legitimate shot at a title including locals Jackson Young (Camden Catholic) and Nathan Taylor (Kingsway).

At 120, the bracket contains three state champions with St. John Vianney’s Anthony Knox, Delbarton’s Daniel Jones and DePaul’s Adrian DeJesus. While Knox is considered the odds-on favorite, don’t count either of the locals, Max Elton (Holy Spirit) and Sammy Spaulding (Camden Catholic), out for making a run to the title bout.

At 144, a loaded field includes state runner-up Julian George (Christian Brothers Academy) as the top seed but includes a stacked top half of the bracket that includes South Jersey’s strongest contingent: St. Augustine’s Richie Grungo (fourth seed), Delsea’s Jamar Dixon Jr. (fifth) and Gloucester City’s Jacob Zearfoss (ninth).

At 150, you know it’s a deep field when Delran’s Drew Roskos is a ninth seed. Keep an eye out for a Roskos-Matt Henrich rematch in the quarterfinals. Henrich beat Roskos 4-3 in UTB in last week’s Region 7 final. St. Augustine’s Brady Conlin is the third seed. He is looking to place for the third time with a third different program after spending last year in Florida.

At 175, two state champions lead the field with Delbarton’s Simon Ruiz and Brick Memorial’s Harvey Ludington along with undefeated Sabino Portella, of Red Bank Catholic, and state runner-up Jared Schoppe, of Delsea.

At 106, how tough is this weight class? Southern’s Anthony Mason, a Region 7 champ, is the 15th seed.

More:Which wrestlers made the last individual rankings for the 2022-23 season?

What’s in a seed?

1

St. Augustine’s Kaden Naame (113) is South Jersey’s lone top seed in the tournament. South Jersey had two No. 1 seeds in each of the last three tournaments, each going 1-1. Camden Catholic’s Martin Cosgrove, Williamstown’s Mike Misita and Collingswood’s Andrew Clark were the champions.

2

Only one No. 2 seed won a state title last season.

7

Two seventh-seeded wrestlers have won state titles in the last two tournaments – the lowest of any seed to win. In 2020, a 13^th seed won a state title (St. Joseph-Montvale’s Jim Mullen).

9

Top-seeded wrestlers who claimed state titles in last year’s tournament.

20

South Jersey wrestlers with single-digit seeds or better.

By the numbers

18

State qualifiers from District 29. District 32 had 17 qualifiers, but led Region 8 with seven champions. District 31 had 14 qualifiers with four champs. District 31 had seven qualifiers with one titlist.

In Region 7, District 25 had 22 state qualifiers with District 27 next with 16, District 28 with 10 and District 26 with eight.

9

State champions from South Jersey in 2002 – an area record for one season. Sterling’s Ivan Wiggins, Absegami’s Ryan Bridge, Camden Catholic’s Bobby Ray Stinson, Delsea’s Donnie Fisch, Kingsway’s Brandon Becker, Cherry Hill West’s Ryan Cunningham, Absegami’s Jeff Black, Holy Cross’ Adam Cooney and Paulsboro’s Tom Curl.

0

South Jersey hasn’t failed to claim a state crown in a season since 1966.

Predictions

• 106: Livingston’s Aidan Carmody over North Hunterdon’s Logan Wadle

• 113: Delbarton’s Jayden James over St. Augustine’s Kaden Naame

• 120: St. John Vianney’s Anthony Knox over Holy Spirit’s Max Elton

• 126: Camden Catholic’s Jackson Young over Roxbury’s Luke Stanich

• 132: Brick Memorial’s Anthony Santaniello over Mount Olive’s Jack Bastarrika

• 138: CBA’s Alex Nini over Raritan’s Zach Reilley

• 144: St. Joseph-Montvale’s Yannis Charles over CBA's Julian George

• 150: St. Augustine’s Brady Conlin over Southern’s Matt Henrich

• 157: Delbarton's Alessio Perenti over Bergen Catholic’s Aiden Wallace

• 165: Delbarton’s Louis Cerchio over St. John Vianney’s Jasiah Queen

• 175: Delbarton’s Simon Ruiz over Brick Memorial’s Harvey Ludington

• 190: St. Joseph-Montvale’s Michael Dellagatta over St. Peter’s Anthony Harris

• 215: Rumson-Fair Haven’s Hudson Skove over Southern’s Riley O’Boyle

• 285: St. Joseph-Montvale’s Jim Mullen over Paramus Catholic’s Max Acciardi

GIRLS

Championship bouts

• 100: Theresa Zeppetelli (Bogota/Ridgefield Park) vs. Paige Weiss (Sparta)

• 107: Marlowe Donato (Jackson Memorial) vs. Leeana Mercado (Lodi)

• 114: Ava Rose (Princeton) vs. Lennix Horsburgh (Bound Brook)

• 120: Riley Lerner (Cedar Creek) vs. Valarie Maldonado (Somerville)

• 126: Kira Pipkins (Bloomfield) vs. Liliana Zaku-Ramos (Newton/Kittatinny)

• 132: Maya Hemo (Cherry Hill East) vs. Kayla Vazquez (Kinnelon)

• 138: Jayla Hahn (Southern) vs. Kamila Bieszczad (Jackson Memorial)

• 145: Saniyah Queen (St. Thomas Aquinas) vs. Olivia Georges (DePaul)

• 152: Kamila Castro (Ridgewood) vs. Jenna Filieri (Immaculate Conception-Lodi)

• 165: Ari Tyson (Cherry Hill West) vs. Savanna Marlin (Rancocas Valley)

• 185: Apryl Coffman (St. Thomas Aquinas) vs. Jade Hahn (Donovan Catholic

• 235: Shellitha Collins (Ewing) vs. Caroline Biegel (Lakeland)

Cherry Hill East’s Maya Hemo will wrestle for her second state title, attempting to equal the mark set by Delran’s Emma Matera - South Jersey’s only two-time champion.

Cedar Creek’s Riley Lerner, a two-time state runner-up, will attempt to become the first girls' state champion from the Cape-Atlantic League.

Savanna Marlin will try to become Rancocas Valley’s second state champion. Kaila Mungo made history, becoming South Jersey’s first-ever girls’ state champion in 2019, winning the 235 title.

Cherry Hill West has had one wrestler win a state title in its history. Ryan Cunningham was a two-time champ on the boys’ side in 2001 and 2002.

The other placement bouts were wrestled last Sunday in Phillipsburg. Here are the other wrestlers who reached the state podium:

• Third: Kloi Tighe (Gloucester, 100), Jackeline Ramos Oviedo (Mainland, 126), Olivia Palmer (Timber Creek, 132)

• Fourth: Jada Pichardo (Pennsauken, 114), Roxanne Roxas (Kingsway, 120), Pemberton’s Atiyana Williams (Pemberton, 165)

• Fifth: E’marie Barge (Pennsauken, 138), Abbigale Dudley (Rancocas Valley, 152), Macenzie Hunter (Pennsauken, 185)

• Sixth: Jaclyn McDowell (Gloucester, 107), Danna Ramirez (Ocean City, 132) Paris Ford (Rancocas Valley, 185)

• Seventh: Emma Coesfeld (Delsea, 107), Arabella Sosa (Westampton Tech, 120), Kylie Wright (Egg Harbor Twp., 126), Brea Heil (Kingsway, 235)

• Eighth: Shea Aretz (Buena, 126), Brianna Nguyen (Pennsauken, 152), Samantha Domask (Palmyra, 235).

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: NJ high school wrestling: State championships start Thursday in AC