Morris/Sussex weight-by-weight preview of the 2023 NJ wrestling state tournament
The 2023 NJSIAA wrestling championships get started Thursday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and 54 Morris (40) and Sussex (14) athletes will compete for a spot on the podium.
Take a weight-by-weight look at what to watch for this weekend.
106 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Pope John’s Jake Holly, Parsippany Hills James McGinty, Hackettstown’s Aiden Scheeringa, Hanover Park’s Nick DiFrancescantonio.
2022 medalists: North Hunterdon's Logan Wadle (third) and Livingston's Aidan Carmody (sixth).
Outlook: Twelve freshmen qualified in this bracket, including DiFrancescantonio, who placed third in Region 3 and is 33-4 in his rookie campaign. Wadle is the top seed and favorite and could meet second-seeded Carmody in the finals. In a local twist, McGinty and Scheeringa will meet in the preliminary round early Thursday afternoon.
Brackets:First-round pairings for state championships
113 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Mount Olive’s Tyeler Hagensen, Mendham’s Rafe Fonte, Pope John’s Dalton Webber, Delbarton’s Jayden James.
2022 medalists: Hagensen (fourth), St. Augustine's Kaden Naame (third), Donovan Catholic's Kurt Wehner (seventh), and West Milford’s Ben Marchetto (eighth).
Outlook: Three of the four qualifiers from Morris and Sussex counties earned top 10 seeds after claiming region titles. James, a freshman, was awarded the No. 2 seed and is capable of running through the bracket. Hagensen, seeded fifth, placed fourth at 106 pounds as a sophomore last March and will meet 28th-seeded Fonte in the opening round.
Keep an eye on freshman Webber, who defeated Marchetto in the District 3 finals and is 30-5 in his first season.
120 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: West Morris’ Michael Hare, High Point’s Nick Clayton, Hanover Park’s Santino Danise, Morris Hills’ Jaydin Barrett, Delbarton’s Daniel Jones.
2022 medalists: DePaul’s Adrian DeJesus (first), St. John Vianney's Anthony Knox (first), Jones (fifth), Holy Spirit's Max Elton (seventh) and Paramus Catholic’s Dylan Ross (eighth).
Outlook: This loaded bracket features five returning medalists and two state champions in sophomores DeJesus (106) and top-seeded Knox (113). Jones, seeded second, won the 106-pound state title as a freshman in 2021 and is the only region champion among local qualifiers.
126 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Pope John’s Carson Walsh, West Morris’ Michael Campanaro, Roxbury’s Luke Stanich, Delbarton’s Chase Quenault.
2022 medalists: Stanich (second), Southern's Conor Collins (third), Kingsway's Nathan Taylor (third), Middletown South's Jack Zaleski (fourth), Camden Catholic's Jackson Young (fifth), Walsh (sixth) and St. Peter's Prep's Caedyn Ricciardi (sixth).
Outlook: Another deep bracket that features seven returning medalists. Walsh was awarded the top seed after winning his second straight Region 1 title last week. Stanich, a rare four-time region champion and three-time state medalist, looks to close out his career with a state title after finishing fourth and second the last two years. If the seeds hold true, Walsh and Stanich could meet in the semifinals.
132 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Hackettstown’s Nicolas Balella, Mount Olive’s Jack Bastarrika, Pope John’s Jack Nauta, Delbarton’s Trevor Jones, Morristown’s Jack Myers.
2022 medalists: St. John Vianney's Patrick O'Keefe (second), Brick Memorial's Anthony Santaniello (second) and St. Peter's Prep's Donovan Chavis (seventh).
Outlook: Santaniello, the top seed, seeks a second state title after claiming his first crown as a sophomore. O’Keefe, a state runner-up as a freshman last year, just moved up to 132 pounds in the last month after moving between 113 and 120 pounds most of the season. Bastarrika, a two-time region champion and state sixth in 2021 at 106 pounds, is seeded third.
138 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Delbarton’s Tyler Vazquez, Newton’s Michael Melillo, Pope John’s Justin Holly.
2022 medalists: Vazquez (first), CBA's Alex Nini (fourth) and Paul VI's Branden Palcko (eighth).
Outlook: Vazquez, the returning state champion and three-time medalist, is seeded fifth this time around despite winning a fourth region title. He could meet St. Joseph senior Mateo Sgambellone in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last month’s Non-Public A state final, which Sgambellone won 3-1.
144 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Roxbury’s Weston Edelman, West Morris’ Brandon John Dean, Delbarton’s Joe Davi, Sparta’s Logan Hrenenko, Kittatinny’s Reece Smith.
2022 medalists: CBA's Julian George (second), St. Peter's Prep's Jonathan Fuller (fourth), St. Augustine's Richie Grungo (fourth), Delsea's Jamar Dixon Jr. (fifth), Gloucester City's Jacob Zearfoss (sixth) and Bergen Catholic’s Ryan Ford (seventh).
Outlook: George is the top seed and could meet St. Joseph junior Yannis Charles again in the finals after losing to the South Carolina transfer, 16-14, in a dual in January. Dean, the No. 6 seed and Morris County champion, is the only region titlist among Morris-Sussex qualifiers. He’ll face 26th seeded Hrenenko in the opening round.
150 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Delbarton’s Cross Wasilewski, Mount Olive’s Tanner Perez, Morris Knolls’ Dom DelleMonache, Morristown’s Juan David Arguetta.
2022 medalists: Wasilewski (third), CBA's Tyler Barrett (third), St. Joseph’s Frank DiBella (fourth), Southern's Matt Henrich (seventh), Paulsboro's Roman Onorato (eighth) and South Plainfield's Nicholas Campagna (eighth).
Outlook: Wasilewski, the No. 2 seed, lost to top seed Henrich, 3-2 in a tiebreaker, in a dual in January. The Green Wave senior can only meet Henrich if both reach the finals Saturday afternoon. Wasilewski and 31st seeded Arguetta face off in the opening round.
157 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Montville’s Billy Templeton, Delbarton’s Alessio Perentin, Newton’s Thaylor Sibblies, Kittatinny’s Ethan Dalling.
2022 medalists: Perentin (fourth), CBA's Zander Silva (third), Paramus Catholic’s Zach Ballante (fifth) and Bergen Catholic’s Aidan Wallace (seventh).
Outlook: Perentin is the favorite with a 36-1 record and his lone loss an 11-6 decision to Joe Sealey of Wyoming Seminary at PowerAde in December. Don’t sleep on Sibblies, a Region 1 champion who is 27-0. The senior could meet Silva in the pre-quarterfinal round late Thursday afternoon.
165 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Delbarton’s Lou Cerchio, Morris Hills’ Matt Leslie, Morris Knolls’ Gavin Gomes, Randolph’s Jason Petroski.
2022 medalists: Cerchio (fourth), St. John Vianney's Jasiah Queen (fifth), Southern's Cole Velardi (fifth), Paramus Catholic’s Dan Rella (sixth), St. Augustine's Jake Slotnick (seventh) and Westfield's Michael Murphy (seventh).
Outlook: Cerchio grabbed the top seed after finishing fourth last year as a sophomore. The region champion is 34-0 and won’t likely be tested until the quarterfinals, when he could face eighth-seeded Slotnick. Cerchio and Queen could make for an interesting final.
175 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Delbarton’s Simon Ruiz, Mount Olive’s Tyler Bienus, Morris Knolls’ Anthony Forte, Pequannock’s Jimmy Dolan.
2022 medalists: Ruiz (first), Brick Memorial's Harvey Ludington (first), Delsea's Jared Schoppe (second), North Bergen's Joshua Palacio (second), Red Bank Catholic's Sabino Portella (fourth) and Bergen Catholic’s Justin Onello (seventh).
Outlook: This is a stacked bracket that features two returning champions and two runner-up finishers. All five returning medalists have appeared in a state final at one point, including 2021 runner-up Sabino Portella. Three of the four Morris-Sussex qualifiers are seeded in the top 10 with Bienus (eighth seed) and Palacio (10th seed) near the top.
Ruiz, the top seed, is the favorite despite missing the first month of the season with an injury. The senior and returning state champion is 25-0 and defeated Schoppe and Palacio by major decision this season. If the seeds hold up, Ruiz and Ludington would meet in the finals.
190 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Delbarton’s Vincent Lee, Hanover Park’s Vincenzo LaValle.
2022 medalists: St. Joseph's Michael Dellagatta (third), LaValle (third), St. Augustine's Brock Zurawski (eighth) and Delsea's Danny DiGiovacchino (eighth).
Outlook: Dellagatta, the top seed and three-time medalist, looks to cap off his career with a title after finishing third the last two years. LaValle, a two-time Morris County and region champion, is seeded second after winning a bronze medal as a freshman.
215 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Delbarton’s Henry Forte, Mount Olive’s Anthony Moscatello, West Morris’ Tom Borgia.
2022 medalists: Bergen Catholic’s AJ Fricchione (third), Clifton’s Joe Abill (fifth), Moscatello (fifth), St. Joseph’s Aidan Schlett (seventh) and North Hunterdon's Brendan Raley (eighth).
Outlook: Abill is one of four public school wrestlers to receive a top seed. He’s the favorite, boasting a 35-0 record with a fourth and fifth place finish the last two years. Abill defeated fifth-seeded Moscatello, 1-0 in the Region 2 finals last weekend. He meets Borgia in the preliminary round.
285 pounds
Morris-Sussex qualifiers: Mount Olive’s Jackson Youtz, Delbarton’s Connor Martin, High Point’s Arik Hums.
2022 medalists: St. Joseph’s Jimmy Mullen (first), Paramus Catholic’s Max Acciardi (third) and Red Bank Catholic's Lorenzo Portella (seventh).
Outlook: Mullen is the consensus favorite as he looks to become only the third wrestler in state history to win three titles at heavyweight. Mullen and second-seeded Acciardi look to renew their rivalry in the finals, assuming both wrestlers win their first four matches. The Kearny resident faces Youtz in the preliminary round and could catch up with Martin in the pre-quarterfinals.
Mullen decked Martin in 20 seconds in the Non-Public A state finals last month and pinned Hums in 28 seconds in the Region 1 finals last weekend.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ wrestling state tournament: Morris/Sussex preview
