The St. Joseph (Montvale) wrestling team peaked at the perfect time, securing its second NJSIAA Non-Public A championship and earning the No. 1 ranking in the final New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association (NJWWA) Top 20 for the second time in three seasons.
St. Joseph previously defeated Delbarton in the 2023 Non-Public A final and finished atop the NJWWA rankings, but Delbarton reclaimed the top spot last season.
This year, the Green Knights entered the Non-Public A bracket as the No. 6 seed but pulled off three consecutive upsets, culminating in a thrilling 30-26 victory over No. 1 Delbarton in the championship match. Before facing Delbarton, St. Joseph avenged a regular-season loss to No. 3 Christian Brothers Academy and also took down No. 2 St. Peter’s Prep.
The Green Knights’ low seeding stemmed from early-season losses to CBA and Bergen Catholic at the Catholic School Duals on Jan. 3-4, when they were missing several key wrestlers, as well as a forfeited match against Don Bosco Prep due to an ineligible wrestler. However, they avenged their loss to Bergen Catholic just a week later.
In the championship bout, Anthony Harris (215), a state runner-up in 2023 while at St. Peter’s Prep, secured a pin, while junior Cristian Alvarez (heavyweight) and standout freshman JoJo Burke (106) both won by decision.
The pivotal match came at 132 pounds, where Vincent Paino— a three-time state qualifier and 2023 state fifth-place finisher— defeated returning state champion Ryan DeGeorge 5-3 in the ultimate tiebreaker.
Delbarton, which had dominated its in-state competition all season and defeated national prep powerhouse Blair Academy on Jan. 30, had held the No. 1 ranking throughout the year before falling to St. Joseph.
Top Public School
Rumson-Fair Haven, which won its second consecutive Group 2 championship, finished as the top-ranked public school at No. 5 in the final NJWWA rankings.
The Bulldogs captured the Group 2 title with a 40-28 win over Caldwell and put together an impressive resume, defeating Group 5 champion Southern, Group 4 champion North Hunterdon, Group 4 runner-up Phillipsburg, Group 3 runner-up Brick Memorial, and Non-Public A semifinalist St. John Vianney in a dominant 13-day stretch from Jan. 15-28.
Rumson-Fair Haven won its five state tournament matches by an average margin of 27 points, with its only loss coming against No. 4 CBA (43-29) on Jan. 8.
Other State Champions
Along with St. Joseph, Southern and North Hunterdon also claimed state titles. Other champions included Delsea (Group 3), Delaware Valley (Group 1), and Camden Catholic (Non-Public B).
Southern secured its third straight state championship in dominant fashion, defeating its five opponents by an average of 49.4 points. The Rams now have seven state group titles, trailing only Brick Memorial’s Shore Conference record of nine.
North Hunterdon won its seventh state championship with a 37-27 victory over Phillipsburg—its second win of the season over the Stateliners. The Lions also survived a close call against Middletown North in the North 2 Group 4 final, rallying from a 12-point deficit in the final three bouts to win 32-31.
Delsea earned its fourth straight state title and sixth overall with a commanding 45-30 victory over Brick Memorial. The Crusaders dominated the tournament, winning their five matches by an average margin of 43.2 points.
Delaware Valley captured its 11th state championship by dismantling Hanover Park 47-16, overwhelming its state tournament opponents with an average margin of victory of 57.6 points.
Camden Catholic capped off its first undefeated season in 50 years with a dramatic 32-30 win over Pope John, clinched by a decisive pin from sophomore Chase Martino in the final bout at 120 pounds. This marks Camden Catholic’s first undefeated state championship season (the NJSIAA team tournament began in 1980) and its 19th overall state title.
Congratulations to All State Champions
With the team championships concluded, the focus now shifts to the individual portion of the wrestling season, which kicks off Saturday with 32 district tournaments.
Final NJWWA Top 20 for the 2024-25 Season
(First-place votes in parentheses, followed by voting points)
- St. Joseph (Montvale) (14-3) (8) – 160
- Delbarton (23-4) – 152
- St. Peter’s Prep (16-3) – 144
- Christian Brothers Academy (9-4) – 136
- Rumson-Fair Haven (28-1) – 128
- St. John Vianney (13-5) – 120
- Southern (18-3) – 109
- Bergen Catholic (11-3) – 104
- Camden Catholic (17-0) – 97
- St. Augustine (16-7) – 87
- Delsea (21-2) – 85
- North Hunterdon (17-6) – 74
- Phillipsburg (17-4) – 65
- Mount Olive (15-4) – 57
- Brick Memorial (14-5) – 47
- Cranford (20-4) – 37
- Delaware Valley (19-3) – 29
- Pope John (11-6) – 27
- Caldwell (24-2) – 20
- St. Joseph (Metuchen) (18-4) – 16
Others Receiving Votes: High Point (19-6) – 2, Middletown North (24-2) – 2, Paramus Catholic (9-8) – 1.
NJWWA Voting Panel:
Donald J. Brower (gardenstatehswrestling.com)
Frank D’Esposito (shoreconferencewrestling.com)
Steven Falk (Asbury Park Press, app.com)
Sean Farrell (The Record, NorthJersey.com)
Tom McGurk (Courier Post, courierpostonline.com)
Andy Mendlowitz (Home News Tribune, Courier News, MyCentralJersey.com)
Michael Weilamann (Open Mike, mikeopen.blogspot.com)
Brad Wilson (lehighvalleylive.com)
