FreeBird Posted January 26, 2023 Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 In a match for the ages, St. Joseph wrestling stuns Delbarton to win state title Sean Farrell NorthJersey.com PISCATAWAY – The Dellagattas will have a story to tell for a lifetime. One on how a pair of brothers helped St. Joseph shock the state and wrestle past the No. 1 team. The Green Knights took down Delbarton, 28-24, in the Non-Public A final at Jersey Mike's Arena for their first state title since 1998. St. Joseph senior Michael Dellagatta (190) clinched it by winning against Delbarton's Vincent Lee. In the penultimate bout, Delbarton's Simon Ruiz defeated Rocco Dellaggatta, 7-2. St. Joseph opened the match with three straight wins from Aidan Schlett (215), Jim Mullen (285) and Johnathon McGinty (106). One of the most shocking turning points came at 138 when Mateo Sgambellone knocked off state champion Tyler Vazquez, 3-1, on a takedown in sudden victory. 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omaha Vol Posted January 26, 2023 Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 Is Blair Academy still the top dog in Jersey? They just beat national power Wyoming Seminary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeBird Posted January 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 37 minutes ago, Omaha Vol said: Is Blair Academy still the top dog in Jersey? They just beat national power Wyoming Seminary. Pretty sure just read Blair is #1 in nation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeBird Posted January 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norcalnut Posted January 26, 2023 Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Omaha Vol said: Is Blair Academy still the top dog in Jersey? They just beat national power Wyoming Seminary. What’s interesting is the way we talk about recruited up football academy’s (MD, SJD, SF, IMG ext) when Blair Academy and Wyoming Seminary are basically the wrestling versions of said football teams. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJR 04 Posted January 26, 2023 Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 2 hours ago, FreeBird said: Why did AJ transfer to Bergen. Idk much about the logistics of wrestling. Was it because of the kid he faced in this match? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardhit1 Posted January 26, 2023 Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Norcalnut said: What’s interesting is the way we talk about recruited up football academy’s (MD, SJD, SF, IMG ext) when Blair Academy and Wyoming Seminary are basically the wrestling versions of said football teams. Exactly A couple years back Blair had more wrestlers on their team from Florida than NJ 😩 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeBird Posted January 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 14 hours ago, SJR 04 said: Why did AJ transfer to Bergen. Idk much about the logistics of wrestling. Was it because of the kid he faced in this match? Lmao that’s great, , I usually don’t care bout kids transering out , but him transferring to Bergen mid season last year, that didn’t sit well, especially transferring to Bergen to be on “a better team”. Losing to a underclassmen , That’s awesome, Karma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeybern Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 This loss was not unexpected for those of us that follow wrestling more than football. SJR under Damon's tutelage has been building their program for the last 5 years. BC's program while still very powerful does not command the monopoly on the studs in North Jersey like they used too. Bergen has to fight (give money) for top talent with the likes of Delbarton & Blair as well as duke it out with SJR (whose tuition is 1/3 less). The halcyon days of the 2010's when we had 8 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 nationally at their weight classes are over. 2018 (when we finally beat Blair & Wy Sem) and were ranked #1 nationally will go down as the program's high water mark. Congrats to SJR and their program. Now we have to watch out for DBP which had the best frosh recruitment in Bergen county & just behind Delby statewide. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeBird Posted January 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 13 minutes ago, Mickeybern said: This loss was not unexpected for those of us that follow wrestling more than football. SJR under Damon's tutelage has been building their program for the last 5 years. BC's program while still very powerful does not command the monopoly on the studs in North Jersey like they used too. Bergen has to fight (give money) for top talent with the likes of Delbarton & Blair as well as duke it out with SJR (whose tuition is 1/3 less). The halcyon days of the 2010's when we had 8 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 nationally at their weight classes are over. 2018 (when we finally beat Blair & Wy Sem) and were ranked #1 nationally will go down as the program's high water mark. Congrats to SJR and their program. Now we have to watch out for DBP which had the best frosh recruitment in Bergen county & just behind Delby statewide. I never went to our matches in HS and barely did any of the other students, watching that video , that atmosphere in Oradell was off charts, with that dark lighting and being sold out to max capacity, that match looked electric 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeybern Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 30 minutes ago, FreeBird said: I never went to our matches in HS and barely did any of the other students, watching that video , that atmosphere in Oradell was off charts, with that dark lighting and being sold out to max capacity, that match looked electric Yes. Bergen's matches have always been well attended. Even for matches where the outcome was a foregone conclusion. You have to remember, we have had 2 wrestlers that became National Champions at the collegiate level. SJR's big step program wise was beating Bergen in the recruitment battle for Mullen. You guys thought you were getting a good football player but I noted on this board at the time of his announcement that he was a lot better wrestler. 12 years ago a highly prized athlete named Johnny Sebastian chose BC over Bosco and that decision changed the overall trajectory of both programs. Mullen's decision gave the ok to other high quality wrestlers to make the same decision. You saw the results of it on Wednesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeybern Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 Here are my comments from February 2019: 2020 players to watch from NJ Mickeybern replied to HSFBfan's topic in Varsity Forum big get for you boys on the mats with the Mullen enrollment February 16, 2019 23 replies 2020 players to watch from NJ Mickeybern replied to HSFBfan's topic in Varsity Forum i really don't know SJR to be honest..he's a big athletic kid though..he is a stud on the mats and had thought to be going to BC..repeated 8th grade this year..he probably would have been Bergen's starting 220 next year..that shows you how good of a wrestler he is 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJR 04 Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 3 hours ago, FreeBird said: I never went to our matches in HS and barely did any of the other students, watching that video , that atmosphere in Oradell was off charts, with that dark lighting and being sold out to max capacity, that match looked electric Hell yeah. I never watched wrestling until last season when BC beat Joe's at Joe's. I loved the atmosphere and intensity. I'm afraid I just might start following this sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJR 04 Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 2 hours ago, Mickeybern said: Yes. Bergen's matches have always been well attended. Even for matches where the outcome was a foregone conclusion. You have to remember, we have had 2 wrestlers that became National Champions at the collegiate level. SJR's big step program wise was beating Bergen in the recruitment battle for Mullen. You guys thought you were getting a good football player but I noted on this board at the time of his announcement that he was a lot better wrestler. 12 years ago a highly prized athlete named Johnny Sebastian chose BC over Bosco and that decision changed the overall trajectory of both programs. Mullen's decision gave the ok to other high quality wrestlers to make the same decision. You saw the results of it on Wednesday. I remember when Sebastian chose Bergen. I thought of it only as a football move, but he quickly fizzled out as a football player. Never knew it had such a big impact on tge wrestling world @Mickeybern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader12-0 Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 22 hours ago, Norcalnut said: What’s interesting is the way we talk about recruited up football academy’s (MD, SJD, SF, IMG ext) when Blair Academy and Wyoming Seminary are basically the wrestling versions of said football teams. 19 hours ago, hardhit1 said: Exactly A couple years back Blair had more wrestlers on their team from Florida than NJ 😩 Schools like IMG and Blair are not real high schools or schools for that matter. Having seen some of these “schools” play, there’s no way all those “kids” are under 18. I believe There was an NBA player who graduated HS and went to IMG for a year before he got drafted to the NBA. That kind of stuff surely cannot be legal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeybern Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 26 minutes ago, SJR 04 said: I remember when Sebastian chose Bergen. I thought of it only as a football move, but he quickly fizzled out as a football player. Never knew it had such a big impact on tge wrestling world @Mickeybern Sure..Sebastian & his personality hit the wrestling rooms. He actively recruited Nick Suriano who became the face of BC wrestling & then Shane Griffith and so forth. Remember guys this isn't football. 14 weight classes. All it takes is a few studs to choose your program and it is game on. In 2011 thru 13 Bergen & Bosco wrestled for the Non-Public A North title and all 3 times it came down to the last match. It was electrifying but it also signaled the end of the DBP program. The word was out in a sport that is small and notoriously clicky. Every stud aspiring to wrestle D1 and couldn't or didn't want to go to Blair chose Bergen. Mullen I believe battled in the NJ-NY match at MSG as an 8th grader and lost in OT to Senior in HS. He was a stud then & then won States as a frosh @ HWT. That is unheard of! Also, you have to remember a wrestling room requires sparring. Stud wrestlers can't get better by sparring with inferior teammates, they need opponents of equal talent. Iron sharpens iron in all team sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeybern Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 20 hours ago, hardhit1 said: Exactly A couple years back Blair had more wrestlers on their team from Florida than NJ 😩 You know what is funny on this board, everyone complains about MD & SJB not being allowed to play teams that don't play in their state championships but you really don't know why. From my interpretation it was what happened in wrestling that infuriated Cali athletics to pass the rule. Chain of Events: 1) After pushing & building for 6 years in 2018 Bergen Catholic finally crosses the Rubicon and defeats Blair (The perennial National #1). 2) Bergen does it with wrestlers like U14 Cadet National Champ Robert Howard from Cranford NJ who years earlier would have gone to Blair. Contrary to popular belief, Blair's starting lineup in any given year usually contained approx. 60% from NJ,NY & eastern PA. 3) In response Blair gets aggressive in recruiting nationally & gets Cali state champ Dominick Mata from Poway to transfer across country (As well as the Ferrari Brothers from Allen TX). 4) California wrestling community becomes enraged & calls to boycott all tournaments where Academy teams "BLAIR" & to a lesser extent Wyoming Seminary wrestle. California subsequently passes a resolution barring Cali teams from playing in any tournament where non-state tournament playing teams participate. This across all sports. Hence no California teams go to Walsh Ironman anymore to the start the wrestling season even though it is the premier tournament in the country. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeBird Posted January 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 On 1/26/2023 at 3:14 PM, Omaha Vol said: Is Blair Academy still the top dog in Jersey? They just beat national power Wyoming Seminary. what’s up with the Wyoming school? Assuming it’s private, what makes them such an attraction 1 hour ago, Mickeybern said: You know what is funny on this board, everyone complains about MD & SJB not being allowed to play teams that don't play in their state championships but you really don't know why. From my interpretation it was what happened in wrestling that infuriated Cali athletics to pass the rule. Chain of Events: 1) After pushing & building for 6 years in 2018 Bergen Catholic finally crosses the Rubicon and defeats Blair (The perennial National #1). 2) Bergen does it with wrestlers like U14 Cadet National Champ Robert Howard from Cranford NJ who years earlier would have gone to Blair. Contrary to popular belief, Blair's starting lineup in any given year usually contained approx. 60% from NJ,NY & eastern PA. 3) In response Blair gets aggressive in recruiting nationally & gets Cali state champ Dominick Mata from Poway to transfer across country (As well as the Ferrari Brothers from Allen TX). 4) California wrestling community becomes enraged & calls to boycott all tournaments where Academy teams "BLAIR" & to a lesser extent Wyoming Seminary wrestle. California subsequently passes a resolution barring Cali teams from playing in any tournament where non-state tournament playing teams participate. This across all sports. Hence no California teams go to Walsh Ironman anymore to the start the wrestling season even though it is the premier tournament in the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeybern Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 Just now, FreeBird said: what’s up with the Wyoming school? Assuming it’s private, what makes them such an attraction Wyoming Seminary is a private boarding school in Pennsylvania..PA is the #1 wrestling state in the country..they are on the Blair model & have been a top 5 program nationally for about a decade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeBird Posted January 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 @Mickeybern @SJR 04 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxchoboian Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 17 hours ago, Mickeybern said: Wyoming Seminary is a private boarding school in Pennsylvania..PA is the #1 wrestling state in the country..they are on the Blair model & have been a top 5 program nationally for about a decade Whew, I was just able to take a deep breath. Until now, all I could think of was it being a school for teenage boys preparing for priesthood with an emphasis on becoming proficient in rassling one another. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJR89 Posted February 2, 2023 Report Share Posted February 2, 2023 SJR was the first of the BIG 3 to be dominant in wrestling in the 90s from 1993 - 2008 in state medals. how we let our momentum go away I am sure was due to coaching, clubs etc. Happy we are back on top. Going to these matches in my time was an absolute blast as well our SJR Hockey winning the Stats as well 85- 89 was great time at SJR 1st 6 2nd 5 3rd 9 other places. And when ranking all time greatest wrestlers in NJ. Damian is in the top 5. Mike Grey / Pritzlaff / Logan / add your own for the last Damian Logan 93 1st 95 1st 96 1st 94 2nd Erik Norgaard 00 1st 99 3rd 98 5th Rory O'Donnel 04 1st 03 4th Mike Mazzenio 00 1st Frank Lodeserto 95 1st john Trumbetti 04 2nd 05 3rd 06 2nd Ralph Denisco 99 2nd Bryan Stoll 93 3rd ( Delby HC ) Karl Norgaard 96 5th 97 5th Lee Dugan 02 8th Ed Puzio 98 5th Mike Palo 99 6th 00 3rd 01 7th Vinny Santainte 03 8th John Ceccio 08 8th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeBird Posted February 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2023 On 1/27/2023 at 1:33 PM, SJR 04 said: Hell yeah. I never watched wrestling until last season when BC beat Joe's at Joe's. I loved the atmosphere and intensity. I'm afraid I just might start following this sport. @SJR89 what’s better then beating BC in Wrestling, Beating Them Twice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeBird Posted February 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2023 After The Miracle in Montvale yesterday, can we carry the momentum and beat the number 1 team in the state for the first time in 25 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeybern Posted February 11, 2023 Report Share Posted February 11, 2023 19 hours ago, FreeBird said: After The Miracle in Montvale yesterday, can we carry the momentum and beat the number 1 team in the state for the first time in 25 years You stand ZERO chance...that is the best team Delby has ever put together I say Green Wave 44--SJR 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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