2025 NJSIAA State Tournament Preview and Predictions

106

Freshman JoJo Burke has been the face of 106 all season. Burke hasn’t lost since December of 2024, and when he wrestled Killian Coluccio, who is by far the second-best wrestler in this weight, Jojo majored him. It seems like this will be Jojo’s to lose; you will also have other freshmen that will make some noise in this bracket, like Bergen Catholic Matt Mulligan (US Open Champ) and CBA freshman Sean Kenny (US Open and Super 32 Runner-up). You have returning guys looking to get onto the podium, like Johnston, Terranova, DiMatteo, and Forgatch.

Dark Horse To Medal: Fr. Tristan Rosemeyer, Williamstown (22)

Our Favorite First Round Match: So. Thomas Blewett, Middletown North (12) vs Sr. Travis Bauer, Seneca (21)

1. Fr. JoJo Burke, St Joe’s Montvale (1)
2. So. Killian Coluccio, Lacey Township (2)
3. Fr. Sean Kenny, Christian Brothers Academy (3)
4. So. Santino DiMatteo, Brick Memorial (4)
5. Fr. Matthew Mulligan, Bergen Catholic (9)
6. So. Luke Johnston, Howell (5)
7. So. Thomas Blewett, Middletown North (12)
8. Fr. Cade Collins, Southern Regional (8)

113

Once again, this is Sontz’s weight, and it doesn’t look like anyone will take it from him. This is a deep weight, and it should be interesting with the likes of Esposito, Mason, Belverio, Sipper, Daly, and Fry. You have freshman Robert Rodriguez (SPP) with a win over Anthony Mason. Ryan McConaghy looks to make a splash in his first trip to AC. Expect a handful of upsets, especially in the Pre-Quarters.

Dark Horse To Medal: Jr. Ethan Michaels, Colts Neck, (18)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Jr. Eamon Fry, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional (14) vs Sr. Jaxon Zalepka, Freehold Township (10)

1. So. Cameron Sontz, Delbarton (1)
2. Jr. Charles Esposito, St Joes Montvale (2)
3. Sr. Zachary Belverio, Arthur Johnson (4)
4. Jr. Michael Daly, Cranford (12)
5. Jr. Anthony Mason, Southern Regional (3)
6. Jr. Carmine Sipper, Caldwell (11)
7. Jr. Eamon Fry, Rumson-Fair Haven (14)
8. Jr. Augie Szamreta, Warren Hills (13)

120

120 has a lot of talent, with Kenny and McGinty being the front runners; freshman Tommy Marchetti has been putting together a great season thus far, and Borrometi has been a pleasant surprise, stringing some good wins together. Look for Gould and Piemonte to pull an upset in the later rounds. We look forward to what Jack Abramson can do on his first trip to AC. Although Ricky DeLorenzo of Toms River East did not qualify last year, we think very highly of him; he will be a MUST-WATCH down at AC. Hoopes will have his hands full, drawing the 16 seed. Sadly, Amari Vann will not be competing this year. He was injured at regions, and we hope for a speedy recovery.

Dark Horse To Medal: Jr. Michael Lamb, Haddonfield (20)

Our Favorite First Round Match: So. Nico DeRado, St Joes Metuchen (14) vs Sr. Anthony Pellegrino, Seton Hall Prep (19)

1. Jr. Johnathan McGinty. St Joes Montvale (2)
2. So. Paul Kenny, Christian Brothers Academy (1)
3. Fr. Tommy Marchetti, Delbarton (5)
4. Jr. Anthony Piemonte, Mount Olive (3)
5. Jr. Matthew Gould, St. Johns Vianney (8)
6. So. Richard DeLorenzo, Toms River East (9)
7. Jr. Anthony Borrometi, St Peters Prep (7)
8. Jr. Michael Lamb, Haddonfield (20)

126

This saga should be fun. Will arguably the greatest New Jersey wrestler in history be able to go for his 4th title, or will the NJSIAA try to keep him out of the tournament? If Knox is allowed to wrestle, the battle for second will be great; you have a nice little rivalry going on with DiAndrea and Perez right now, Hagerty has been lighting it up so far, and Bautista has good wins over Borrometi and Jones. State Runner-up Nathan Braun is also in this weight and is looking to make another finals appearance. Multiple great wrestlers like state place winner Devin Ryan, Carter Pack, Braden Jones, Gage Summers, Lazarus Joyce, and Joseph DeAngelo will look to round out the top 8. Braen Jones will be a freshman to watch in this weight.

Dark Horse To Medal: Jr. Joaquin DuQue, Rumson-Fair Haven (17) / Fr. Braden Jones, Delbarton (21)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Jr. Tucker Pazinko, Jackson Liberty (12) vs Fr. Braden Jones, Delbarton (21)

1. Sr. Anthony Knox, St John Vianney (1)
2. Jr. Mikey Bautista, St Joes Montvale (3)
3. Jr. Nathan Braun, Bergen Catholic, (2)
4. Jr. Anthony DiAndrea, Watchung Hills (6)
5. Sr. Devin Ryan, New Milford (8)
6. Jr. Colton Hagerty, Washington Township (4)
7. Jr. Salvatore Borrometi, St Peters Prep, (5)
8. Fr. Braden Jones, Delbarton (21)

132

We think this is the best and deepest weight this year, and for good reason: you have state champion Ryan DeGeorge and other state place winners like Weber, Spaulding, O’Keefe, Sherlock, Slotnick, and Schinina. Returning state qualifiers are looking to medal. Bobby Duffy, who pinned Adrian Dejesus and Ryan DeGeorge, has wins over Paino and Burgio. Nicky Palitto, Frankie Burgio, Aidan Yarussi, Santino Danise, Mason Tettambel, and Chase Martino are potential bracket busters, and lastly, Brian Little, who we think can make some noise after being hurt for most of the year and withdrawing from states last year with an injury, when healthy Little is a serious problem for this weight class. Buckle up there will be fireworks from start to finish.

Dark Horse To Medal: So. Brian Little, Don Bosco Prep (16)

Our Favorite First Round Match: So. Mason Tettambel, Immaculata (14) vs Sr. Rafe Fonte West Morris (Mendham) (19)

1. So. Ryan DeGeorge, Delbarton (3)
2. Sr. Patrick O’Keefe, St John Vianney (4)
3. Jr. Sammy Spaulding, Camden Catholic (1)
4. Jr. Dalton Weber, Pope John (2)
5. Sr. Vincent Paino, St Joes Montvale (5)
6. Sr. Jackson Slotnick, Williamstown (8)
7. So. Brian Little, Don Bosco Prep (16)
8. So. Aidan Yarussi, North Hunterdon, (13) 

138

This weight may not be as deep as the previous weights we have covered. Still, the top is loaded with talent: two state champs in Caedyn Ricciardi and Adrian DeJesus, a state finalist with Carson Walsh, then two state place winners Chase Hansen and Chase Quenault, who beat Caedyn Ricciardi, Adrian DeJesus and Carson Walsh; he has caught fire this year. Freshman Gideon Gonzalez will look to get his first medal on his quest to be a 4x state place winner; this weight will have some potential new state place winners with the likes of Gavin Duran, Scottie Sari, Amari Mccann, Owen Kulb, Dominic Volek.

Dark Horse To Medal: Jr. Alexander Liss, Matawan Regional (24)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Sr. Logan Hreneko, Sparta (10) vs Jr. Anthony Caponegro (23)

1. Sr. Carson Walsh, Pope John (4)
2. Sr. Caedyn Ricciardi, St Peters Prep (2)
3. Jr. Chase Hansen, Lower Cape May (5)
4. Sr. Chase Quenault, Delbarton (1)
5. Sr. Adrian DeJesus, St Joes Montvale (3)
6. Sr. Gavin Duran, Ridge (6)
7. Fr. Gideon Gonzalez, Bergen Catholic (9)
8. Fr. Landan Riddell, Immaculata (12)

144

Sonny Amato dropped from 150 and looked to be the immediate favorite here, but Donny Almeyda and Jake Zaltsman will try to dethrone Sonny. Luke Geleta, whose only loss came to Rutgers commit Tahir Parkins at the Bethlehem Classic, is looking to get back onto the podium after losing to Zach Reilly last year. Anthony DePaul, along with Blase Mele, will try to repeat the success they had late last year and move up the podium. Ryan Mitchell, who just got cleared to wrestle a few weeks ago, has flown up the rankings and is looking to make a name for himself this year; State finalist Seach Hibler is having a rocky season up to this point but is still a threat in this weight class. We like Sophomore Nate Keller this year; it will be interesting to see what he does after he lost in the blood round to Chase Hansen last season. The freshman to watch will be Delbarton’s Nick Schwartz.

Dark Horse To Medal: So. Nate Keller, Immaculata (14)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Jr. Attila Vigilante, Southern Regional (6) vs Sr. Michael Volek, Ocean Township (27)

1. So. Sonny Amato, Rumson-Fair Haven (1)
2. Sr. Luke Geleta, Phillipsburg (3)
3. Sr. Donny Almeyda, Pope John (2)
4. Sr. Blase Mele, Princeton (4)
5. Jr. Anthony DePaul, St Augustine Prep (8)
6. Sr. Jake Zaltsman, St John Vianneys (7)
7. Jr. Seach Hibler, Paramus Catholic (10)
8. Fr. Nicholas Schwartz, Delbarton (11)

150

It’s wild to remember Jayden James hasn’t won a title yet, probably one of the best P4P wrestlers in the state the last two years. Jamar Dixon, who came up from 144, will look to try to keep James from getting that state title. Almost this whole weight class will be chasing their first state medal; Michael Craft, DeLaurier, and Tsay have been the closest losing in the blood rounds. Weller and Washleski will look to make a deep run along with St. Peter’s Joey Ruiz.

Dark Horse To Medal: Jr. Luke Scholz, Cranford (13)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Jr. Sowzrawca Tsay, Bergen Catholic (12) vs Fr. Louis Dellavolpe, Nutley (21)

1. Jr. Jayden James, Delbarton (1)
2. Sr. Jamar Dixon, Delsea (2)
3. So. Jackson Weller, Delran (4)
4. Jr. Joseph Ruiz, St Peters Prep (8)
5. Jr. Michael Craft, Camden Catholic (3)
6. Sr. Charles Shaddow, Ridgewood (11)
7. Sr. Alexander Delaurier, Raritian (7)
8. Sr. Dezmond Lenaghan, St John Vianney (5)

157 

157 is the most intriguing weight this year; you have five guys who can win this bracket. Returning state finalist Gavin Hawk is our pick to win; Wyatt Stout, Kage Jones, and Joey Canova will be serious threats to Hawk. Rounding out the state medalists are Max Nevlin, who has wins over Love, Schwarz, and Trevor Jones. Gavrish will be making his first appearance after avenging his earlier loss to Trevor Jones and losing a close 4-3 decision in the Region 7 finals against Stout. Sean Love has had a phenomenal season thus far, with only two losses to Nevlin and Schwarz, who Love has now beaten twice since losing at GMC.

Dark Horse To Medal: Sr. Robert Connelley, Red Bank Catholic (14)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Sr. Riley Boos, Delsea (11) vs Sr. Kole Reiss, Clearview Regional (22)

1. Sr. Gavin Hawk, Phillipsburg (1)
2. Jr. Kage Jones, Camden Catholic (3)
3. Jr. Joey Canova, Bergen Catholic (4)
4. Jr. Trevor Jones, Delbarton (12)
5. Sr. Wyatt Stout, Southern Regional (2)
6. Sr. Maxwell Nevlin, St Peters Prep (5)
7. Jr. Brendan Boyer, Christian Brothers Academy (9)
8. So. Ryan Gavrish, St John Vianney (8)

165

Alessio Perentin is the front-runner once again; Falcone and Clayton will most likely have a rematch of the Region 6 finals to see who gets to wrestle Alessio in the finals. Cole Dunham is a name to watch along with Giola, with whom he has split matches 1-1 this season; AJ DiGiovanni looks to be settling in at 165 fine with a win over returning state 6th Santino Rodriguez. Cole Pangborn has jumped levels this season and looks to take the next step and be on the podium in his senior season. This weight will be interesting in the backside, with wrestlers like Di Eduardo, Dunham, and McConnell drawing tough matchups early.

Dark Horse To Medal: Sr. Frank Romeo, Red Bank Catholic (16)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Sr. Frank Romeo, Red Bank Catholic vs Sr. Matthew Di Eduardo, Bridgewater Raritian

1. Sr. Alessio Perentin, Delbarton (1)
2. So. Jake Clayton, Point Pleasant Boro, (3)
3. Sr. AJ Falcone, Christian Brothers Academy (2)
4. Sr. Cole Stangle, St. John Vianney (4)
5. Sr. Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston (6)
6. Jr. Santino Rodriguez, Don Bosco Prep (5)
7. Sr. Cole Pangborn, Rumson-Fair Haven (8)
8. Sr. Tommy Grimley, Ocean City (10)

175 

This weight will be hands down the best finals matchup. Chapman, who is always fireworks, just gave Harvey Ludington a scare in the Sectional finals, and Burton has looked untouchable all year. We believe Chapman can pull this off. Other names in the weight that fans should remember are Temuulen Mendbileg, Brock Oizerowitz, and Anthony Verdi, who surprisingly just lost to Andrew Bouchard. Ethan Dalling also just suffered a loss to Genti Idrizi. This will be a fun weight with many upsets and will be a treat to watch from start to finish.

Dark Horse To Medal: Sr. Ryan Wolf, Jackson Memorial (13)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Sr. Greyson Hyland, Woodstown (12) vs Sr. Rinaldo DiGiacopo, Mountain Lakes (21)

1. Sr. Jordan Chapman, Cranford (2)
2. Sr. Ryan Burton, St Joes Montvale (1)
3. Sr. Temuulen Mendbileg, St Benedict’s Prep (3)
4. So. Brock Oizerowitz, Christian Brothers Academy (5)
5. Jr. Tornick Kajaia, Long Branch (10)
6. Sr. Ethan Dalling, Kittatinny (7)
7. Sr. Genti Idrizi, Bergen Catholic (8)
8. Sr. Carmine Masi, West Essex (9)

190

Headlined by 2x state champion Harvey Ludington, the heavy favorite, LaValle will look to upset Ludington and get his first title after falling short the last three years (3,3,2). Sophomore phenom Tanner Hodgins will most likely rematch Ludington in the semi-finals. Hodgins had a great freshman season and added to it with a great performance at Elite 8. Seeds should, for the most part, hold true, someone like Zak Darwish or Clark Rich. The backside will be fun to watch, as most wrestlers outside of the top 7 are on the same level.

Dark Horse To Medal: Sr. Trip Freitag, Manville (21)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Sr. Amir Reason-Dallas, Timber Creek (12) vs Sr. Trip Freitag, Manville (21)

1. Sr. Harvey Ludington, Brick Memorial (1)
2. Sr. Vincenzo LaValle, Hanover Park (2)
3. So. Tanner Hodgins, Howell (4)
4. Jr. Carl Betz, Delbarton (5)
5. Jr. Alex Reyes, Holmdel (7)
6. Jr. Nevin Mattessich, Don Bosco Prep (3)
7. Sr. Kaleb Jackson, St Joes Montvale (6)
8. Jr. Jake Zemsky, Westfield (8)

215

Anthony Harris will look to capture his first state title, Juniors Rocco Salerno and Dante DeLuca will look to meet in the semis, which should be a great match, but Rocco will have a challenging round, potentially seeing a star freshman from Howell in Timmy O’Rourke and CBA junior Tyler Palumbo. Anthony Jackson is returning to the States after an injury in last year’s wrestlebacks; he is always a treat to watch. Watch out for Bryann Mejias who missed most of this season.

Dark Horse To Medal: Sr. Adam Mashfej, Wayne Hills (16)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Fr. Timmy O’Rourke, Howell (14) vs Sr. Shaun Watkins, Middle Township (19)

1. Sr. Anthony Harris, St Joes Montvale (1)
2. Jr. Dante DeLuca, Don Bosco (2)
3. So. Anthony Jackson, Paul IV (5)
4. Jr. Rocco Salerno, Seton Hall Prep (3)
5. Sr. Elbrus Majagah, Delbarton (9)
6. Jr. Tyler Palumbo, Christian Brothers Academy  (6)
7. Jr. Salvatore Marchese, Delsea (7)
8. Sr. Bryann Mejias, Cliffside Park (10)

285

Rocco Dellagata adds another state title to the Dellagatta family. The bottom side of this bracket will be fun. You have a heavyweight staple in Ben Shue with the wrestler who has had his number all year in Cristian Alvarez; then you get a few blood-round wrestlers in Dirkies, Grippo, and Szuba, up from 215. If we see Lynch vs Vinciguerra in the quarters, that will be the must-watch match between two big, athletic heavyweights.

Dark Horse To Medal: Sr. Mike Seeley, Lacey Township (24)

Our Favorite First Round Match: Jr. Gabe Jang, Leonia (14) vs Sr. Samuel Henry, Summit (19)

1. Sr. Rocco Dellagatta, St John Vianney (1)
2. Sr. Ben Szuba, Brick Memorial (6)
3. Jr. Cristian Alvarez, St Joes Montvale (2)
4. Jr. Mateo Vinciguerra, Woodstown (5)
5. Sr. Benjamin Shue, Bergen Catholic (3)
6. Sr. James Lynch, Toms River East (4)
7. Jr. Thomas Borgia, West Morris Central (8)
8. Clifford Dirkies, Ocean City (7)