Delbarton vs. Blair Wrestling: The Untold Story of a Fierce and Legendary Rivalry

Two of the nation's top high school wrestling teams, Delbarton and Blair Academy, have forged a fierce rivalry marked by intense matchups and memorable moments. This rivalry has become one of New Jersey's best, drawing large crowds and showcasing high-level competition.

A Recent Clash: Delbarton Triumphs Over Blair

On January 30, 2025, Delbarton edged out Blair Academy 30-29 in a thrilling dual meet. The match was a back-and-forth affair with eight lead changes through 14 matches, proving to the rest of the country that Delbarton wrestling is an absolute force. The place was packed to the gills and ramped with energy, from both parties, but certainly more from the home faithful. What would unfold would be a crowd pleaser, with one side unfortunately heartbroken due to a slim loss.

The last two encounters were won by Blair Academy, but No. 7 Delbarton, which was considered the favorite for the first time in recent history, flipped the script on the 10th-ranked Bucs.

The same confidence as favorites followed Blair over the next two on the slate, and like their counterparts, they satisfied the expectations, but with bonus points. No. 1 Leo Deluca rang up a 20-3 technical fall, with six takedowns, over honorable mention Tommy Marchetti at 120. The 126lb bout saw No. 14 Vince Anello ride an eight-point first period to a 13-3 major decision of Braden Jones.

Key Match Highlights

106 lbs: No. 20 PJ Terranova opened with an 8-2 decision of No. 29 Eddie George, giving Delbarton an early lead.
113 lbs: No. 5 Cam Sontz took an early lead, but No. 18 Michael Batista scratched his way back to gain a 5-4 win.
132 lbs: Honorable mention Ryan DeGeorge came up just shy of extra points with a 7-1 win, tying the match at nine.
138 lbs: Weston Borgers (No. 29 at 132) came back from 8-1 down, stealing an 11-10 win from honorable mention Chase Quenault.
144 lbs: Nick Schwartz energized the home fans with a 14-2 major decision versus Vedwin Nivas.
150 lbs: No. 2 Jayden James added to the frenzy, pinning Ryan Meier in the first period.
157 lbs: Jospeh Schinder deflated the Delbarton fans with a lightning-quick pin of Cole Jasinkiewicz.
165 lbs: No. 5 Alessio Perentin slapped five upon the board with a 23-4 tech fall of Benjamin Koch.

Blair slid Barry Norman (175) and No. 3 William Henckel (190) up from their customary spots at 165 and 175 respectively. The move paid off grandly as the two added a tech and a pin for extra icing on their wins. Norman slowly built-up steam with one takedown in the first, then two in the second, before blasting through with four near-fall points in that second period and securing three takedowns in the final frame for a 20-5 tech against Jesse DeNegri. Henckel made quick work of Brody Ismael with a 42 second pin off a takedown right to the back, like Schinder, to put the Bus ahead, 29-24, with two more left on the card.

Read also: The story of Isaac Blair

The bonus points are what has put the Bucs up in this race, as they picked them up in all but one of their six wins. Elbrus Majagah appeared well on his way to getting some extra goodness with his win after twice taking Blair’s Mark Scialla down straight to his back in the first period to go up, 12-2.

Unlike years past when Blair had the No. 1 heavyweight in the land Carter Neves, they had no ace in the hole this year. Instead, TJ Kellas stepped out on the mat to face August Moler in a true swing match with no sure-fire favorite.

After a scoreless first that resulted in Kellas getting hit with a stall warning, Moser picked up the action with a takedown in the second for a 3-1 lead after a Kellas escape. There would be one more escape for each of them, but Moser drew the home crowd into a fury when he slipped in a Merkle for a late takedown in the third, then cruising to a 7-2 win that gave Delbarton the 30-29 win.

As rankings go, the Green Wave was expected to claim wins in the first two bouts, and that is exactly how it began. Delbarton wasted no time asserting itself as PJ Terranova (106) and Cameron Sontz (113) kicked off the meet with back-to-back decision victories, giving the Green Wave an early 6-0 lead.

Facing a 9-6 deficit, honorable mention Ryan DeGeorge (132) came out for the home troops to face unranked Ellis Kirsch. DeGeorge came up just shy of extra points with a 7-1 win. This tied the match at nine and set the table for one of the wildest matches of the night that saw Weston Borgers (No. 29 at 132) come back from 8-1 down after the first period with a furious run of takedowns in the last half of the match to steal an 11-10 win from honorable mention Chase Quenault in a 138 lb showdown that had the crowd going off the hinges. Blair’s time with the edge was short lived as they watched a 12-9 lead evaporate into a 19-12 disadvantage.

At 144, Nick Schwartz threw a 14-2 major decision into the book versus Vedwin Nivas to energize the home fans. No. 2 Jayden James added to their frenzy, sticking Ryan Meier in the first period, 1:23.

Jospeh Schinder (157) deflated the Delbarton fans in lightning quick time, decking Cole Jasinkiewicz, filling in for the injured Trevor Jones, in just eight seconds to pull within one in the team score, 19-18. No. 5 Alessio Perentin (165) could not equal Schinder’s fall on the team count but still slapped five upon the board with a 23-4 tech fall of Benjamin Koch that almost resulted in a pin at the end to run the home team’s edge to 24-18.

Norman slowly built-up steam with one takedown in the first, then two in the second, before blasting through with four near-fall points in that second period and securing three takedowns in the final frame for a 20-5 tech against Jesse DeNegri. Henckel made quick work of Brody Ismael with a 42 second pin off a takedown right to the back, like Schinder, to put the Bus ahead, 29-24, with two more left on the card.

The pace slowed from there and Scialla secured a takedown in the second, and one at the very end, right before the buzzer, to keep the Green Wave to just a regular decision, 16-9. That left heavyweight August Moser with the opportunity to clinch the historic victory. Facing TJ Kellas of Blair, Moser wrestled with poise and determination, winning a decisive 7-2 decision to seal the 30-29 win for Delbarton.

You've NEVER Seen A High School Wrestling Dual Like This | Episode 4: Delbarton vs Blair Academy

Past Encounters and Key Moments

This is the fifth consecutive season that the New Jersey powers have met. Blair has won all four match-ups.

Two seasons ago, the Delbarton wrestling team made the 35-mile trip west to Blair Academy and were sent home with only six points and a 50-point loss. On Thursday night, Delbarton made that same journey and proved it could go toe-to-toe with one of the nation's perennial powerhouses.

The Green Wave traded blows with the Buccaneers, carrying a lead twice in the final five bouts, but could not land the critical result in a 34-27 loss at Hardwick Hall on the campus of Blair Academy.

"It's great to be able to line up and be competitive with them," Delbarton coach Bryan Stoll said. "Obviously the next step is going to win one of these. We're there. I think beating Bergen Catholic a couple of years ago and having a real tight one with Blair, I think is definitely a step in the right direction."

Blair Academy entered the match with a 3-1 record with its lone loss to Wyoming Seminary - the top ranked team in the country - 31-26 on Jan. 21. The Buccaneers took down Bergen Catholic, 38-22, one week earlier. Delbarton had won all 10 of its dual matches coming in.

The two programs entered the contest with a combined 14 wrestlers ranked nationally by either Flowrestling or MatScouts, and that firepower was on display from the second bout of the night.

At 113 pounds, defending NJSIAA champion Daniel Jones of Delbarton took on Blair Academy's Leo DeLuca, who is regarded as a top-five wrestler in the country at 113 pounds. DeLuca scored a takedown with 20 seconds left to emerge with a 4-2 win and put the Buccaneers on the board following a forfeit at 106.

Blair Academy won four of the next five bouts to jump ahead 19-9 midway through the match. Then, the Green Wave made their move, picking up a 7-2 decision from state champion Andrew Troczynski at 152, a second-period pin from Simon Ruiz at 158, and a big defensive pin from Louis Cerchio at 165 after he had been trailing 4-2 in the second period.

"Our team really prepares for this moment a lot," said Nick Olivieri, who earned a 3-1 decision at 190 pounds to give Delbarton its last lead at 27-25 with two bouts to go.

"In the room, we're always worried about being the last person still working, working harder than everyone else for longer than everyone else. I think everyone out there went out with confidence and they were ready to fight to the end."

On senior night, Blair's veteran hammers up top were able to provide big bonus points and stave off the Green Wave's run through the middle. Senior captain Danny Wask picked up a pin in 48 seconds at 175 pounds and TJ Stewart grew a one-point advantage to seven with a clinical display and second-period pin at 285 pounds.

"I took the senior night part out of it and thought of it as another dual," Wask said. "It was a really odd call in the last match (at 165 pounds) and our guys were kind of stunned, so it was important I got the momentum back and got our team back on a roll and got the crowd going."

Match Results: Blair Academy 34, Delbarton 27

285 pounds: Thomas Stewart (Blair Academy) pinned Connor Martin (Delbarton) in 3:40.
215 pounds: Isaac Schmidt (Blair Academy) defeated Austin Quandt (Delbarton) 4-0.
190 pounds: Nick Olivieri (Delbarton) defeated Roman Martinez (Blair Academy) 3-1.
175 pounds: Danny Wask (Blair Academy) pinned Anthony Pasquarella (Delbarton) in 0:48.
165 pounds: Louis Cerchio (Delbarton) pinned Lorenzo Norman (Blair Academy) in 2:56.
157 pounds: Simon Ruiz (Delbarton) pinned Marc Koch (Blair Academy) in 2:55.
152 pounds: Andrew Troczysnki (Delbarton) defeated Nicholas Kunstek (Blair Academy) 7-2.
144 pounds: William Henkel (Blair Academy) defeated Cross Wasilewski (Delbarton) 4-1.
138 pounds: Paul Ognissanti (Blair Academy) defeated Joseph Davi (Delbarton) 3-1.
132 pounds: Luca Stefanelli (Delbarton) defeated Qin Davis (Blair Academy) 2-1.
126 pounds: Ibrahim Ahmed (Blair Academy) major decision over John Hager (Delbarton) 11-3.
120 pounds: Mark Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy) pinned Chase Napeloni (Delbarton) in 0:33.
113 pounds: Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy) defeated Daniel Jones (Delbarton) 4-2.

Beast of the East Tournament

Daniel Wask is proof that things do actually change for the Blair wrestling team. The powerhouse prep program from Warren County won its 21st consecutive team championship at the Beast of the East on Sunday. So while nothing changed about Blair’s dominance at the 109-team tournament at the University of Delaware, Wask’s career should serve as proof that the streak wouldn’t continue without individual personal growth - both literally and figuratively.

Wask won the 106-pound title as a freshman and returned to the Beast of the East three years later to win it at 170 pounds. He wrestled at 126 pounds as a sophomore and returned two years later up six weight classes after the tournament resumed after a one-year COVID hiatus.

Wask was one of five champions from Blair, along with freshman Leo Deluca (113), junior Mark Anthony McGowan (120), sophomore Matt Lopes (126) and senior Thomas Stewart (220). With its five champions leading the way Sunday, Blair finished with 269 1/2 points and warded off runner-up Delbarton, which finished with 226 1/2 points. Both New Jersey teams had five wrestlers each in the finals. Blair’s wrestlers went 5-0 while Delbarton ran into some questionable officiating, tough opponents and even a slip on its way to a 1-4 finish.

Key Performances

Tyler Vazquez, a Delbarton junior at 126 pounds, knocked off Brick Memorial’s Anthony Santaniello, last year’s state champion at 120.
At 145 pounds, Delbarton junior Cross Wasilewski lost in the second overtime period to Ethan Mojena of Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) after the officials awarded two different takedowns for Wasilewski and ultimately waved off both.
Senior Andrew Troczynski lost by major decision to Joe Seasley of Wyoming Seminary at 152.
At 160, junior Simon Ruiz dropped a 5-4 decision to Jonathan Ley of Lake Highland Prep.
At 182, sophomore Vincent Lee lost his footing in sudden victory and lost to Kingsley Menifee of Fauquier High in Virginia.

Lee was one of eight medalists for Delbarton. Blair finished with nine. According to Stoll, Delbarton dedicated its Beast of the East performance to Jimmy Grogan, a supporter of the program whose nephew won a state medal in 2009 and later wrestled for Princeton University.

Delbarton Dominates District 9 Tournament

The Delbarton wrestling team delivered a historic performance at the District 9 tournament, hosted by Randolph, by winning all 14 weight class brackets. Several Green Wave wrestlers put forth dominant performances to claim their district titles.

In the 144-pound finals, second-seeded Nick Schwartz secured a commanding 12-0 major decision victory over top-seeded Anthony Moreno of St. Mary.
At 175 pounds, Jesse DeNegri, also a two-seed, overwhelmed top-seeded Samuel Noel (Orange) with a 19-2 technical fall.
At 120 pounds, Tommy Marchetti claimed his first title with an 18-1 technical fall over Bloomfield's Aidan Matias.
Braden Jones followed with another tech fall, defeating Nathaniel Boyd (Lyndhurst/North Arlington) in the 126-pound final, winning his first district title.
Chase Quenault dominated Mason Pierce (Randolph) in the 138-pound final, winning by an 18-3 technical fall.
Jayden James remained undefeated at 35-0, pinning St. Mary's Alfredo Bermudez to claim the 150-pound title.
In the upper weight classes, CJ Betz captured the 190-pound championship with a technical fall over Alejandro Valencia (Bloomfield).

This historic sweep saw Perentin and Quenault become four-time district champions. James claimed his third district title, while Betz, Sontz, DeGeorge, and Terranova each earned their second championship victories.

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