Wrestling: Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings as season hits the home stretch
It's a loaded week for New Jersey wrestling as teams throughout the state are making a final push to qualify for the NJSIAA team tournament and jockeying for seeding position.
For Morris County schools, the highly-anticipated Morris County Tournament returns to Mount Olive High School this weekend. Seven returning champions look to repeat and top-ranked Delbarton takes aim at a 15th consecutive title.
As playoff races heat up and the MCT nears, here's a look at this week's Morris/Sussex Top 10 team rankings.
10. Butler (11-4)
Previous ranking: 10
The Bulldogs dropped a key division match against Hasbrouck Heights last Wednesday, 40-30, which secured the Aviators the upper hand in the NJIC Meadowlands race. The Morris County school picked up wins over Kinnelon, 52-21, and Vernon, 75-6.
9. Montville (9-6)
Previous ranking: 9
The Mustangs went 2-2 last week with wins over Mendham, 72-4, and Columbia, 57-19, coupled with losses to Caldwell, 53-21, and West Morris, 40-31. That helped Montville keep pace in North 1, Group 3 playoff race.
8. High Point (6-5)
Previous ranking: 4
The Wildcats dropped four spots in the rankings following losses to then-No. 8 Jefferson, 39-24 and public school-power West Essex, 35-25. The Sussex County school picked up two wins against North Hunterdon.
7. Pope John (7-4)
Previous ranking: 6
The Lions split four matches last week with losses to No. 2 Mount Olive, 48-30, and parochial counterpart St. John Vianney, 64-12. The Sparta school picked up wins over Parsippany Hills, 47-33, and Toms River East, 47-27.
6. Jefferson (12-4)
Previous ranking: 8
The Falcons move up two spots after swooping into Sussex County last week and defeating then-No. 4 High Point, 39-24, in an NJAC Freedom contest.
5. Hanover Park (9-7)
Previous ranking: 5
The Hornets hit a rough patch towards the end of last week, dropping three matches to state power Phillipsburg, 55-12 on Thursday, and Delaware Valley, 50-18, and Ridge, 50-21, on Saturday. The East Hanover school defeated Pequannock, 64-17, last Wednesday.
4. Sparta (9-1)
Previous ranking: 7
The Spartans went 4-0 last week with wins over Morristown, 40-32, Verona, 46-36, Hackettstown, 43-30, and Mendham, 36-35. A huge match at River Dell on Wednesday could determine the top seed in North 1, Group 3.
3. Kittatinny (12-1)
Previous ranking: 3
It was a banner week for the Cougars, who claimed the NJAC Freedom title last Wednesday by beating rival Newton, 57-20. It’s their first division crown since 2017. Kittatinny looks to keep the momentum going with dual matches at Sparta on Friday and a quad in Essex County on Saturday that includes host Livingston, along with Westfield and Old Tappan.
2. Mount Olive (11-3)
Previous ranking: 2
The Marauders were almost perfect last week, but dropped a tough 35-34 loss to Hunterdon Central in a quad on Saturday. The Flanders school defeated Sayreville, 67-12, and St. Thomas Aquinas, 47-21, and took out then-No. 6 Pope John, 48-30 last Wednesday.
1. Delbarton (10-3)
Previous ranking: 1
It was a quiet week for the Morristown parochial school after the annual Jack Welch Duals was postponed over the weekend. In their lone match of the week, the Green Wave raced past Morris Hills, 55-6, last Wednesday. Action heats up this week when Delbarton travels south to Stafford Township on Wednesday for a dual with perennial power Southern, the state’s top-ranked public school, before heading to Flanders over the weekend for the Morris County Tournament.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Morris/Sussex wrestling rankings as we head down the home stretch
