Wrestling: Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings ahead of state team tournament
It's a race to the top for New Jersey teams as the state tournament gets underway next week.
The top eight teams in power points in each of 20 public school sections begin their quest for state titles when action kicks off next Monday. The non-public tournament is split up in two groups and is seeded by a committee.
Here's a look at this week's Morris/Sussex Top 10 team rankings ahead of the state tournament.
10. Sparta (13-3)
Previous ranking: 4
The Spartans were busy last week, competing in six matches over four days. Sparta posted wins over River Dell, 43-31, Dumont, 57-18, Ramsey, 49-25 and Paramus, 39-36. The two losses came to West Morris, 41-36 and No. 3 Kittatinny, 52-17.
9. West Morris (8-9)
Previous ranking: Unranked
The Wolfpack return to the rankings after picking up wins last week over two Morris County rivals. West Morris defeated then-No. 4 Sparta, 41-36 last Tuesday and Morris Hills, 39-30 on Wednesday.
8. Butler (13-4)
Previous ranking: 10
The Bulldogs defeated Saddle Brook, 69-6 last Wednesday. Butler is expected to land the No. 4 seed in North 1, Group 1 when seeds are released this week.
7. High Point (7-7)
Previous ranking: 8
The Wildcats defeated Morris Knolls, 53-11 last Tuesday and dropped matches to Delsea, 44-18, and Hunterdon Central, 57-12, on Saturday.
6. Pope John (8-7)
Previous ranking: 7
It was a bumpy stretch for the Lions last week, going 1-3 with setbacks against No. 4 Jefferson, 42-28, Rumson-Fair Haven, 57-24, and Hillsborough, 42-33. The Sparta parochial school managed to pick up a tight 37-36 win over Immaculata.
5. Hanover Park (11-7)
Previous ranking: 5
The East Hanover school scored a 40-32 win over Roxbury last Tuesday. The Hornets will close out the regular season this week with road matches against St. Joseph (Metuchen) on Wednesday and St. Peter’s on Friday.
4. Jefferson (13-4)
Previous ranking: 6
The Falcons fly up two spots in the rankings this week after picking up a 42-28 win over Pope John last Tuesday. Jefferson finished a respectable third as a team at the MCT on Saturday. The Falcons close out the regular season at home on Friday against Sparta.
3. Kittatinny (16-1)
Previous ranking: 3
The Cougars extended their win streak to eight matches with four more wins last week. The Newton school took out Sparta, 52-17, Central Regional, 59-11, Livingston, 58-7 and Old Tappan, 57-16 over two days. Kittatinny will close out the regular season this week with stiff tests against Ridge at home on Wednesday and at West Essex on Friday.
2. Mount Olive (11-3)
Previous ranking: 2
The Marauders used the MCT as a tune-up for the upcoming NJSIAA team tournament, finishing second as a team with four individual finalists and two champions in Tyeler Hagensen (113) and Tyler Bienus (190). Mount Olive closes out the regular season this week with home matches against Roxbury and No. 1 Delbarton.
1. Delbarton (13-3)
Previous ranking: 1
It was business as usual for the Green Wave last week as they won two more duals and captured a 15th straight MCT title, crowning 11 individual champions over the weekend. The Morristown school defeated Newark East Side, 81-0, and rolled over public-school power Southern, 53-9. Delbarton wraps up the regular season this week at national power Blair on Thursday and at No. 2 Mount Olive on Friday before focusing on the NJSIAA team tournament.
Dropped out: Montville (9-7)
Also considered: Morris Hills (9-7), Mountain Lakes (13-5)
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wrestling: Morris/Sussex rankings ahead of state team tournament
