St Joe’s completed the gauntlet for the biggest weekend in the program’s history. First, the New Jersey program defeated Bergen Catholic for the second time this season in a match that looked absolutely nothing like the first one, but still the Green Knights prevailed. 

On Super Bowl Sunday, though, St Joe’s took out Delbarton in the Non-Public A final to shock the Jersey wrestling faithful packed into Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Keep in mind, this was a Delbarton team that was looking like it could have been New Jersey’s best team of all-time. But St Joe’s came to wrestle.

Two of the biggest heroes of the dual meet may also have been two of the most unlikely.

The match began as expected through the first five weight classes. That is, until St Joe’s Jimmy Sloan pinned Chase Quenault in the final 10 seconds of a match he was trailing 10-0.

Then, came Mateo Sgambellone who had the biggest weekend of anyone on this St Joe’s team. The senior started the weekend by beating Bergen Catholic’s August Hibler after losing to him 7-1 only two weeks ago. But Sgambellone still wasn’t done. On Sunday, he knocked off returning state champion and #7 in the nation Tyler Vazquez with a late takedown in the third period of a tie match. Sgambellone’s mammoth upset extended St Joe’s lead and suddenly had Delbarton fans and coaches doing quick scoreboard math in their heads.

Delbarton’s string of heavy hitters that includes Alessio Perentin, Louis Cerchio and Simon Ruiz all won handily enough to tie the dual at 24 but with St Joe’s senior leader #13 Michael Dellagata waiting in the wings, everyone had a feeling St Joe’s was about to dethrone the state’s top team. Dellagatta capped the upset by dominating his way to a major decision over Vincent Lee at 190 pounds. As Dellagatta’s team celebrated he dropped to the center of the mat and buried his face in his hands to soak in the moment in front of a stunned Jersey Mike’s Arena. 

What a match and what a season – but the season isn’t over yet.

The excitement is just getting started in the Garden State. Next up, Districts.

Stillwater Gets Revenge Over Edmond North in Oklahoma 6A

There was a lot of excitement heading into this one and understandably so. Edmond North won the last matchup back at the end of 2022 when Stillwater opted to bump some up its wrestlers up a weight class.

Wrestling this one straight up paid off for Stillwater. The difference was a stretch of weight classes where Stillwater went 3-for-3 after losing two of the three the last time these teams met. Sam Smith stayed at 120 pounds this time around and put away Max McDaniel in closing seconds of the bout. That was followed by close wins by teammates J.J. McComas and #1 in the nation Cael Hughes. 

That wasn’t all, though. Kael Voinovich avenged a previous loss to Kody Routledge, in what was another back-and-forth battle to add to Stillwater’s lead. 

That swing of points turned out to be valuable to a Stillwater team that walked into the gym with revenge on its mind and made sure to remind the other side of it.

Recent Stillwater transfer Brayden Thompson, the nation’s top-ranked 182-pounder, didn’t wrestle but it turns out Stillwater didn’t need him. Quick falls by #3 LaDarion Lockett and #7 AJ Heeg finished things off for Stillwater up top.

If you missed it, don’t worry. You can find it HERE on Flo!

Bethlehem Catholic Over Nazareth for Pennsylvania AAA Title

Bethlehem Catholic went into the PIAA state duals as the team to beat after upending Malvern Prep just a few weeks ago and the Golden Hawks wouldn’t be denied. 

Still, this was another classic District XI showdown for the AA title against a Nazareth squad BECA is certainly familiar with.

Nazareth knew it had the advantage in the upper weights with three ranked wrestlers in Dom Wheatley, Sonny Sasso, and Sean Kinney but it wasn’t enough to handle all the firepower Bethlehem Catholic was bringing down low.

Big performances from Keanu Dillard and Nathan Desmond and string of five straight wins from 133 to 152 gave BECA a lead that turned out to be insurmountable.

#5 Kollin Rath was outstanding all weekend long beating two-time returning state champ Mac Church in the quarterfinal round and Dalton Webber in the semifinal, proving he’s still the top dog in the state. Rath was one of seven BECA wrestlers to go undefeated last weekend in Hershey.

In 2A, Faith Christian made history in dominant fashion over Fort Lebouf as the first team ever from District I to win the title. Faith Christian’s most notable win, though, came over the defending state finalists Notre Dame Green Pond in the quarterfinals.

Guess what, you can watch these matches on Flo, too! 

What’s Next?

The heat is coming! And at this point, you know where to find it.

The Iowa State Championships are already underway, and you can catch all the action LIVE on Flo! 

#4 Gabe Arnold and #6 Tate Naaktgeboren should be expected to go at it again for the fourth time this year. Arnold is 3-0 but it’s gotten closer every time with Arnold prevailing in tiebreakers of their last meeting. Naaktgeboren, of course, is looking forward to another shot.

Dru Ayala and Jake Knight is another big one as both sit at #15 and #14 in the current rankings with Knight winning the previous matchup. 

At 120 pounds in 3A, returning state champs Timothy Koester and Christensen are on a collision course for the finals.  Meanwhile, Jace Hedeman will be looking to make it two straight 2A titles already in his young high school career.

Other states in action and available on Flo include Illinois, Indiana, and Nebraska!

Check out our State Championship HUB to stay in the know!

To watch live or archived matches from this event and unlock access to FloWrestling's massive live event and content offering, subscribe here.