Every few years there seems to be a dual meet like this one: a No. 1 vs No. 2 clash between Bergen Catholic and Delbarton, scheduled for Wednesday, February 12, at Delbarton High School. 

There was Graham/St. Ed’s in ’09, or Blair/Graham in ‘10. More recently there was Bergen Catholic/Blair in 2018. Not only is this a matchup between two of the country’s best teams, but also one where it feels like there’s more than just a ranking on the line. 

This one, #1 Bergen Catholic vs #2 Delbarton, is one of those matches.

Both teams have been the class of New Jersey for over five years now, but for that entire time Bergen has been the top-ranked team. This is Delbarton’s year to change that.

The lineups are combined for three individual state titles, 19 past state placements, 19 state-ranked wrestlers, and six ranked in the country. 

Oddly enough, the match isn’t for the state championship. Whichever team wins this one will move on to face the winner of St Joe’s and Seton Hall Prep in the sectional final Friday, and then the Non-Public A State Championship at Toms River on Sunday.

It’s sort of like when the USA Olympic Hockey team upset the Russians in 1980 but after that still had to beat Finland to win the gold medal. It’s easy to forget when all we remember is Miracle on Ice.

This one may not actually be for the state championship but, well, it is.

And it will be electric. 

The Big Ones

126 pounds is the premier matchup of the dual meet. 2018 state champion, Penn State-commit, and #3 in the country Robert Howard of Bergen Catholic will take on Delbarton’s two-time state placer and #16 in the country, Nico Nardone. 

Howard is Bergen’s guy, and his Crusader teammates will look to him to set the tone heading into enemy territory on Wednesday night. Howard embraces situations like these and despite being limited this year, I have a feeling he’s going to have an extra bounce in his step for this one.

The junior Nardone, though, will be ready. He’s not unfamiliar with big moments after making semifinal appearances in two trips to Atlantic City, placing third as a freshman and sixth last year. He made his move into the national rankings just before the season when he made the Super 32 finals in October. 

This Howard/Nardone match could be a preview of this year’s 126lb state semifinal in a bracket that will also include #7 in the country Eddie Ventresca of Pope John.

At 145lbs, Joe Zargo and Andrew Troczynski met earlier this season at the Doc Buchanan in California, where Troczynski prevailed 7-4 and knocked Zargo out of the #1 ranking.

It’s disappointing the future Wisconsin Badger, Zargo, suffered an injury back on January 25 at Kingsway and hasn’t wrestled since. I can’t imagine he’s missing this one, but who knows if he will be 100 percent. Zargo entered the season ranked as high as #11 in the country after a nice performance at Fargo this summer. When he really gets going he can put up serious points on his feet and despite losing to Troczynski earlier this year, the bout remains a total toss-up. 

Truthfully, Bergen might need to win both 126 and 145 if it wants to win the match.

132 and 138 also present an interesting wrinkle. Despite being currently ranked #1 at 132, it looks like Delbarton’s two-time state champ Anthony Clark is primed to settle into 138 for the postseason, and freshman Simon Ruiz will drop down. Still, I wonder if we might see them both weigh in at 132 on Wednesday. For the Crusaders, should be #3 Dylan Cedeno first and then #10 Will Grater. I think Delbarton will wrestle this one straight up, with Clark up at 138, but if he goes 132 and Ruiz goes 138 – does Delbarton think it can win both? The risk might not be worth it to Coach Stoll and his team, but it’s something to keep your eye on. 

A Cedeno/Ruiz matchup at 132lbs would present a top-10 showdown between a seasoned vet and another piece of Delbarton’s young wave of talent. Ruiz has a bright future and has been ultra-impressive as a middleweight freshman, and the senior Cedeno is on the hunt for a state title this year. He’ll look to big-brother his Green Wave counterpart. In matchups like this I’m always reminded of something my dad used to say.

“In big moments, go with the senior.”

I’m not saying I’m following that rule . . . I’m just saying.

Meanwhile, you would imagine Anthony Clark is a heavy favorite at 138 against Grater, who despite being a two-time state placer, only recently returned to action for the Crusaders and is 6-5 so far this year. 

These matchups could decide the dual.

The Young Wave

This Delbarton team is built for the future. The #2 team in New Jersey has a lineup stacked with underclassman talent that includes three freshmen and two sophomores currently ranked top 10 in the state. 

Right out of the gate at 106, 113, and 120, it’s three freshmen.

At 106 is #2 in NJ, and #5 in the USA, Tyler Vazquez. Vazquez owns a win this year over current #1 in the country, Marc-Anthony McGowan of Blair. He’s got fellow freshman, Aiden Wallace of Bergen, in this one, though. Vazquez comes in as the favorite, and Wallace only recently entered the NJ top 10. Still, this is going to be tight. I really liked what I saw from Wallace at Beast. He didn’t place, but he has been steady down low for the Crusaders in his freshman campaign. 

At 113, Cross Wasliewski is next for Delbarton and it’s another ranked matchup. Bergen will roll out Joey Cangro, who placed third in the state at 106 last year and is currently ranked #15 in the USA. Cangro’s only loss in New Jersey on the year came to top-ranked Kelly Dunnigan in the third-place match of Beast. Wasilewski made the bloodround of the same bracket, but is on a bit of a roll lately, winning 12 matches in a row before falling to #12 in the country Brennen Cernus of Wyoming Seminary last week. 

The third matchup down low is Delbarton’s Joe Davi taking on Nick Kayal. This one could play out similar to the Cedeno/Ruiz matchup I mentioned before. Another senior against a freshman, Davi is 18-9 on the season at possibly the toughest weight class in the state. This kid is good and has the makings to be a multiple-time state placer. Also, he looks like he could probably make 106 or 113 if those weights weren’t already occupied by his state-ranked teammates, Vazquez and Wasilewski. This matchup with Kayal will be tough. The senior Princeton commit, Kayal, is a seasoned vet and will bring that experience to this match. He’s placed at states three times before and heads into this postseason as one of many contenders for a state title at 120lbs. 

Delbarton will be glad this match is at home. I’m sure we can expect a raucous crowd in Morristown and the pressure will be on, but at least its young freshmen won’t be walking into a hostile atmosphere as the visiting team.

The Turning Point

Delbarton’s big move in this dual will come in the upperweights. At 152 is another ranked matchup between #10 Colin Calvetti of Delbarton and #2 Alex Strashinsky, who transferred from Delbarton to Bergen Catholic after his sophomore season. 

After that, the Green Wave lineup features four state-ranked wrestlers to Bergen Catholic’s zero. Bonus points will be at a minimum, but Delbarton will hope to steal some here if it can. 

With that said, Delbarton has forfeited heavyweight frequently this year. If it wants to avoid giving Bergen free bonus points we could see Delbarton make a move by bumping two of its best wrestlers in Chakonis and Casale. I’m sure they’re confident in any matchup they get up top, but like I said before, the Green Wave might just wrestle this thing straight up. 

There’s potential for the back half of the lineup to really blow this dual wide open, so I’m interested to see what weight it starts at.

Is it Wednesday night yet?

The Lineups

• 106: #8 Aiden Wallace (Bergen Catholic) vs. #2 Tyler Vazquez (Delbarton)
• 113: #3 Joey Cangro (Bergen Catholic) vs. #7 Cross Wasilewski (Delbarton)
• 120: #5 Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic) vs. Joe Davi (Delbarton)
• 126: #1 Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic) vs. #3 Nico Nardone (Delbarton)
• 132: #3 Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic) vs. #10 (at 138lbs) Simon Ruiz (Delbarton)
• 138: #9 William Grater (Bergen Catholic) vs. #1 (at 132lbs) Anthony Clark (Delbarton)
• 145: #4 Joe Zargo (Bergen Catholic) vs. #1 Andrew Troczynski (Delbarton)
• 152: #2 Alex Strashinsky (Bergen Catholic) vs. #10 Colin Calvetti (Delbarton)
• 160: Nate Camiscioli (Bergen Catholic) vs. #3 (at 170lbs) Dante Stefanelli (Delbarton) 
• 170: Justin Onello (Bergen Catholic) vs. #2 (at 160lbs) Kieran Calvetti (Delbarton)
• 182: John Fiore / Jack Patti (Bergen Catholic) vs. Nicholas Olivieri (Delbarton)
• 195: John Fiore / Jack Patti (Bergen Catholic) vs. #1 Luke Chakonis (Delbarton) 
• 220: Remy Brancato (Bergen Catholic) vs. #4 PJ Casale (Delbarton)
• 285: Esquire Boyce (Bergen Catholic) vs. Forfeit