The New Jersey state championships begin Thursday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, where competitors are vying for titles in one of wrestling’s top hotbeds. Fourteen champions will be crowned Saturday night in the single-class tournament. 

Here’s a look at eight potential matches that could go down Saturday night with a state title on the line. 

113 pounds — #17 Charles Esposito (St. Joseph Regional) vs. #19 Killian Coluccio (Lacey)

Two returning state finalists could meet for the title at 113. Esposito fell in last year’s final at this weight to Cameron Sontz, 4-2, while Coluccio dropped a 4-3 decision to JoJo Burke at 106. Both wrestlers were in the 114-pound Escape The Rock bracket, where Esposito beat #3 Justin Farnsworth to reach the finals while Coluccio fell to Farnsworth in the third-place match. Esposito notched a technical fall win over Shiloh Joyce in the Escape The Rock quarterfinals after Joyce defeated Esposito in sudden victory just a few weeks prior for third at Powerade. If these two meet, expect a scramble fest as both guys are elite when opponents get to their legs. The guy who wins the scrambles or gets a clean reattack will have a big edge.   

120 pounds — #5 Cameron Sontz (Delbarton) vs. JoJo Burke (St. Joseph Regional)

Neither of these guys has ever lost at the state tournament. Sontz, a Lehigh commit, has won state titles at 106 and 113 the last two years, while Burke was a freshman state champion last season at 106 pounds. Both Sontz and Burke have bonused everyone in the postseason so far, and both guys will be heavy favorites to make the finals. The story in this matchup will be Sontz's speed-to-leg attacks versus Burke’s length and scrambling. Who will come away with the 120-pound NJSIAA title in this monster matchup?

126 pounds — #3 Paul Kenny (Christian Brothers Academy) vs. Tommy Marchetti (Delbarton)

Iowa commit Paul Kenny is looking for his second straight NJ state title this weekend and has dominated since falling in December against #2 Grey Burnett in the Ironman finals. These two have met twice in the last year with Kenny defeating Marchetti by decision in the 120-pound state semifinals last year and defeating him again a few weeks back in the NJSIAA Team State Championship dual between Delbarton and Christian Brothers. Marchetti took third last season as a freshman and will have a tough road to the finals, including a quarterfinal matchup with #14 Mikey Bautista, who will be looking for his first state medal this weekend. If Marchetti reaches the 126-pound final and squares off with Kenny, he will need to find a way to stay out of Kenny’s powerful underhook and slow down the match to get his revenge and win a state championship. 

132 pounds — Sammy Spaulding (Camden Catholic) vs. #7 Jonathan McGinty (St. Joseph Regional)

Navy commit Sammy Spaulding has been on a tear this season since winning the 132-pound state championship a year ago. Spaulding is 29-1 with 14 falls, with his lone loss coming to #12 Pennsylvania state champion Will Detar 2-1 in the ultimate tiebreaker in the Escape The Rock semifinals. Jonathan McGinty is a three-time medalist and has been a state runner-up the last two seasons. He is looking to close his career with a state championship before moving on to Oklahoma next year. Expect these two to fire off leg attacks the entire match if they meet in the finals Saturday night with the winner getting to their single-leg finish to decide it.  

144 pounds — #8 Robert Duffy (Christian Brothers Academy) vs. Ryan DeGeorge (Delbarton)

Another future Hawkeye could be wrestling on Saturday night in one of the feature bouts as #8 Robert Duffy will be looking to close his high school career with his first state title. He could face 2024 NJSIAA champion and returning runner-up Ryan DeGeorge for the 144-pound state championship. These two met a few weeks back in the NJSIAA Team State Championship final, where Duffy won the bout 6-2. Duffy presents problems to almost everyone he wrestles with his scrambling ability, and has earned much of his success from his work in the top position. If the Rutgers commit DeGeorge wants to get this one back, he will need to finish cleanly on Duffy and may need to avoid going under him to win his second state title. 

150 pounds — #7 Sonny Amato (Rumson) vs. #9 Nicholas Schwartz (Delbarton)

Amato, a 2024 state champion and returning third-place finisher, took his only loss of the season in December in the quarterfinals of Beast of the East and has never looked back, as he has dominated his way to a 32-1 season and enters this weekend as the top seed at 150 pounds. Schwartz placed sixth at the state tournament last year as a freshman and has made huge jumps since then, including a win over #10 Ivan Arias for third at the Doc B back in January. Amato, the third Iowa commit on this list, will look to get to legs and ride hard in the top position. Schwartz's path to victory here will be to work out of short offense off from the leg attacks by Amato, and also, if the opportunity presents itself, break out a Jonesy tilt if Amato gets to a single leg. 

215 pounds — #9 Tanner Hodgins (Howell) vs. Dante DeLuca (Don Bosco Prep)

2025 U17 World bronze medalist Tanner Hodgins will be looking for his first NJSIAA title this weekend and will likely have to go through returning state runner-up and Columbia commit Dante DeLuca to secure it. Hodgins, who made the jump up from 190 pounds, where he spent most of the season, has settled in nicely at 215 as it has been all falls, technical falls, and forfeit wins for the Oklahoma State commit in his new weight class. DeLuca, who was fifth in 2024 and second a year ago, is 22-0 this season and has been running through the field as well. Both guys will look to use their strength and leg attacks to settle who walks away from the 215-pound field with their first state championship. 

285 pounds — #6 Cristian Alvarez (St. Joseph Regional) vs. #13 Mateo Vinciguerra (Woodstown)

A showdown between the silver and bronze medalists from last year’s 285-pound NJSIAA bracket. These two seniors both fell to Rocco Dellagatta last season, with Alvarez finishing as the runner-up and Vinciguerra coming back for third after falling in the semifinals. Alvarez is heading to the University of Delaware next season to play football. He’s had an incredible season, entering the state tournament with a 30-0 record with titles at Powerade and Escape The Rock. Vinciguerra, a Maryland commit, fell in the Beast Of The East finals 1-0 to #8 Lukas Zalota, while Alvarez had a come-from-behind victory over Zalota in the Powerade finals to win 6-5. Alvarez punishes his opponents by using his heavy hips and reattacks to shut down leg attacks. Vinciguerra will need to find a way to get to an angle and avoid straight-on leg attacks or possibly win a scramble to end Alvarez’s undefeated season. 

New Jersey High School Premium Rankings

Check out the New Jersey High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents, and overall historical performance patterns. 

The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining its season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight