It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Districts are here.

With the Group Championships in the rearview we move ahead to the individual postseason and all of the excitement that comes with it. This is step one. 

Let’s get into it.

4 Districts to Watch & 4 Reasons Why

District 25 @ Howell High School

Teams: Camden Catholic, Central, Gloucester City, Howell, Maple Shade, Seneca, Shawnee, Toms River East, West Deptford.

Whenever the World Cup comes around and Group play begins, fans and analysts tend to identify one group as the “Group of Death.” The one group that has more good teams than any of the others. Each year, there seems to be a district like this as well.

Allow me to introduce you to the District of Death. Led by #5 Camden Catholic and #6 Howell, District 25 is the only one to feature two top-10 teams. Throw in a West Deptford team that made a run to the Group II finals, and you have what looks like the toughest district in the state. 

What to Watch For

1. Is this team race Camden Catholic’s to lose? Despite only being ranked one spot ahead of Howell, The Irish enter with six wrestlers ranked top 10 in the state. How many combined champs can we expect for Camden Catholic and Howell? It could be as many as 10.
2. 106 will be a fun weight. On paper, Howell senior, Ethan Liptzin looks to be the clear favorite, after making the Powerade semis earlier this year. However, he hasn’t competed since February 7 and will be challenged by Camden Catholic freshman Wayne Rold, as well as Shawnee’s Nick Cottone. 
3. 126lbs is another intriguing one. Here, we could see #10 Neiko Malone of Howell tested against Danny McKennon of Camden Catholic. McKennon was super impressive in the Non-Public B final on Sunday, showing off a variety of offense. 
4. Rider commit Shane Reitsma currently sits at #1 in the state at 170, while Michael Conklin of Toms River East is ranked #8 at 132lbs.

District 26 @ Rowan College of South Jersey

Teams: Cherokee, Cherry Hill East, Haddon Township, Lacey, Moorestown, Palmyra, Paulsboro, Pennsauken, Sterling, Toms River North

The next toughest district in the state is another one from Region 7. A district led by Paulsboro is always tough, but the Red Raiders aren’t alone. Toms River North was ranked at moments this season, Moorestown made the South Jersey Group IV final, and Cherokee always has a stud or two.

What to Watch For

1. Paulsboro is wrestling inspired after losing its state champion and leader Brandon Green for the season.
2. Toms River North took out Paulsboro 44-21 in Newton way back on January 4. The Raiders will show up with revenge on their minds this weekend.
3. The biggest district finals matchup in the state could come here at 138lbs. Paulsboro’s returning state finalist Jacob Perez-Eli will likely face off against Cherokee junior Cooper Pontelandolfo, who placed sixth in the state last year. Perez-Eli went on a crazy run last year after finishing third in the region. In his final season, he hopes to return to the state final and finish the job. Pontelandolfo, meanwhile, has never breezed through a district tournament. As a freshman, he fell to state champ Joe Manchio in the district finals. Last year, he needed a late third-period turn to knock off returning state placewinner Hunter Gutierrez of Lacey. Now, he gets Perez-Eli. I can’t wait for this matchup. Both guys have a keen ability to manage a match on their feet. Unless one can get a takedown, it might be decided on the mat. 
4. Toms River North’s Nick Boggiano placed eighth in the state last year and is currently ranked #5 at 152lbs. Meanwhile, Moorestown’s Robert Damerjian, just returned from a thumb injury that kept him sidelined all year. He’s currently ranked #5 at 220lbs.

District 1 @ Fair Lawn High School

Teams: Fair Lawn, Hawthorne, High Point, Mahwah, Northern Valley – Demarest, Pequannock, Ridgewood, St Joe’s (Montvale), Westwood

District 1 will be a two-team race between St Joe’s lineup full of stars and the Group II champs out of High Point.

What to Watch For

1. Who has more champs: St Joe’s or High Point? I’ve been pumping up St Joe’s as a great tournament team all year long, but this High Point team has no shortage of firepower either with three wrestlers ranked in the top 10, and fringe guys in Clayton Utter and Devon Leibl. It’s not quite the eight ranked guys that St Joe’s flaunts, though.
2. #4 Alex Almeyda, St Joe’s star 120lber, is a contender at one of the deepest weight classes in the state. Only a sophomore, Almeyda has wrestled every hammer in New Jersey at or around his weight this season I think we’re about to see some of that adversity start to pay off.
3. Another sophomore, High Point’s Brian Soldano is the unanimous #1 in the state at 160lbs and is currently ranked #11 in the country. Soldano and Almeyda look primed to run New Jersey for the next few years. For Pequannock, Tommy Goodwin is ranked #7 at 195lbs.
4. How many different singlets will High Point wrestlers wear this weekend? At the Group championships on Sunday, nearly every High Point kid wore a different singlet than his teammates. Is this a tradition I’m unaware of?

District 20 @ Red Bank Regional High School

Teams: East Brunswick, Highland Park, Keansburg, Keyport/Henry Hudson, Manalapan, New Brunswick, North Hunterdon, Red Bank, Shore, South Brunswick

It was a perfect regular season for North Hunterdon, capped by a Group IV state championship. Now we’ll see if the Lions can keep it rolling with a District 20 title.

What to Watch For

1. As it stands, the #3 team in the state has zero wrestlers ranked in the top 10, but there’s not many teams as solid from top to bottom. Will any of North Hunterdon’s guys break through as state title contenders after this weekend?
2. Can Manalapan challenge North Hunterdon for the team title? Well, the Group V runners-up have the best shot – but it’s not likely. Manalapan’s Dylan Waller beat Nathaniel Fossett of North Hunterdon 6-0 way back in December. Since then, Fossett hasn’t lost. This head-to-head matchup at 182lbs is important if Manalapan even wants a chance at the team title.
3. Jack Maida of Shore placed sixth in the state at 106lbs last year and is currently ranked fifth at 120lbs.
4. New Brunswick’s Keshon Davila is ranked #10 at heavyweight with his only loss on the year coming to #3 Marcus Estevez. He’s faced with a tall task in North Hunterdon sophomore Liam Akers. Akers played a vital part of the Lions success and is 27-2 on the season.

Others to Watch

District 30 @ Delsea Regional High School

Delsea has a history of dominating its district tournament, but Woodstown took home the title last year. Throw in a Lower Cape May team that set the school win record this year and an Oakcrest team on the rise and District 30 is wide-open.

District 5 @ West Essex High School

District 5 is another one with multiple teams in contention. West Essex, EPR, and Mt Olive were all at the Group championships in Toms River on Sunday and all are capable of taking home the district title. West Essex and EPR each have state title contenders in #1 Bardhyl Gashi (HWT) and #2 Nick Babin (120), respectively. 

District 16 @ Scotch Plains High School

Two private schools, Seton Hall and St Peter's Prep, will be competing for the district title in this one. Both squads are loaded with state caliber talent including #4 Jack Wilt (160) and Lawrence Melchionda (126) for Seton Hall and #4 Donovan Chavis, #6 Sean Rendeiro (126), and Patrick Adams (120) for St Peters. 

This is just a few of the 32 districts featured across the state. I expect plenty of exciting action all weekend long. 

So, gather your wrestling family, and enjoy Districts Weekend as we move one step closer to Atlantic City. Check out the host sites below for a district near you!

*District 26 is held at Rowan College of South Jersey