NJWWA Top 20 – Week of Jan. 19, 2026 – Garden State HS Wrestling

Delaware Valley began the season in the unusual position of being unranked and unheralded.

However, the defending NJSIAA Group 1 champion and traditional state power right now appears to not only be the heavy favorite to win the Group 1 state championship Feb. 22 at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena, but it also is currently king of the mountain in one of the hotbeds of New Jersey scholastic wrestling – Hunterdon and Warren counties.

The Terriers assumed the top spot in Hunterdon-Warren last week by defeating defending Group 4 champion North Hunterdon 41-27 and then winning 31-30 at Phillipsburg. The win was its first in Phillipsburg since Feb. 1, 2006.

The two wins enable Delaware Valley (12-0) to move up to No. 13 this week in the New Jersey Wrestling Writers Association Top 20.

Another team that made a major move in the rankings this week is one that has a familiar nickname to New Jersey scholastic wrestling fans – The Jackson Township Jaguars.

Jackson Township, which is a merger of what was Jackson Liberty and the tradition-rich Jackson Memorial, is 13-0 in its first season as a combined team. Jackson Memorial, which won four NJSIAA Group 4 state championships and 11 sectional championships in its history, had the iconic nickname of the Jaguars.

Jackson Township won five matches last week, including a 51-26 hammering of two-time defending Group 2 champion Rumson-Fair Haven and a dramatic come-from-behind 33-32 win over Middletown North on pins in the final two bouts.

The Jaguars enter the rankings at No. 16 this week.

Jackson Township will be involved in one of the big matches this week when it hosts No. 8 Southern Wednesday night. The Southern-Jackson Memorial rivalry was one of the most intense and memorable in Shore Conference history.

Defending Non-Public A champion St. Joseph (Montvale), ranked No. 4, will be in two big matches with North Jersey non-public powers this week, when it hosts No. 7 Paramus Catholic Wednesday night and No. 6 Bergen Catholic Saturday.

Bergen Catholic had a big week last week as it edged Paramus Catholic 30-27 in an enthralling match and then rolled to the team championship at the Bergen County Tournament.

In other county tournaments last weekend, Immaculata won the Somersert County team championship and Cranford won the Union County team title.

This week’s action got off to a roaring start Monday as Phillipsburg outlasted Rumson-Fair Haven 32-31 and Red Bank Catholic knocked off previously-ranked St. Joseph (Metuchen) 39-32.

The Shore Conference, Greater Middlesex Conference, Essex County, and Morris County tournaments will take place this weekend.

Here is this week’s NJWWA Top 20 with first place votes in parentheses followed by voting points.

The poll will be posted each Tuesday at 5 a.m. through the dual meet season.

NJWWA voting members in alphabetical order: Donald J. Brower (gardenstatehswrestling.com); Frank D’Esposito (shoreconferencewrestling.com); Steven Falk (Asbury Park Press and app.com); Sean Farrell (The Record and NorthJersey.com); Tom McGurk (Courier Post and courierpostonline.com); Andy Mendlowitz (Home News Tribune, Courier News and MyCentralJersey.com); Michael Weilamann (Open Mike and mikeopen.blogspot.com); Brad Wilson (lehighvalleylive.com).

1 . Delbarton (13-0) (8) 160

2. Christian Brothers Academy (8-1) 152

3. St. Peter’s Prep (5-1) 144

4. St. Joseph (Montvale) (8-4) 133

5. Camden Catholic (8-0) 131

6. Bergen Catholic (5-1) 120

7. Paramus Catholic (7-2) 112

8. Southern (7-0) 104

9. Delsea (9-1) 96

10. Howell (11-1) 88

11. Pope John (6-2) 79

12. Mount Olive (7-2) 71