Sometime Wednesday afternoon, Delbarton wrestlers will pack their gear, board their bus, and head down to the state tournament in Atlantic City.

All 14 of ‘em.

You read that correctly:  The Green Wave will send its entire lineup to Boardwalk Hall.

The way things are going, they should have a number of wrestlers reach the podium in AC, if not win their respective weights.

Delbarton had a top four finisher in every weight class at Region 3, held at West Orange High School. The only other time this has happened in New Jersey history was two years ago, when Bergen Catholic bussed its entire lineup down the Garden State Parkway.

So if you think there are a plethora of Green Wave wrestlers on the mats down there at week’s end … it’s because there are a plethora of them.

“We knew we had a good chance coming in,” coach Bryan Stoll said. “Some of our mis-seeded guys wrestled up to their abilities.”

The biggest mis-seeded wrestler was seventh-seeded freshman Braden Jones (126), who dominated on top and built an 11-2 lead before pinning Gov. Livingston’s top-seeded Brandon Rayack in 5:10.

And no, a seven seed having his way with the top seed in this particular case was no upset.

“I knew I was the best in the bracket,” Jones said. “I just had to go out and do it.”

That he did, taking Rayack down in the first period to take the lead for good and getting two sets of backs in the second to pull away.

Jones dominated the bracket, beating both the second (Jones tecked Cranford’s Ryder Connors in the quarters, 18-1, in four minutes) and then third seeds (Caldwell’s Dom Holler, 21-1 in 1:22) on the way to the title in what would have otherwise been an Outstanding Wrestler (that went to Cranford’s dominant Jordan Chapman).

Jones, of Pompton Lakes, had come to the regions twice to watch his brother Trevor wrestle and envisioned himself on the mats when he was an eighth grader last year.

“That’s when I knew,” he said, “I wanted to come here.”

Wrestling on one of the best teams in the entire country has not been a disappointment.

“I may have 13 losses, but most of them have been to some of the top guys in the country because of our schedule,” he said. “Then when it comes to the wrestling room … there is no better wrestling room in the state.”

And every kid in that room who starts for Delbarton is heading South with his singlet and headgear packed away for the action that begins Thursday.

“We are all close and we all have a great relationship,” Jones said. “We are a team and we are always helping each other.”

The Green Wave had seven region champions:

  • Peter Terranova (106) beat Hanover Park’s Giovanni Conte in the finals by technical fall, 21-4 (4:39).
  • Returning state champion Cameron Sontz (113) tecked Cranford’s Michael Daly, 20-5 (5:43).
  • Tommy Marchetti (120) majored Hanover Park’s Nick DiFrancescantonio, 12-2.
  • Chase Quenault (138) pinned Pope John’s returning state finalist Carson Walsh in 5:59.
  • Jayden James (150) tecked Nutley’s Louis DellaVolpe, 21-6 in 1:43.
  • Trevor Jones (157) majored Pope John’s Brayden Lombreglia, 14-1.
  • Two-time returning state champion Alessio Perentin (165) pinned Gov. Livingston’s Cristian Gioia in 1:40.

Delbarton also had five second-place finishers:

  • Returning state champion Ryan DeGeorge (132) was upset in the finals by Pope John’s Dalton Weber, 4-2.
  • Nicholas Schwartz (144) took second after losing in the finals to Pope John’s Donny Almeyda, 4-2.
  • Carl Betz (190) placed second after losing to Hanover Park’s Vincenzo LaValle in the finals, 4-3.
  • Elbrus Majagah (215) placed second after losing in the finals to Gov. Livingston’s Nathan Faxon, 5-3.
  • August Moser (285) placed second after losing to West Morris’ Tommy Borgia in the finals, 9-1.  

Delbarton’s Jesse DeNegri (175) took fourth. He pinned Caldwell’s Jake Simone in the consolations semifinals in 4:23 but then lost in the battle for third to Pope John’s David Thomson, 5-4.

“Most of the guys wrestled up to their abilities,” Stoll said. “The guys that lost … we have a few days to fine-tune what they need work on and sharpen things up. We have three more days to go and then it’s on to AC and do our thing.”

That’s all 14 of ‘em – and many medals to bring home, no doubt.