We are hitting the home stretch of wrestling’s dual meet season.

How do the NJAC divisional races stand?

Here is a look:

American Division-This is a bear of a division, arguably the best in New Jersey with the great (Delbarton, Mount Olive), the very good (Pope John, Morris Hills) and good (West Morris, Montville). Delbarton and Mount Olive are both undefeated in the division and the two will go at it on Feb. 2.

Random thought: Last week, St. Joseph-Montvale didn’t attend the Catholic schools tournament due to sickness and injury. What’s that all about? What if there was a football game and a team didn’t show because of sickness and injury? That wouldn’t fly at all. Wrestle the matches on your schedule. 

National Division-Sparta has victories over Randolph (48-31) and Roxbury (42-24) and can win the league with a win over Morris Knolls on Feb. 2. If common opponents matter, coach Dan Trappe’s team is the favorite to win the league due to Roxbury’s 49-30 win over Knolls. 

Random thought: How about them Spartans? Just two years ago, they were 2-22 but Trappe and the team staged a remarkable turnaround by going 20-7 last year. The team is off to a 5-1 start, losing only to West Essex. Things get interesting in the coming weeks with Kittatinny coming in to Sparta on Friday and well-balanced Jefferson coming to town on Feb. 2.

Liberty Division-Hanover Park is a win over Pequannock tonight away from clinching the division. Hanover already has wins over Boonton (53-28), Madison (57-12) and Par Hills (57-12).

Independence Division-Mountain Lakes is a victory over Kinnelon away from winning the Independence. The two meet tonight in Mountain Lakes. The Lakers have division wins over Dover (60-18) and Parsippany (48-26).

Freedom Division-Kittatinny all but wrapped up the division with its 33-24 win over High Point last week and 40-26 win over Jefferson two weeks ago. High Point will host Jefferson tonight in a possible sectional final preview. 

Random thought: Like the American, this is another bear of a division, with two probable sectional champions (Kittatinny and High Point). How many other divisions in New Jersey can say that? Not too many, I can guarantee you.

Colonial Division-Lenape Valley has already won the division with wins over North Warren (60-21), Vernon (49-21) and Wallkill Valley (57-21).

Random thought: Is it me, or is there something wrong with a division that consists of just four teams? Why didn’t the NJAC powers that be simply combine the Colonial Division (Lenape, North Warren, Wallkill, Vernon) with the Freedom (High Point, Kittatinny, Jefferson, Hackettstown, Newton)? It seems to me that four-team leagues are weak.

Here and there

Last week, we gave you our first JHMSS (Joe Hofmann Morris-Sussex statewide) statewide wrestling poll. How is this one different from the state’s sportswriters Top 20? I don’t mix public schools with Catholic schools.

Why do I divide the publics from the privates? Well, schools like Southern, P-Burg and Mount Olive should not be buried beneath Catholic schools in a state-wide poll. The privates and publics play by two different sets of rules. I’m not saying one group of rules is better than the other. But what I am saying is that they should not be mixed.

My one problem with the state sportswriters poll is not voting Delbarton over St. Joe’s (six writers voted for the status quo and keeping Joe’s No. 1, two voters went with Delbarton). The Montvale school not showing up to the Catholic School Duals because they were undermanned (sickness, injury, blah-blah-blah) is weak and it’s nice to see that two voters saw it as such. 

The prevailing thinking was, “Well, we’ll see what happens at the Groups at Rutgers in February.”

Yeah, so Joe’s should have shown up at the Duals, then. If they lost without a full roster at the Catholic School Duals, then get it all together for the sectionals. Them not showing up last week didn’t look right and it should have been reflected in the polling. 

Catholic School Top 11

1. St. Joe’s-Montvale

2. Delbarton

3. St. Peter’s 

4. CBA

5. Don Bosco

6. Paramus Catholic

7. Camden Catholic

8. St. John Vianney

9. Bergen Catholic

10. Seton Hall Prep

11. St. Joe’s-Metuchen

Public School Top 9

1. Southern

2. P-Burg

3. Mount Olive

4. Hunterdon Central

5. Delaware Valley

6. Delsea

7. Cranford

8. Rumson

9. Brick Memorial