Shore Sports Network Wrestling Top 10, 2/2/15

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With several ranked teams matching up, the Shore Conference Tournament figured to bring changes to this week’s Shore Sports Network Wrestling Top 10. That’s exactly what happened, and for just the second time this season there will be a new No. 1 team in the Shore Conference.

Brick Memorial captured its 15th Shore Conference Tournament title when it defeated Jackson Memorial, 33-24, on Saturday at Jackson Liberty High School. It was the Mustangs' second win over the Jaguars in 10 days, and kept them undefeated against Shore Conference competition this season.

The Mustangs jump from second to first because Jackson upended top-seeded, previously-top-ranked and formerly-undefeated Howell, 27-22, in the SCT semifinals. The Jaguars also move up one spot to No. 2 based on the head-to-head win over Rebels, who slide down two spots to No. 3

Christian Brothers Academy did not participate in the SCT, instead traveling south to compete in the Jack Welch Duals at Moorestown. The Colts lost only to Bound Brook, a top-10 team in the state, so they hold steady at No. 4.

Toms River South reached the SCT semifinals with a victory over Brick, so the Indians jump two spots up to No. 5 while the Dragons slide to sixth.

Southern also didn’t enter the SCT, and instead wrestled fellow public-school power Phillipsburg in a rematch of last season’s NJSIAA Group IV championship match. The Stateliners won 27-23, but the Rams proved they are right there with the state’e elite in moving up a spot to No. 7. The only thing holding Southern back is a signature win, which it will still have a chance to get in the sectional tournament.

Long Branch fell to Jackson Memorial in the SCT quarterfinals and drops one spot to No. 8, while Wall holds its spot at No. 9 after beating Middletown North in the SCT pre-quarterfinals before losing to Brick Memorial in the quarterfinals.

Jackson Liberty makes its season debut in the rankings after topping previous No. 10 Raritan, 46-25, in the SCT pre-quarterfinals to reverse a 31-30 loss during the regular season.

This week is the calm before the storm. The sectional tournaments begin on Feb. 9, so this week is all about teams getting healthy or trying to squeeze in another match before Wednesday’s state tournament cutoff to improve tournament seeding.

1. Brick Memorial (14-1). Last week: No. 2

The Mustangs defeated Jackson Memorial 33-24 to win the Shore Conference Tournament title for the third time in the last four seasons, and bring home a conference-best 15th SCT title. On their road to the title, they also beat Colts Neck 62-9, No. 9 Wall 51-13 and No. 5 Toms River South 46-20. Brick Memorial, which is currently the No. 2 seed in South Jersey Group V, has a match with Lacey this week where it will look to officially clinch the Class A South title.

2. Jackson Memorial (15-4). Last week: No. 3

The Jaguars fell to Brick Memorial, 33-24, in the Shore Conference Tournament final, but earned a huge win in the semifinals by knocking off Howell, 27-22. Sophomore Tim Hamann was the hero with a 6-5 victory over Kris Lindemann at 138 pounds, which turned the tide of the match with two bouts left. Jackson also defeated Ocean, 51-18, and Long Branch, 35-15, during the SCT. The Jaguars are currently first in the Central Jersey Group IV power-point rankings, 38.80 to 34.70 over Brick. A match is scheduled for Wednesday with St. John Vianney.

3. Howell (19-1). Last week: No. 1

The Rebels were denied a chance at a second straight Shore Conference Tournament title when they were defeated by Jackson Memorial, 27-22, in the semifinals. En route to the final four, Howell beat Freehold Township 64-19 and No. 10 Jackson Liberty 47-12. They take on Middletown North on Wednesday where a win will officially lock up their 10th straight Class A North division title. They also travel to face Hunterdon Central on Wednesday in a final push for the top seed in South Jersey Group V, take on Cranford on Thursday and have a triangular meet with Pope John XXIII and Lenape Valley on Saturday.

4. Christian Brothers Academy (15-3). Last week: No. 4

The Colts went 3-1 at the Jack Welch Duals with wins over Newton (50-21), Haddonfield (42-15) and Buena (33-29), while losing to Bound Brook, 41-19. They are currently in the top spot in Non-Public South A, and have a match with Ocean on Tuesday.

5. Toms River South (9-4). Last week: No. 7

The Indians made a run to the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals by defeating Toms River North, 35-33, and Brick, 33-27. The win over Brick reversed a 33-29 loss just six days prior, and enabled them to move up two spots in the rankings. They are currently the No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group IV, but hold a lead of just a seventh-tenths of a point over Clearview. They are scheduled to wrestle Middletown South on Wednesday before the state cutoff, and also take on Lacey on Friday and have a quad with Jackson Liberty, Marlboro and Matawan on Saturday.

6. Brick (16-3). Last week: No. 5

The Dragons fell to Toms River South, 33-27, in the quarterfinals of the Shore Conference Tournament. In the pre-quarterfinals they topped Point Boro 42-21, and in a Saturday triangular meet Brick edged Marlboro, 34-33, and clobbered Rumson 57-17. Brick is currently the No. 2 seed in Central Jersey Group IV, and as of now has no matches scheduled before Wednesday’s state cutoff. However, a match with Toms River East for Tuesday was postponed and a match with Point Boro for Wednesday was cancelled, leaving the possibility open to move Thursday’s Class A South match with Southern to Wednesday or earlier so both teams could benefit from the power points.

7. Southern (9-5). Last week: No. 8

Southern did not enter the Shore Conference Tournament, instead scheduling a match with Phillipsburg for Saturday, and the Stateliners defeated the Rams 27-23. Southern’s five losses this season have come No. 2 Jackson Memorial, No. 3 Howell, No. 5 Toms River South, No .1 Brick Memorial and state top-five Phillipsburg by a combined 26 points, so the Rams are obviously right there with the best teams in the state. As stated in the open, Southern just doesn’t have a signature win yet, but that could change in a big way in the South Jersey Group V tournament where Brick Memorial and Howell also reside. The Rams also take on No. 6 Brick on Wednesday and host a quad with South Plainfield, Williamstown and Buena on Saturday.

8. Long Branch (14-4). Last week: No. 6

The Green Wave defeated St. John Vianney 46-18 in the pre-quarterfinal round of the Shore Conference Tournament before falling to Jackson Memorial, 35-15, in the quarterfinals. A match on Monday against Monmouth Regional was cancelled because of the inclement weather, so Long Branch has just a double dual with Central and Staten Island’s Monsignor Farrell on Wednesday before the state tournament. The Green Wave are currently third in Central Jersey Group III behind Cranford and South Plainfield.

9. Wall (11-3). Last week: No. 9

The Crimson Knights defeated Middletown North 40-28 in the pre-quarterfinal round of the Shore Conference Tournament before Brick Memorial knocked them out of the tournament with a 51-13 loss. Wall is currently second in South Jersey Group III behind Delsea and in front of Highland. A match on Wednesday against Raritan will be crucial in holding onto the second seed for a home match in the sectional semifinals. The Knights also host a quad on Saturday with Paramus, Manalapan and Caldwell.

10. Jackson Liberty (16-5). Last week: not ranked

The Lions went 1-3 during the week, but move into the top 10 because of a 46-25 victory over last week’s No. 10, Raritan, in the SCT pre-quarterfinals. The Lions then lost to Howell, 47-12, in the quarterfinals before dropping matches to Hunterdon Central (42-19) and Kingsway (45-31) on Saturday. Jackson Liberty is currently the No. 3 seed in Central Jersey Group IV and will host a quad with Marlboro, Matawan and Toms River South on Saturday.

Dropped out: Raritan (10-4).

Teams to Watch:

Middletown North (10-4): The Lions lost to Wall 40-28 in the pre-quarterfinals round of the Shore Conference Tournament, then swept a quad with Freehold (57-9), Manalapan (50-14) and Neptune (64-8). They are currently seeded fifth in North 2, Group IV, and wrestle Howell on Tuesday, Rumson-Fair Haven on Wednesday and host a quad with Toms River North, Keansburg and Donovan Catholic on Saturday.