Southern Outlasts Delsea in Top Ranked Public School Showdown

photo & coverage by: Marco Morales

When Southern and Delsea meet, the dual rarely comes down to rankings or reputation. It comes down to who can survive the swings, manage the moment, and finish. On this night, with two of New Jersey’s top public programs trading punches from start to finish, Southern did just enough to defeat Delsea 37–31, and it took every bout to get there.

Southern set an early tone in the lower weights, jumping out fast and forcing Delsea to respond. Nick Banos wasted little time at 113, sticking Christopher Powell in just over a minute to give the Rams an immediate boost. That momentum carried into 120, where Cade Collins controlled the pace and poured it on with a technical fall, and again at 126 as Anthony Mason delivered another quick pin. Three matches in, Southern had built a cushion, but everyone in the gym knew it wouldn’t last without resistance.

Delsea answered exactly how a top program does. Greyson Pettit and Amari Vann swung the match back with a pin and a technical fall at 132 and 138, cutting deep into the deficit and shifting the energy on the mat. Southern steadied itself at 144 when Henry Zimmerman ground out an 8–3 decision, but the back-and-forth pattern was firmly established. Every win felt temporary, every lead fragile.

The middle weights turned into a chess match. Anthony DePaul’s pin at 150 put Delsea right back in striking distance, but Colton Gearl responded for Southern with a hard-earned decision at 157. Vincent Esposito followed at 165 with a dominant technical fall, one of the most important momentum builders of the night. Still, Delsea refused to fade, answering with a tech fall of its own at 175 to keep the dual hanging in the balance.

As the match moved into the upper weights, the tension only tightened. Nicholas Daddona’s pin at 190 looked like it might give Southern breathing room, but Salvatore Marchese’s narrow decision at 215 and a pin at heavyweight pulled Delsea even closer. Suddenly, the scoreboard read 34–31, and all eyes turned to the final bout.

At 106 pounds, a freshman was handed the biggest moment of the night.

Jonas Lusker stepped onto the mat with the dual on the line, facing a tough, seasoned opponent and the pressure that comes with being the closer. He never rushed it. He never let the moment swell. Lusker wrestled within himself, scored when he needed to, and defended every exchange down the stretch to secure a 5–1 decision and seal the win. “My mindset was to stay calm and trust my training,” Lusker said afterward. “I knew the situation, but I didn’t want the moment to be bigger than it needed to be. My game plan was to wrestle my style, score first and not worry about the outcome.”

For a freshman, it was a defining moment, and Lusker didn’t shy away from what it meant. “As a freshman I try not to think too much about the pressure and instead focus on the opportunity,” he said. “Being trusted in big moments shows that my coaches and teammates believe in me, and that means a lot. I lean on the older guys for advice a lot, even when I’m not confident, and keep working every day in the room, reminding myself that I earned my spot here.”

Southern’s ability to survive Delsea’s runs and respond in critical toss-up matches was the difference. It wasn’t about bonus points alone or marquee names, but about composure when the dual tightened and belief when the margin disappeared. “To keep the momentum going we have to remind ourselves the job’s not finished and push each other every day in practice,” Lusker added.

On a night where both teams showed why they sit among the state’s best, Southern walked away with the win. Delsea walked away knowing the gap is razor thin. And everyone watching was reminded why matchups like this are what define February wrestling in New Jersey.