The result might not have gone in Delbarton's favor, but the Green Wave and Blair Academy put on a wrestling clinic on Friday, February 3 in a battle of New Jersey's top two programs, confirming why both schools are nationally ranked.

Starting at 106, Delbarton opened with an 8-0 advantage thanks to major decision victories by Dylan Palentchar and Jayden James (113).  Daniel Jones would drop a very close 5-3 decision at 120 before Blair went on to win the next two matches, losing 11-3 MD at 126 and 132.  Tyler Vazquez would get Delbarton back on the board with a 6-2 decision at 138, tying the dual at 11-11.  Joe Davi and Carl Betz would drop very close decisions at 144 and 150 before Delbarton would roll off three straight wins, with Alessio Perentin, Louis Cerchio and Simon Ruiz all winning by decision.  That would give Delbarton a 20-17 lead. 

Wrestling at 190 instead of his normal 215, Henry Forte would drop his match 12-6, but kept Delbarton alive with grit and determination, fighting for every single point.  Nearing major decision points, Forte fought back, for a big two points on the edge of the mat, giving Blair a 20-20 tie instead of a lead.  Vincent Lee would follow at 215 with a big 12-4 major decision win.  That set up Delbarton for the victory with one match left, up 24-20.  Blair would need a pin in order to win the dual.  Unfortunately for the Green Wave, Carter Neves, the #2 ranked heavyweight in the country, got Connor Martin to the mat early in the first period, and pinned him for the 26-24 Blair victory.

Both schools put on a great display of wrestling, and the Green Wave Fan Zone was alive and rowdy from match 1 to 14.  The Green Wave now turn their attention to the state team tournament.