ATLANTIC CITY. NJ — Jordan Chapman came close again, but fell one win short of his ultimate high school goal.
In the NJSIAA Tournament 175-pound final in Atlantic City on Saturday, March 8, second-seeded Chapman of Cranford High School was defeated by top-seeded and defending champion Ryan Burton of St. Joseph Regional High School, Montvale, by the major decision score of 20-6.
For Burton, it was his second state title. He will continue wrestling at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Last year, Chapman lost to Delbarton School’s Alessio Perentin, 12-7, in the 165-pound final. Perentin, a senior, won 165 again for his third state title. Perentin, who won at 157 two years ago as a sophomore, will continue wrestling at Cornell University.
Chapman looks forward to excelling collegiately at Rutgers University. Although he didn’t win a state championship, Chapman will go down as, perhaps, Cranford’s greatest wrestler.
Chapman won his first three New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament matches by pin and his fourth by technical fall. He finished 41-5 this year and 160-16 lifetime.
Chapman reached four Union County Tournament finals, winning his last three years. He won district titles all four years and reached four region finals, winning his last three years.
In the NJSIAA Tournament, Chapman qualified all four years, finishing third at 157 as a sophomore in 2023, second at 165 as a junior in 2024 and second at 175 as a senior in 2025.
Chapman went 35-5 as a freshman, 42-4 as a sophomore, 42-2 as a junior and 41-5 as a senior. Chapman finished third in the Beast of the East at the University of Delaware at 165 pounds a year ago and eighth at 175 this year.
His resume is embellished by the way he became a leader in the wrestling room.
“Jordan was a special kind of wrestler who brought a lot of positive attention to the program,” Cranford head coach Pat Gorman said. “He was so much fun to have coached for these four years and I wish him all the best moving on to Rutgers.”
Chapman will also go down as one of the best, if not the best, wrestlers in Union County history not to win a state championship.
“Jordan ended his career setting a lot of records in the Cranford wrestling program. His 160 wins are the most and his 108 pins are as well.
“He was a three-time state place-winner. Jordan was just a beast.”
Michael Daly also placed eighth in the Beast of the East this year at 113, bouncing back to place after losing his first match.
As the 12th seed at 113 in the NJSIAA Tournament, Daly joined Chapman as the only two Union County wrestlers to reach the semifinals. Although Daly lost to eventual state champion Cameron Sontz, of Delbarton, in the semifinals, Daly wrestled back to place fifth, beating fellow Union County wrestler Zachary Belverio, of Arthur L. Johnson High School, in the match to see which wrestlers would finish fifth and sixth in the state at 113.
“Mike Daly had another great season and his best one yet,” Gorman said. “He does all of the right things to continue to get better and climb higher.”
Daly was a UCT and District 10 champion and placed second in Region 3. In last year’s NJSIAA Tournament, Daly reached the quarterfinals at 106.
Next year, Daly and teammate Luke Scholz, who will both be seniors, will have the opportunity to become Cranford’s second and third four-time UCT champions.
“Earning a fifth place in the states is another milestone in Mike’s career, but it won’t be his best finish,’ Gorman said. “I see him continuing to grow and stay hungry. I’m glad he’s around for another year.”
Christian Barber, of Westfield, in 2011, his senior year at 152, remains Union County’s last state champion.
Pat Hogan, as a senior in 2006 at 171, remains Cranford’s last state champion.
Union County wrestlers who earned medals for placing at the March 6-8 NJSIAA Tournament in Atlantic City
Wrestlers finishing in the Top 8 in their weight classes received medals.
• Second: Jordan Chapman, Cranford, senior, 175
• Fifth: Michael Daly, Cranford, junior, 113
• Sixth: Zachary Belverio, Arthur L. Johnson, senior, 113
• Seventh: Nate Faxon, Governor Livingston, senior, 215
• Eighth: Cristian Gioia, Governor Livingston, senior, 165
• Eighth: Jake Zemsky, Westfield, junior, 190
Gioia was the only one of these wrestlers not to reach the quarterfinals. Gioia won three straight wrestle-back matches to qualify for the bout for seventh place.