The shocking disqualification of High Point from this year's state team wrestling tournament shuffles the entire deck for the Group III competition.  And some of the schools most directly affected are here in the Jersey Sports Now area.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) officially kicked High Point out of the wrestling tournament Monday for violating a rule on out-of-state competition.  The Wildcats wrestled eight of their 23 dual matches prior to the wrestling cutoff date against non-New Jersey schools.  That means they wrestled 65.5% of matches against state competition, short of the 70% required by NJSIAA rules.

While many feel the punishment is unfair, the decision appears to be final.  And it leaves a huge hole in the North Jersey Section 1, Group III section where the Wildcats were the top seed.  Under NJSIAA rules, the vacancy will not be filled at this late date.  That means the winner of Monday night's sectional quarterfinal between fifth seed West Milford and fourth seed Paramus gets a bye directly into the wrestling sectional final on Friday.

The other side of the bracket will go off as scheduled, with #3 Wayne Valley hosting #6 Old Tappan Monday, and the winner meeting second seed Montville in the semifinal round on Wednesday.  But the elimination of High Point means either the Mustangs or Indians would host Friday's sectional final.  And, of course, not having one of the top wrestling teams in the state to face suddenly makes a sectional title a real possibility for the local schools.

Montville has to be considered the favorite, having already beaten Wayne Valley and West Milford and having the home-mat advantage, but the Indians, Highlanders and Paramus all have a shot.  And even though the sectional title will come with an asterisk attached, it will still represent a significant achievement for one school. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now