| Overall Record: 23-3 | Division Record: 4-0 |
| 2026 Season Recap |
| TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
| Record: 23-3 (4-0) |
| #10 in Shore Conference Top 11 |
| #7 in Monmouth County |
| CJG4 State Sectional Champions |
| D-Division Champions |
| 2nd Place District 22 |
| 1 State Medal Winner |
| 1 Region Champion / 2 Medal Winners |
| 2 District Champions / 8 Medal Winners |
| 12th Place Shore Conference Tournament (3 Medal Winners) |
| 10th Place Mustang Classic (3 Medal Winners) |
| STATE QUALIFIERS |
| 120: (Sr) Ethan Michaels (5th) |
| 165: (Sr) Dean Natale (WB1) |
| MILESTONES & ACHIEVEMENTS |
| 1st Sectional Title in Program History |
| 4th Division Title in Program History |
| Head Coach Brett Jankos - Recorded 200th Career Win (217 to Finish Season) |
| Ethan Michaels - 134 Career Wins (2nd All-Time at Colts Neck) - 43 Season Wins (Ties Program Record / Most All-Time For a Senior at Colts Neck) - 1st 3-Time Region Champion in Program History |
| SHORECONFERENCEWRESTLING.com WRESTLER OF THE YEAR |
| (Sr) Ethan Michaels - 120 - Record: 43-7 - Ranked #2 in Shore Conference at 120 - 5th Place NJSIAA Tournament - Region 6 Champion - District 22 Champion - 2nd Place Shore Conference Tournament - 2nd Place Mustang Classic - 8th Place Beast of the East |
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| NJSIAA TOURNAMENT |
| Colts Neck: 1 Medal Winner |
| 5th: Ethan Michaels (120) WB1: Dean Natale (165) |
| - 1st State medal for Michaels; 7th medalist in program history; 1st medalist for Colts Neck since 2020 (Luke Rada); Finishes 2nd on career wins list at Colts Neck |
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| REGION 6 TOURNAMENT |
| Colts Neck: 1 Champ / 2 Medal Winners |
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1st: Ethan Michaels (120) 4th: Dean Natale (165) WB1: Julian Fortunato (106) / Nicholas Zecchino (138) PQ: Brody Kaplan (150) / Nicholas Jannucci (190) / Michael Aydin (215) |
| Ethan Michaels became the first 3-time Region champion in program history, and the 10th overall. Colts Neck has now had a champion in seven of the last eight Region tournaments. This is the third season in a row in which the Cougars have had multiple Region medal winners, and ninth time in ten years. Ethan Michaels now has 129 career wins, the second most in program history behind only Joseph King's 143. Brett Jankos has been the head coach for eight of the program's ten champions. |
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| DISTRICT 22 TOURNAMENT |
| Colts Neck: 2nd Place / 2 Champions / 8 Medal Winners |
| 1st: Ethan Michaels (120) / Dean Natale (165) 2nd: Julian Fortunato (106) / Nicholas Zecchino (138) / Matthew Anderson (157) 3rd: Brody Kaplan (150) / Nicholas Jannucci (190) / Michael Aydin (215) 4th: Tyler Gold (113) / Christopher Fischer (126) |
| Colts Neck extended their program best streak to 9 consecutive seasons with a District champ. They've had multiple champions in 7 of those seasons. Michaels joins Michael Jannucci (2017-2019) as the only 3-time champs in school history. It is Michaels' 4th medal. Natale also claimed his 4th medal winning his first title after finishing 3rd his first two seasons, and 2nd last year. Anderson and Kaplan each won their 3rd medals. Anderson finishes with three finals appearances. |
TEAM STATE TOURNAMENT
CJG4-QF: #1 Colts Neck 63 - #8 Red Bank 15 (BOX SCORE)
CJG4-SF: #1 Colts Neck 60 - #4 Marlboro 14 (BOX SCORE)
CJG4-F: #1 Colts Neck 45 - #6 Steinert 34 (BOX SCORE)
G4-SF: #3 TR East 39 - #2 Colts Neck 26 (BOX SCORE)
2/14: OLD BRIDGE QUAD
#8 Colts Neck 69 - Franklin 12 (BOX SCORE)
#8 Colts Neck 36 - Old Bridge 34 (BOX SCORE)
#8 Colts Neck 62 - Summit 15 (BOX SCORE)
2/4: D-DIVISION
#8 Colts Neck 72 - Long Branch 3 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: D-Division Champions; 4th Divisional Title for Cougars
Long Branch: Nicklas Soria (17-9)
1/31: OCEAN TOWNSHIP QUAD
#8 Middletown North 64 - #9 Colts Neck 13 (BOX SCORE)
#9 Colts Neck 60 - Central 14 (BOX SCORE)
#9 Colts Neck 38 - Ocean Twp 37 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Gold majors in final bout for tie; Cougars win on Criteria A (Penalty Point)
Colts Neck: Natale goes 3-0, scores late td for key win in win over Ocean
1/28: D-DIVISION
#9 Colts Neck 33 - #7 Middletown South 32 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Anderson dec clinches w/ 1 bout to go; Natale pins; Jannucci & Michaels tech
Midd South: M Alweiss, Gelpke, & Romano win by fall; Trezza techs
1/24: SHORE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Colts Neck - 12th Place
2nd: Ethan Michaels (126)
4th: Colin Barone (132)
6th: Matthew Anderson (157)
The Cougars matched their program high with three medal winners, a number they've hit four times. They have had at least one medal winner in all but one tournament. Ethan Michaels won his third SCT medal. He is the Cougars' first ever 3-time SCT medalist.
1/20: NON-CONFERENCE
Mt Olive 41 - #8 Colts Neck 19 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Michaels (18-4); Kaplan (13-4); Fortunato (10-2); Barone (7-1); Anderson (13-4)
1/17: COLTS NECK DUALS
#9 Colts Neck 68 - Cedar Creek 11 (BOX SCORE)
#9 Colts Neck 49 - Monroe 24 (BOX SCORE)
#9 Colts Neck 39 - Wall 33 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Jannucci major in final bout caps comeback win for Cougars, goes 3-0 on the day
1/14: D-DIVISION
#9 Colts Neck 35 - TR East 29 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Brody Kaplan with the walk-off pin; Michaels (15-4); Natale (12-3)
TRE: DeLorenzo (21-2); Cappello (16-5); Feliciano (14-6); Ho (14-7)
1/10: GLEN RIDGE QUAD
#10 Colts Neck 76 - Glen Ridge 3 (BOX SCORE)
#10 Colts Neck 48 - Wayne Valley 29 (BOX SCORE)
#10 Colts Neck 66 - East Orange 12 (BOX SCORE)
1/7: D-DIVISION
#10 Colts Neck 43 - TR South 31 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Fortunato, Walsh, Fischer, Michaels; & Carno-Sticatto win by pin
TR South: Rankin, Reed, Hare, & Devrous pin; Beneciuk majors
1/3: FREEHOLD BORO TRI
Colts Neck 52 - Manalapan 19 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck 58 - Freehold Boro 10 (BOX SCORE)
12/28: MUSTANG CLASSIC
Colts Neck - 10th Place
2nd: Ethan Michaels (126) / Matt Anderson (165)
3rd: Dean Natale (175)
12/21: BEAST OF THE EAST
8th Place: Ethan Michaels (120)
12/20: TCNJ PRIDE
Colts Neck - 12th Place
2nd: Nicholas Zecchino (144) / Brody Kaplan (150)
3rd: Tyler Gold (113)
12/17: NON-DIVISION
Colts Neck 34 - Lacey 32 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Brody Kaplan 7-6 decision in final bout wins it for the Cougars; Cougars win 4 of 5 bouts that were decided by 2 points or less
Lacey: Mott, Miller, Coluccio, & Flynn win by fall
12/13: NON-DIVISION
Colts Neck 62 - Freehold Twp 18 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Anderson, Jannucci, Fortunato, Carno-Sticatto, & Kaplan win by pin
Free Twp: Turowski, Flores, & Baugher win by pin
12/10: NON-DIVISION
Colts Neck 45 - Holmdel 27 (BOX SCORE)
Colts Neck: Jannucci, Fortunato, Walsh, Fischer, Michaels, Kaplan, & Anderson win by pin
Holmdel: A Reyes, D Placca, C Reyes, N Paulino with bonus wins
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Colts Neck High School 59 Five Points Rd. Colts Neck, NJ 07722 (732) 761-0190 Program Established: 1998 / Mascot: Cougars / Colors: Green, Navy, & Silver Head Coach: Brett Jankos (13th Season in 2025) Assistants: Mike Mason / Chris Richardson Volunteers: Justin Schifter / David Rubin / Adam Coleman Section: CJG4 / Division: D / District: 22 / Region: 6  / 
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2026 Colts Neck Wrestling
Head Coach: Brett Jankos (13th Season in 2025)
Assistants: Mike Mason / Chris Richardson
Volunteers: Justin Schifter / David Rubin / Adam Coleman
Section: CJG4 / Division: D / District: 22 / Region: 6
Colts Neck has advanced to back-to-back Sectional finals, but have come up short in each of their trips. With a strong veteran core in place, the Cougars will once again be hunting for that first Sectional championship.
Anchoring the lowerweights is 4th-year starter Ethan Michaels. The senior, who is 9 wins away from 100 career victories, has twice advanced to Atlantic City, and is a 2-time District & Region champ. He's part of what could be a very tough group of lowerweights that has a has an experienced group of upperclassmen in juniors Julian Fortunato, a 17 match winner last season, Zach Zaltsman, Griffin Walsh, who was 13-4 last year, and Colin Barone, who returns to the Cougars after wrestling at RBC last season. Also returning is senior Chris Fischer, making this a nice veteran group of lowerweights.
A couple starters return in the middle of the lineup with junior Nico Zecchino, a 24 bout winner in 2025 who was a District runner-up, and senior Brody Kaplan, a 2-time District medalist. They provide a nice 1-2 punch in the middle as a couple new starters crack the lineup around them. Among the potential new starters is freshman Jackson DeGennaro, who was an Intermediate States medal winner last season.
Seniors Matt Anderson and Dean Natale headline the upperweights. Anderson advanced to AC last year to cap a 31-win season in which he placed 4th at Regions and won his 2nd District medal. Natale is a 4-year starter who has three District medals, and will be gunning for a trip to the boardwalk this March. Also back up top for the Cougars is junior Nick Jannucci, who won 17 matches and finished 4th in the District a year ago.
The pieces appear to be in place for a big season for the Cougars. They should once again be in the hunt for a Sectional title, and in the battle for what should be a good D-Division battle.
Possible Lineup
| Wgt | Wrestler | Record | Post Season |
| 106 | (Jr) Julian Fortunato | 17-13 | |
| 106 | (Fr) Julian Graves | ||
| 113 | (Jr) Zach Zaltsman | 3-2 | |
| 113 | (So) Tyler Gold | 3-2 | |
| 120 | (Sr) Ethan Michaels | 34-5 | D-1st / R-1st / NJ-WB3 |
| 120 | (Jr) Griffin Walsh | 13-4 | |
| 126 | (Sr) Chris Fischer | 5-9 | |
| 132 | (Jr) Colin Barone | 7-8 | |
| 132 | (Jr) Jackson Sheridan | 0-3 | |
| 138 | (Jr) Zaid Carno Sticatto | 2-5 | |
| 144 | (Jr) Nico Zecchino | 24-14 | D-2nd / R-WB1 |
| 150 | (Sr) Brody Kaplan | 17-13 | D-3rd / R-WB1 |
| 157 | (Jr) Cooper Mah | 2-12 | |
| 157 | (Fr) Jackson DeGennaro | ||
| 165 | (Sr) Matt Anderson | 31-11 | D-2nd / R-4th / NJ-WB2 |
| 175/190 | (Sr) Dean Natale | 29-9 | D-2nd / R-WB1 |
| 175/190 | (Jr) Nick Jannucci | 17-17 | D-4th |
| 215 | (Sr) Michael Aydin | 0-4 | |
| 215 | (Jr) James Barsky | 0-4 | |
| Hwt | (Sr) Logan Bavaro | 2-15 | |
| Hwt | (Fr) Robert Doerrler |
Graduated in 2025
| Wgt | Wrestler | Record | Post Season |
| 120 | Alex Yale | 15-12 | D-3rd / R-PQ |
| 138 | Michael Borao | 22-6 | |
| 144 | Christian Cleary | 18-21 | D-3rd / R-6th |
| 157 | Michael Petruzzi | 0-3 | |
| 165 | Matthew Russoniello | 0-1 | |
| 215 | Anthony Moriano | 5-20 |
| Head Coach |
| Brett Jankos |
| 1 - Sectional Titles |
| CJG4 (2026) |
| 2 - District Team Titles |
| Last: D24 (2024) |
| 4 - Division Titles |
| Last: D-DIvision (2026) |
| 7 - State Medalists |
| Last: Ethan Michaels (2026) |
| 10 - Region Champs |
| Last: Ethan Michaels (2026) |
| 35- District Champs |
| Last: Ethan Michaels / Dean Natale (2026) |
| 1 - SCT Champ |
| Last: Logan Waller (2020) |
| 15 - SCT Medalists |
| Last: Ethan Michaels / Colin Barone / Matt Anderson (2026) |
| Season Wins Record - 43 |
| Tyler Fraley (2009) Ethan Michael (2026) |
| 100 Career Wins |
| Joseph King | 143 |
| Ethan Michaels | 134 |
| Nick Ottaviano | 120 |
| Pete Ottaviano | 110 |
| Tyler Fraley | 108 |
| Dyon Womack | 105 |
| Logan Waller | 104 |
| James Somma | 101 |
| 100 Career Wins (Includes Wins At Other Schools) |
| Luke Rada - Howell | 134 |