Back on Track: After court reversal, St. John Vianney’s Anthony Knox moves one step closer to wrestling immortality
LACEY TOWNSHIP — Anthony Knox has been a giant on the mat for his entire high school career. On Friday during the opening night of the NJSIAA Region 7 Tournament, he was also the elephant in the room.
Less than an hour before weigh-ins were set to commence at Lacey High School, Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Bartels granted Knox a temporary restraining order that reinstated him for the Region 7 Tournament and next week’s NJSIAA State Championships in Atlantic City. The NJSIAA had disqualified and suspended Knox on Tuesday for his alleged role in a brawl in the stands during last week’s District 25 Tournament.
Knox’s initial suspension and then the court’s reversal have been the dominant story of New Jersey high school sports this week, so naturally there was plenty of chatter among coaches, wrestlers, and fans before wrestling began. But despite a feeling of uncertainty in the air, the night proceeded without incident. Knox took the mat and was his usual dominant self, winning his 126-pound quarterfinal bout against Manchester’s Charles Gold by 18-1 technical fall in 2:32. He helped Gold to his feet, shook his hand, had his arm raised, and walked off the mat and out of the gym. He left the building immediately while being escorted by St. John Vianney officials and local law enforcement and was not available for comment.
Anthony Knox wins by technical fall in the quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/9duDRkJ8pv
— Bob Badders (@Bob_Badders) March 1, 2025
“He was professional,” said St. John Vianney head coach Chris Notte, who was instructed by school administration not to comment about the District 25 incident or the legal proceedings. “He came here and got the job done and went home with good sportsmanship.”
Notte said Knox’s demeanor was business as usual.
“He seemed like the same Anthony Knox. Nothing changed. He still had that killer instinct and sparkle in his eye,” Notte said.
Whatever expectations people may have had for Knox’s return to the mat, it was nowhere near the circus that many thought it could be. There wasn’t any commotion in the crowd or tension in the gym, no loud boos or cheers when he took the mat and a standard round of applause when he won his bout. It felt like it normally would for a returning three-time state champion wrestling in an expected-to-win region quarterfinal. About as normal as it could considering the unprecedented circumstances.
Knox, the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the nation at 126 pounds, is aiming to win his fourth region title this weekend before continuing his quest to become New Jersey’s fifth four-time state champion and the first from the Shore Conference. The Cornell University recruit is the overwhelming favorite with a 140-1 career record and zero losses to New Jersey opponents. These next four days of competition are essentially a coronation of perhaps the greatest high school wrestler in state history.
The NJSIAA is appealing the decision by Bartels, but the Knox train is back on the tracks pending any further legal rulings. He will wrestle the No. 5 seed, Seneca’s Michael Mirassol, in the semifinals, which begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The finals are tentatively scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
While Knox’s ultimate goal is a fourth state title, he can reach another major milestone by winning his fourth region title on Saturday. There have been nine four-time region champions in Shore Conference history, the most recent being Brick Memorial’s Anthony Santaniello in 2022. Knox would be the first from St. John Vianney to accomplish the feat. He could also be joined in the group of four-time region champions by Southern Regional senior Wyatt Stout and Brick Memorial senior Harvey Ludington. Stout is the No. 1 seed at 157 pounds in Region 7 and Ludington is the No. 1 seed at 190 pounds in Region 6.
On the opposite side of the bracket from Knox are Lacey junior Aidan Flynn and Toms River East freshman Jayce Cappello. Flynn is the No. 3 seed while Cappello, the No. 7 seed, knocked off No. 2 seed Ramon Alfonso Arroyo from Kingsway, 14-8, in the quarterfinals.
