“Jackson does what Jackson does,” Delran head wrestling coach Nathan Marter said. “He takes things in stride.” Weller set a new standard for Delran wrestling with a third-place finish at states.
A freshman getting to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) State Wrestling Championships is impressive as is.
Delran’s Jackson Weller did just that last winter, winning one match in wrestlebacks after losing in the preliminary round, but coming up short in a packed field at the 132-pound weight class as he lost in the second round of the fight to third place.
Getting to the competition’s Atlantic City location was only a motivator for Weller as he came into his sophomore season, also moving up several weight classes to wrestle at 150 pounds.
“I was definitely looking to get up on the podium,” he recalled. “It was just a matter of how high I could climb.”
Turns out that decision was a career-defining one so far, as Weller won the NJSIAA Region 7 title and walked into Boardwalk Hall as the No. 4 seed in the state, placing third after reaching the semifinals and winning both bouts in wrestlebacks.
“Every year, I would go to Atlantic City to watch the state tournament and I would picture myself on the podium,” Weller acknowledged. “It was really nice and it felt good to make that a reality.”
Weller’s result in March is one he’s worked toward for more than a decade, from watching state championships in person as a kid to beginning his wrestling career and seeing it blossom.
The 2023-’24 season was merely a starting point for where he could go, and already, his run as the No. 26 seed in the bright lights and the biggest stage in the state led to facing off against state champions and the top wrestlers in the 150-pound class in New Jersey.
“The expectations this season were for (Weller) to get on the podium,” explained Delran head coach Nathan Marter. “He’s always had goals and aspirations to not only get to the state tournament, but to keep rising every year.”
Discussing Weller’s preparation for the 2024-’25 season, Marter mentioned that the day after the state tournament, Weller was already in the practice room, in the weight room, ready to train and get back to it.
“That’s the kind of wrestler that he is,” the coach added, “and that he’s shown since the start of his high-school career, and it comes from internal confidence.”
It didn’t matter who he was facing or where, Weller just wanted to get on the mat and wrestle, as was the case at states, where the target of being the fourth overall was on his back.
“To be honest, I didn’t focus on the seed too much,” Weller noted. “It was great to see that I was the No. 4 seed, because it was a representation of all the hard work I’ve been putting in … I didn’t worry too much about it.
“I wasn’t focused on who I was going to wrestle, I was just ready for the challenge.”
Standing on the podium was a source of pride, the realization of a dream Weller had years ago, but that dream is far from over. If getting to states was the appetizer and placing third was the main entree, then winning a state championship wraps up a five-course meal as the cherry on top.
Though it’s the offseason, Weller’s gears are already turning toward representing the Bears in Atlantic City for a third straight year and bringing home hardware to have displayed in the halls of Delran for years to come.
“Jackson does what Jackson does,” Marter observed. “He takes things in stride. He looks at all challenges as a positive thing, something that we can work toward and a hurdle we can get over.”
