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Top 5 TOUGHEST State Divisions in New England

  • Apr 27, 2023
  • 3 min read

Updated: May 2, 2023

The road to the New England Tournament is anything but easy. It typically goes through usually a conference tournament of some sort, then a state divisional/sectional tournament, and then—before you can call yourself a true state champ—you have to usually battle it out with other talented athletes in a cumulative state tournament. ONLY THEN do you get to call yourself a New England qualifier.


It’s no secret that some paths through the state's qualification’s process are more difficult than others, so based on last season’s 2022-2023 results, let's take a look at the top-five toughest state sections/divisions in the region!


The number you’ll see next to some teams denotes final 2022-2023 Tournament ranking I did over on CTWrestling.com.


HONORABLE MENTIONS: Class L (Connecticut), Division 2 (Massachusetts), Class B (Maine)


5. CLASS A (MAINE)

2022-2023 Team Scores


  1. #15 Noble (110)

  2. Massabesic (89)

  3. Sanford (72)

  4. Camden Hills (71)

  5. Windham/Westbrook/GNG (60.5)

  6. Bonny Eagle (60)

  7. Cony/Messalonskee (55)

  8. Kennebunk (50)

  9. Oxford Hills (46.5)

  10. Mt. Arat (38.5)

  11. Skowhegan (37)

  12. Gardiner (29.5)

  13. Nokomis (29)

  14. Mt. Blue (24)

  15. Biddeford/Thornton (23)

  16. Scarborough/Gorham (22)

  17. Marshwood (18)

  18. Deering (17)

  19. Hampden (16)

  20. Portland (12)

  21. Cheverus/Falmouth (9)

  22. Lawrence (8)


Class A in Maine is tough. The top three teams all are in-state powerhouses with Noble and Sanford usually being Maine’s top threats. Bonny Eagle has also historically had success—remember the Frost brothers from years past.


4. Division 1 (NEW HAMPSHIRE)

2022-2023 Team Scores


  1. Salem (256)

  2. Timberlane (173)

  3. Londonderry (161.5)

  4. Concord (161)

  5. Keene (160)

  6. Bedford (143)

  7. Windham (140)

  8. Nashua South (117)

  9. Pinkerton Academy (103)

  10. Exeter (93)

  11. Manchester Memorial (41.5)

  12. Nashua North (26.5)

  13. Manchester Central (15)


This division is LOADED with talent. Just look at the third through fifth place team scores! Any time it’s that close, it’s a battle. Salem won this division last year beating out historically strong Timberlane. Bedford is definitely on the come up this year as they were without Kiaben Kennedy due to injury for the 2022-2023 Postseason.


3. CLASS LL (Connecticut)

2022-2023 Team Scores


  1. Trumbull (181)

  2. #8 East Hartford (177.5)

  3. Danbury (166.5)

  4. Fairfield Warde (158.5)

  5. Southington (150)

  6. Fairfield Ludlowe (135)

  7. Fairfield Prep (128)

  8. #7 Norwalk (127)

  9. Ridgefield (107)

  10. Hall (106)

  11. Norwich Free Academy (102)

  12. Glastonbury (89)

  13. East Lyme/Norwich Tech (82.5)

  14. Enfield (73)

  15. New Britain (73)

  16. Staples (72)

  17. Manchester (67)

  18. Brien McMahon (47.5)

  19. Greenwich (45)

  20. Stamford (28)

  21. Conard (22)

  22. Darien (20)

  23. New Haven (19)

  24. Westhill (16)


The number of teams there with quality depth is astounding. You can see that clearly with a team like Norwalk who was very top heavy last year. Two finalists and three other top six placers only netted an eighth place finish.


This division is usually dominated by the likes of Danbury and Trumbull. More recently however, we’ve seen the rise of East Hartford, who tied with Danbury for a title in 2022 and came in second in 2023. They’re looking to finally obtain that elusive LL state championship come 2024.


2. Division 1 (Rhode Island)

2022-2023 FINAL STANDINGS


  1. #1 Ponaganset (11-0)

  2. #19 Bishop Hendricken (10-1)

  3. Cranston West (8-5)

  4. #10 Hope (7-2)

  5. Cumberland (7-4)

  6. North Providence (6-6)

  7. East Providence (5-3)

  8. North Kingstown (4-3)

  9. #5 Coventry (4-4)

  10. Barrington (3-12)

  11. Mt. Hope (2-7)

  12. Chariho (1-10)

  13. La Salle Academy (1-12)


It’s truly a shame there is no D1 tournament for Rhode Island. This group of schools is truly star-studded. Leading the pack and going undefeated in dual play last season is nationally ranked Ponaganset. And right behind them is Bishop Hendricken, who’s only loss was a 45-30 duel to Pono. Coventry is a clear example of a team that would have excelled in a tournament; Hayden Meyers and Peyton Ellis most certainly would have won titles potentially along with Farnsworth. Maybe in the future we will get to see the biggest powerhouses in the smallest state battle it out.


1. Division 1 (Massachusetts)

  1. #4 Saint John’s Prep (171.5)

  2. Natick (129.5)

  3. #3 Shawsheen Tech (128)

  4. Central Catholic (105.5)

  5. #16 Chelmsford (101)

  6. Taunton (96.5)

  7. #11 Haverhill (82)

  8. Andover (74)

  9. Newton South (69)

  10. Brockton (68)

  11. Catholic Memorial (65)

  12. Saint John’s (59)

  13. Methuen (57)

  14. Lowell (55)

  15. Bedford/AB (54)

  16. New Bedford (54)

  17. Leominster (49)

  18. Braintree (44)

  19. Algonquin (35)

  20. Shepherd Hill (35)

  21. Saugus Peabody (33)

  22. Xaverian (32)

  23. Franklin (26)

  24. Springfield Central (24)

  25. Putnam (23)

  26. Framingham (20.5)

  27. Chicopee (19)

  28. Winchester (19)

  29. Weymouth (18)

  30. Brookline (17)

  31. Boston Latin (15)

  32. Wellesley (11)

  33. Lincoln Sudbury (10)

  34. Worcester Tech (9)

  35. Arlington (8)

  36. Malden/Everett (8)

  37. Lexington (7)

  38. Marblehead/Swampscott (7)

  39. Westfield (7)

  40. Boston College (6)

  41. Newton North (6)

  42. Barnstable (6)

This division is truly the toughest in New England. Just look at the top 10! Having these teams together in a post-season tournament is a wrestling dream! Of the 112 wrestlers who placed at the MIAA All-State tournament, 49 came from this division. It’s no secret that MA has the deepest talent in the region.



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