It was all the way back in November when the Long Branch High School wrestling team started talking about its ultimate goal.

Coming off a perfect 26-0 season that included Shore Conference Tournament and NJSIAA Group II championships, the Green Wave had even higher aspirations this season.

Simply put, they wanted to earn the title of the best of team in the state.

So here we are, a little over three months later, and it's official.

Long Branch is the No. 1 team in the state, a state that continues to gain respect nationwide as a hotbed for scholastic wrestling.

It was on Sunday, at the NJSIAA state individual championships in Atlantic City, that the Green Wave was officially crowned the state's top team.

After finishing 26-1 and defending both its SCT and Group II titles (not to mention persevering against arguably the toughest schedule of any team in the state), head coach Dan George's team was recognized before an appreciative crowd in Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk Hall. George also had a moment of his own, as he was named the state's Coach of the Year, an award he earned while keeping his talented team focused and prepared throughout what was a grueling season.

"The coach of the year is the accomplishment of the team," George said. "I got that because our team produced and is the No. 1 team in New Jersey. This award is just a culmination of that award."

In earning its distinction, Long Branch became the third Shore Conference school and the first Monmouth County school to be voted No. 1 in the 26-year history of the New Jersey Wrestling Coaches Association poll.

Once the actual wrestling started on Sunday, it was senior Nick Visicaro that put an exclamation point on the Green Wave's historic season, winning the team's first individual title in over 20 years by beating top-seed Anthony Saulle of Delran, 7-6, in the 160-pound title.

Visicaro's dramatic, come-frombehind win was a perfect example of the type of resiliency and determination that his team displayed throughout the year.

Early on, it appeared as though Saulle was going to roll to the title, as he scored takedowns in each of the first two periods. As someone who is not accustomed to overcoming deficits, Visicaro (who broke Damion Hahn's single-season Shore Conference record for takedowns this year) had to show his versatility on the state's grandest stage.

Down 5-1 in the third, the Long Branch grappler cut the lead to one with a wellexecuted takedown. He was then able to put Saulle on his back, thrilling the crowd, and giving himself a 7-5 lead in the waning moments.

Saulle escaped to get within 7-6, but at that point, Visicaro (41-2) had earned his school's first state title since Sam Cole back in 1986.

Visicaro's teammates converged on the gritty senior in the corner of the arena, celebrating together one last time.

But Visicaro was not the only Long Branch wrestler to have some success in Atlantic City this weekend. Junior 189- pounder Billy George, the coach's nephew, bounced back from a stunning pre-quarterfinal round loss on Friday to win his next five bouts and take home third place. In beating Don Bosco Prep's Nick Vetterlein, 3-1, in overtime in their third-place consolation bout, George completed a comeback that once again demonstrated the heart and tenacity that made his entire team so tough to beat this year.

Teammates Scott Festejo and Jon Robertson also took third in their respective weight classes. After losing to the eventual 125- pound champion, Frank Cagnina in the semifinals, Festejo came back to beat St. Augustine 's AJ Fisher to earn a shot at third place. Then he went on to defeat Willingboro 's Tyler Scotton, 4- 3, in their consolation bout, and in doing so, collected his 100th win on his father's birthday. Needless to say, Festejo had plenty to celebrate following his win.

Robertson's third-place showing at 142 pounds was a little tougher to swallow, as it came after the Long Branch grappler suffered a devastating loss in the quarterfinals when he was called for locking hands with just one second left in the ultimate tie-breaker of his match with Kittatiny's Troy Hernandez. However, Robertson was able to gather his emotions enough to come back and beat Williamstown's CJ Cobb and Bound Brook's Nestor Taffur to claim third place.

After beating Raritan's undefeated Dan Seidenberg to win the Region VI 171- pound title, Omar Akel headed down to Atlantic City brimming with confidence. As a result, he earned his place among the top grapplers in the state, taking sixth at 171, while his teammate, senior Ameer Washington, took home sixth place at heavyweight. Their finishes meant that all six Long Branch wrestlers that made the trip down the Garden State Parkway this past weekend earned top-six finishes in their respective weight classes.

Their showing further cemented the Wave's standing as the best team in the state, and served as a fitting conclusion to what was a truly brilliant season for a team talked the talk back in November, and walked the walk all the way through March.