WRESTLING: Eagles post stellar performance with six league champions

BY Joe Werkmeister | SPORTS EDITOR

Anthony Volpe had come a long way since the days when, wrestling at 96 pounds as a seventh-grader, he won his first league championship in 2005. In the years that followed he would grow to 103, 112, 135 and 145, all the while posting the same result each year: league champ.

Now as a senior, the Rocky Point grappler, at 160 pounds, entered the League VI Championship Saturday at John Glenn High School with a chance to make history, to become only the second wrestler to win six league titles, a feat matched only by the great Jesse Jantzen.

If that wasn't enough, his final match pitted him against the hometown Mike Bosco of Glenn, the only wrestler to have beaten Volpe this season.
In the most anticipated matchup of the finals, Volpe earned his redemption with a 5-3 victory and with it a place in the record books.

"I think all of [the league titles] were tough, but this one had a little more topping on it," said Volpe, who anxiously awaited a rematch with Bosco the moment his dual meet loss ended in overtime three weeks earlier.

Volpe's win was only part of a stellar performance by Rocky Point , as the Eagles crowned six individual champions, the most in school history, to finish in second place behind the Knights. The Eagles will bring 10 wrestlers into this weekend's county tournament.

"I want to say I'm more satisfied with this league tournament than any other league tournament in my 10 years as Rocky Point coach," said Darren Goldstein, who recently guided the Eagles to league titles in 2007 and 2008. "I'm thrilled with what the boys have done."

In the first matchup with Bosco, the No. 2 ranked wrestler in the county, Volpe lacked any aggressiveness, failing to score a takedown at any point. While Volpe and Goldstein didn't look to make excuses, they admitted that Volpe was sick at the time, on the verge of being hospitalized with a 104-degree fever.

Healthy again, Volpe struck quickly Saturday, scoring the first takedown for a 2-0 lead in the first period.

"I thought in my head, two takedowns and I'm winning the match," Volpe said.

In the final minute Volpe held a 3-2 lead before scoring two with 40 seconds left as half the crowd chanted "Volpe!" and the other half "Bosco!"

Bosco closed within two on an escape point 10 seconds later but couldn't get a good shot in on Volpe to send the match into overtime.

While no wrestler ever wants to lose, Volpe said he understands at the higher levels, it's rare to go undefeated. Next year he'll wrestle at Rutgers. A few days after his dual meet loss, Volpe returned more focused than ever.

"I was working the hardest I've ever worked," he said. "I knew that nothing was holding me back now and the loss was only going to make me better."

Another Rocky Point wrestler who was All-League as a seventh-grader, Billy Coggins won his third league title, this one at 171. The top-ranked wrestler in the county, Coggins won 9-6 against Jarid Cheatham of Glenn, the third-ranked wrestler in the weight class. Coggins also beat him in a dual meet this season.

At 140 Stephen Dutton won his fourth straight league title, pinning Amityville's Mark Jerrick in 3 minutes, 11 seconds, one of only two pins in the finals. Dutton, who has not lost since the end of his sophomore season, closed within two matches of the all-time career win mark held by Jantzen (221). He can move into sole possession of the record Friday.

"What do you say about that guy?" Goldstein said. "He's awesome."

Dutton, Volpe and Coggins have all surpassed the 200-win plateau this year. Islip's Ryan Patrovich was the last wrestler to eclipse 200 wins. In 2006 he finished his career with 210 wins.

While the Eagles' big three wind down their careers, Thomas Dutton has just started his. The seventh-grader won his first league title at 103 pounds, easily dispatching Glenn's Anthony Salmonese in the finals, 14-0.

"He comes up to me in the locker room and he's like 'Hey Anthony, I'm gonna tie your six [titles],'" Volpe said. "I'm like, I hope you do."

At 125 Matt Ross won his second league title and first since 2008. He won a 6-1 decision against James DeKrone of Glenn in the finals. Ross has been an All-League wrestler each of the past five years.

Matt Clarke closed out the tournament by winning a triple overtime decision, 3-2, against Glenn's Mike Punto at 285 for his first league title.

The Eagles won all six head-to-head matchups against Glenn in the finals.
Rocky Point 's two losses were at 119 where Dkqwan Johnson fell 6-1 against Westhampton's Peter DeTore, the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

At 215 Miles Farrell lost 8-1 against Mount Sinai 's Brian Slattery.
Also qualifying for the county tournament by placing third were Russ Pitito (152) and Peter Vivonetto (189).

joew@northshoresun.com