Irish's Leonetti pulls off the deciding pin

TOMS RIVER, N.J. - For the second time in as many nights, Camden Catholic's wrestling team won a match and a title in the final bout with a pin.

This time, sophomore Mike Leonetti took the honors in the 215-pound bout, pinning junior Bill Hughes with a half nelson with 34 seconds left. That sealed a come-from-behind victory, 30-26, over Bergen Catholic in the state Non-Public A title match at the Ritacco Center.

The win gave the Irish (26-6) their fifth straight state title, and coach Pete DiPol said this was one of the most dramatic of the team's triumphs.

"Mike has been getting bumped from the lineup lately, so before the bout I told him, 'You're getting your shot. Let's see what you can do.' He's a sophomore, and he's 8-20. Mike came through big."

Against a slightly bigger and older opponent in Hughes, Leonetti led by 2-1 in the first period, 4-2 in the second, and 6-2 in the third when he registered the fall.

Throughout the bout, Leonetti's teammates waved towels and urged the crowd with a chant: "Let's go, Mike!"

"I loved it," Leonetti said. "I thought we'd do better in the other weights. When Bill Cornely didn't get pinned [in the previous bout], I felt 50 percent better."

Cornely was the hero who pinned his man in the final bout against St. Augustine on Friday to lift the Irish to the South Jersey A title. He was in a dogfight with Bergen Catholic's Jonathan Becker, who dominated the junior until he won, 13-8, to give his team a 26-24 lead.

The lead changed hands six times before Leonetti pinned down the victory.

Senior Chris Volkwine got the Irish off on the right foot in the opening bout at 285 when he pinned Chris Sywitz in 4 minutes, 39 seconds. Volkwine was wearing a white bandage over his face to stop bleeding from his nose when he won.

"The bandage made me mad, and that's good," Volkwine said. "I couldn't breathe right. I wanted to get off the mat."

Matt Sausman (23-6) followed his teammate with a 4-2 decision over Thomas Casper, despite stopping midway through the bout to throw up.

The Irish lost the next three bouts at 112, 119 and 125 and fell behind, 11-9, before Taylor Walsh pinned Louis Pietrantuono with a cross-arm step-over 5:47 into the 130-pound match for a 15-11 lead.

The Irish regained the lead, 18-17, at 140 and 21-20 at 152 pounds when Justin Danfield and Jackson Brady won decisions.

Non-Public A Championship

Camden Catholic 30, Bergen Catholic 26

285: Chris Volkwine, CC, pinned Chris Sywitz, 2:39.

103:

Matt Sausman, CC, dec. Thomas Casper, 4-2.

112:

A.J. Morgenstern, BC, dec. Matt O'Donnell, 1-0.

119:

Sam Pietrantuono, BC, dec. James Olivo, 4-2.

125:

Joe Trause, BC, tech. John Chillem, 17-1, 3:50.

130:

Taylor Walsh, CC, pinned Louis Pietrantuono, 5:47.

135:

Matt Spataro, BC, def. Trey Patacki, injury default.

140:

Justin Danfield, CC, dec. Keith Switzer, 10-8.

145:

Anthony Iorio, BC, dec. Alan Dyer, 5-2.

152:

Jackson Brady, CC, dec. Anthony Pierro, 9-5.

160:

Dakota Moore, CC, dec. Chris Warren, 6-0

171:

Sam Galassi, BC, dec. Wayne Young, 3-2.

189:

Jonathan Becker, BC, dec. Bill Cornely, 13-8.

215:

Mike Leonetti, CC, pinned Bill Hughes, 5:26.