Hank Stinson leads South Jersey champs

ATLANTIC CITY - Hank Stinson electrified the crowd of 8,500 at Boardwalk Hall watching the NJSIAA state individual wrestling championships yesterday.

Trailing by 5-3 with five seconds remaining in the 140-pound bout, the Eastern High wrestler scored a takedown to tie the match, 5-5, and registered back points for a 7-5 victory.

The fans roared as Stinson ran in a circle, waving his arms in victory, while Willingboro's James Green, who had led throughout most of the bout, sat defeated in stunned disbelief.

The Penn State-bound Stinson finished the season with a 35-3 record and his second state title in three years. Three other area wrestlers won state crowns: Paulsboro seniors Joe Duca and Zach Greenwald at 125 and 215 pounds, respectively, and Camden Catholic senior Taylor Walsh at 145.

When asked whether desperation had set in near the end, Stinson answered in the affirmative.

"With 30 seconds left, I knew I had to get out for a takedown - anything," Stinson said.

A go-behind led to a takedown, after which Stinson pulled an arm, pulled his hips through, and held for two seconds for the win as the buzzer sounded.

Green, a junior who lost to Stinson in the Region 7 championship bout, ended the season with a 35-2 record - with both losses to Stinson.

Duca's win over Delaware Valley senior Bobby Stevely was the most emotional of any South Jersey wrestler's yesterday. Duca is the winningest wrestler in South Jersey history with a career record of 155 victories, but without a state title to go with it, the luster wasn't there. Until yesterday.

The senior, who is headed for Indiana University in the fall, seized control of the bout from the beginning. He led, 2-0, on a takedown in the first period, and 7-1, with a takedown and back points in the second. He added three points with a takedown and an escape at the end.

"You have no idea," Duca said about how it felt to become a state champion after four years of hard work. Still shaken by emotional embraces and tears with family members and Paulsboro coach Paul Morina, he added: "I never won my last match at states, ever.

"I wasn't relaxed. I was motivated. I wanted to go out and pound this guy."

Unseeded after taking third in Region 5, Stevely overachieved in getting to the final. He ended the season with a 40-4 record, while Duca, ranked 10th in the nation by Intermat, remained perfect at 42-0.

Walsh and Greenwald, by contrast, said they were relaxed going into their finals.

Walsh had reason to feel pressure because he knew that a victory would make him the first two-time champion in the history of Camden Catholic's wrestling program, which started in the 1960s.

However, the lanky senior, who needed an IV to boost his body fluids yesterday morning, methodically took apart Passaic Valley senior Frank Crocco for an 8-2 win. Crocco is the wrestler who upset Eastern two-time state champion Anthony Baldosaro, 9-5, in the 145-pound quarterfinal, preventing a South Jersey showdown between the two.

"The best guys get knocked off because they can't stay calm," Walsh said. "I was calm and I was feeling strong."

By the end of the first period, Walsh had a 4-0 lead on a takedown and back points. In the third, he scored on a reverse and a takedown.

"Once he had a 4-0 lead, he wrestled a different match," Camden Catholic coach Jerry Boland said. "He wrestled with more confidence."

Greenwald said superior conditioning led to his feeling confident and calm in the 215-pound bout with St. Peter's Prep's Kevin Innis. Greenwald's takedown in overtime snapped a 1-1 tie and resulted in a 3-1 win.

Willingboro junior Tyler Scotton had a huge assignment in wrestling Queen of Peace senior Frank Cagnina at 130. Cagnina, the winningest wrestler in New Jersey history with a career record of 163 victories and two state crowns, is ranked No. 1 in the country by Amateur Wrestling News.

Cagnina won, 7-0, and Scotton joined his Willingboro teammate as a state runner-up.

Also finishing second was Eastern's Preston Keiffer, who lost to Nicholas Visicaro of Long Branch, 5-3, at 160.