By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
PISCATAWAY — When Camden Catholic and Pope John XXIII met in last year’s Non-Public B state final, the dual came down to the final bout in a back-and-forth affair in favor of the Irish.
Camden Catholic coach Bill Heverly said he was hoping for a more relaxed trip this time around, and the Irish sure delivered their coach’s wish.
Camden Catholic cruised to a dominant 53-19 victory in a rematch over Pope John XXIII in the Non-Public B state final on Sunday morning at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena. It was the 20th overall state title for the Irish, capping off their second straight undefeated season.
“All the times we’ve been here, last year it was tight. The year before that was tight. We were hoping for a little more stress-free day today. Not that it’s ever stress-free, just walking around this place is stressful,” joked Heverly. “I’m glad they came out and wrestled really hard. I thought they could wrestle well today, and they did.”
Camden Catholic (17-0, 6-0 Olympic National) recorded five pins, three technical falls and two major decisions, and was able to clinch the match with five bouts left.
“It’s a lot of emotions. I’m very excited, and I’m a little overwhelmed. Being a senior, it’s a great feeling to come off with a win. When a team comes out hot and everyone keeps it going, it’s a great feeling to see all the positivity build up. Everyone just goes out and does their job,” said Michael Craft, who earned the clinching pin in 1:05 at 150 pounds. “My coach came up to me and said, ‘You pin here, and you pretty much seal the dual.’ I wasn’t really worried about it or nervous; I was just more focused on doing my job for the team and wrestling as hard as I could.
“It’s important that we come out here and have fun while doing it. There’s never any time where we don’t enjoy coming out here. It’s always fun, and it’s always positive. I love being out here with these guys.”
Craft is just one member of a star-studded senior lineup that will now turn its attention to the individual postseason tournament. The Irish will compete in District 25 at Collingswood High next Saturday and then in Region 7 at Lacey Township the following week, hoping to punch several tickets to Atlantic City for the individual championships in early March.
“This is great to finish another undefeated season with a state championship. For me, it was finally nice to get an easier match. That kid was still tough and fought, but the last three years I’ve had state champs and placers, so it was finally better to get an easier match today,” said senior defending 132-pound state champion Sammy Spaulding, who took 3:10 to pin his opponent. “We have a big group of seniors who have been very dominant over the past four years. I was just trying to come out on top with them. I’m excited for what the rest of the postseason has to offer us. We performed very well today, but we still have a lot of stuff to work on moving forward. We’re just going to keep polishing up and get ready for Atlantic City, because that’s what the whole year is about.”
“I think about it from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep at night,” he continued, of potentially winning another state title. “I’m in there every day, working hard, and fixing my mistakes when I feel like I need to do better. I’m very excited.”
There are talks that this Camden Catholic team could be the best squad in the program’s storied history, but according to Heverly and Spaulding, there is more work to be done for that sentiment to be set in stone.
“They have jobs to do, and in order to claim that thought, it’s going to be on them to perform,” Heverly said. “They’re ready. They’ve wrestled really well down the stretch here, and I thought they wrestled better today. I feel like they’re ready to go and ready to peak, and that’s what we look for.”
Added Spaulding: “I think the guys are going to turn up at the end. I’m hoping we get more region champs than we did last year. I hope any record we set, I hope we break it.”
Camden Catholic vs. Pope John XXIII full results:
285: Lars Stegner (Camden Catholic) 8-0 MD. over Michael Morelli (Pope John) 106: Stephen Bagocius (Camden Catholic) 19-3 TF. over Jaxson Weber (Pope John) 113: Christopher Amato (Camden Catholic) 15-0 TF. over Jacob Campbell (Pope John) 120: Chase Martino (Camden Catholic) PIN Mason Zerden (Pope John) 1:06 126: Dalton Weber (Pope John) 18-1 TF. Lazarus Joyce (Camden Catholic) 132: Sammy Spaulding (Camden Catholic) PIN Sal D`Arco (Pope John) 3:10 138: EJ Bonnette (Camden Catholic) PIN Frankie Spagnola (Pope John) 3:08 144: Eric Swanson (Camden Catholic) 13-1 MD. Matthew Farley (Pope John) 150: Michael Craft (Camden Catholic) PIN Daniel Arroyo (Pope John) 1:05 (Match clinched) 157: Kage Jones (Camden Catholic) PIN Braydan Lombreglia (Pope John) 0:50 165: Lukas Katsigiannis (Pope John) PIN Nathan Terch (Camden Catholic) 1:39 175: Cole Dunham (Pope John) 20-3 TF. Terry Terch (Camden Catholic) 190: Jaden Simpson (Camden Catholic) 18-0 TF. David Thomson (Pope John) 215: Nick Mignone (Pope John) 8-6 D. Madden Rosario (Camden Catholic).
