WRESTLING: Lancers' Correnti on brink of S.J. history

• Holy Cross 220-pounder Matt Correnti is 158-12 in his HS career as a Lancer
• Correnti needs one win to tie Camden Catholic grad TJ Miller's as South Jersey's winningest wrestler
• After sudden victory loss in the final last year, Correnti's out to get his first state title

Trenton Central’s Tahir Henry shook his hand after the 70-second semifinal pin. He walked over to the Tornadoes’ coach, shrugged and smiled.

When a 19-3 technical fall in 1 minute, 48 seconds ended in the championship tilt, Collingswood’s Dashon Burdett chuckled.

There are mountains of evidence to show Holy Cross 220-pounder Matt Correnti’s dominance. Perhaps none more intelligible than how opponents took their defeats in Saturday’s Region 7 tournament.

“He’s dominant everywhere,” Burdett said moments after the bout. “He’s a beast. He’s the true definition of a beast and a nice kid, too.

“I’ll have a story to tell my kids that I wrestled that guy.”

A long list of anecdotes will survive about Correnti’s run this year. All of them will hold an introduction likely featured by the title of South Jersey’s wins leader.

At 158 victories (and 12 losses), the Delran native stands one from a deadlock atop the list with former Camden Catholic great TJ Miller.

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“It would be awesome,” the 6-foot-3 Rutgers University commit said. “There’s a lot of great South Jersey wrestlers and to be on the top of the list would be truly amazing.”

The heavy odds-on favorite to win a state title this weekend at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, Correnti (38-0) is lined up to tie the mark Friday.

Saturday would be the culmination for the young man FloWrestling ranks as the No. 2 grappler in the country at 220.

“It would be a tremendous accomplishment,” Lancers’ coach Adam Cooney said. “For someone who’s supposed to have a lot of pressure, he seems like he has none.”

The 30-year-old can rattle off his career win-loss record – 139-8 – at the drop of a hat. While he’s already behind Correnti on the victory board, he owns two results the 17-year-old pupil craves.

In 2002, Cooney won the state crown for Holy Cross at 215 pounds. The next year, he did it again at heavyweight.

Correnti appeared in line for a double dose of Lancer back-to-back achievement. In last year’s 195-pound final, the Holy Cross star let a 3-0 third-period lead slip.

With four seconds left, Keansburg’s Tyree Sutton scored a takedown. He got another in sudden victory.

“It was rough. I was a mess,” Correnti said. “I didn’t sleep well for a couple nights. I took a week off then got back to work.”

He’s since watched the fateful bout “a couple times.”

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“After watching it, it made me angry at myself for wrestling that way,” he said of his lone loss in the past two seasons. “After, my coach told me, ‘You can’t win a state title without a takedown or escaping.’

“People say I choked. I didn’t wrestle the way I did all year. I could have wrestled a better match. (The tying takedown) wasn’t controversial, the kid took me down.”

The only reason Correnti could provide for lack of aggression – “I didn’t really fire off any shots or get any movement going” – was the stage, understandable for a teen.

What few recall is while the Lancer certainly had Sutton on the ropes, his undefeated opponent hadn’t surrendered an offensive point all year until that bout.

New year, no Sutton. It’s only Correnti, on the path to local and statewide greatness.

“You always need motivation,” Cooney explained. “I think college is a little far off for him to be motivated by that. Excited sure, but he has something to move towards.”

The coach admitted shock at last year’s result because “we thought we had that match won.”

As Correnti’s workout partner, Cooney praised the improvement and intensity his star pupil shows each bout.

The star who wrestled all of 3:57 at Robbinsville credits his boss with his belief.

“My freshman year, on my goal sheet coach gives us, I put to place at AC as a freshman,” Correnti recalled. “Cooney kinda yelled at me, he said, ‘If your goal is to place at AC, why am I doing this? Your goal should be to be a state champ.’

“That’s when I figured I could do it.”

He can wrap up his career on top of the podium. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who says he won’t.

“It would be terrific,” he said. “That’s the way I’m picturing it now and hopefully that’s the way it happens.”

South Jersey wins leader. State champ. Someone former foes can tell their kids about.

Mark Trible; (856) 486-2424; mtrible@gannettnj.com