Pin-happy Haddonfield surprises Paulsboro

Paulsboro's moment of truth arrived Friday on its own wrestling mats, and the episode was froth with suspense, frenzied fans, and grapplers who wouldn't give up without a fight.

Paulsboro, ranked No. 1 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, faced busier Colonial Conference rival Haddonfield, ranked No. 3 and leading Group 1 in power points at the start of the week.

Haddonfield proved that busy is better by upending the perennial power Red Raiders, 33-31, in a dramatic finish.

With his team trailing by 31-30 entering the final bout, Haddonfield senior Sam Haley won by a 5-3 decision over Matt Cosgrove at 171 pounds to put his team over the top.

The victory boosted Haddonfield's record to 18-1. The Red Raiders slipped to 7-1.

"I definitely felt the pressure," said Haley, whose record is 17-5. "Paulsboro's home crowd isn't always easy. I took him down in the first period, then he got a point for stalling. In the second period, I rode him out, and I honestly don't remember the rest.

"This is definitely the biggest win I ever had. It feels great to beat Paulsboro, but it hasn't sunk in yet."

Haddonfield coach Pete DiPol said that the bout between Carson Stack and Paulsboro's Eric McMullen would be key, at 189 pounds. As it turned out, it was, for the home team.

McMullen used his strength to register an escape and two takedowns to win the first bout of the evening, 5-1, in double overtime and hand Stack (18-1) his first defeat of the season.

The upset victory also gave a big lift to the Red Raiders right from the start, with a 3-0 lead.

However, in a weird turn of events, the Bulldogs won all their bouts by fall except for the last one.

Kris Rahn gave the Bulldogs their first lead, 6-3, at 215 by pinning Ryan Dick in 17 seconds. Kyle Klaus's fall over Paulsboro's Mike Zold at 112 in 4:43 cut the home team's lead to 14-12.

But Kevin Gregorio's pin of Anthony Bennett in 3:27 gave Haddonfield its second lead, 18-17, in the 125-pound bout.

Paulsboro was leading, 28-18, when Will Dengler at 145 pinned Lou Gattuso in 3:04 to draw the Bulldogs to within 28-24.

At 160, Rob Schlitt drew a packed gym to its feet when he overturned a 4-1, first-period deficit and pinned Paulsboro's Anthony Dawson in 3:19.

That set the stage for Haley's rise to stardom at Haddonfield in a match that will be long remembered there and at Paulsboro.

Haddonfield 33, Paulsboro 31

189: Eric McMullen, Paulsboro, dec. Carson Stack, 5-1, 2OT. 215: Kris Rahn, Haddonfield, pin Ryan Dick, 0:17. Hwt.: Nick Curl, Paulsboro, pin Jon Hughes, 0:51. 103: John Gentile, Paulsboro, tech fall Nate Finnegan, 5:46. 112: Kyle Klaus, Haddonfield, pin Michael Zold, 4:43. 119: Juan Rivera, Paulsboro, dec. Asher Weinstein, 5-2. 125: Kevin Gregorio, Haddonfield, pin Anthony Bennett, 3:27. 130: Donte Scott, Paulsboro, major dec. Will Ritchings, 9-1. 135: Nick Knauer, Paulsboro, dec. Chris Dengler, 5-1. 140: Tyree Ellis, Paulsboro, major dec. Whitten Oswald, 18-10. 145: Will Dengler, Haddonfield, pin Louis Gattuso, 3:04. 152: Dymere Rappa, Paulsboro, dec. Logan Vielehr, 9-3. 160: Robert Schlitt, Haddonfield, pin Anthony Dawson, 3:19. 171: Sam Haley, Haddonfield, dec. Matt Cosgrove, 5-3.