Escape the Rock wrestling notes: CBA freshman dominates on way to title

Ryan Burton (left)of St. Joseph (Mont.) wrestles Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy (Pa.) in the 172 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

U-17 world wrestling champion Paul Kenny came into Christian Brothers Academy with a load of expectations based on his resume.

And while Kenny has lived up to his reputation, his fellow lightweight and Bayville native Killian Coluccio is making a name for himself too.

Coluccio survived a scare in the quarterfinals – where he won just 1-0 against Chazz Robinson of Lake Highland Prep – before dominating the final two rounds to win the 107-pound title at the Escape the Rock.

The second-seeded Coluccio won his semifinal, 9-2, over Alex Diaz of Council Rock North (Pa.) before staking himself to a 7-2 lead over top-seeded Colby Martinelli of Pennridge (Pa.). Martinelli suffered an injury in the last 20 seconds that caused him to default.

Ryan Burton (left) of St. Joseph (Mont.) wrestles Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy (Pa.) in the 172 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

“I feel good, I think I wrestled really good,” said Coluccio. “I’ve been in the practice room every day working out, have good practice partners and I felt like I was going to make a good move here.

“I was a little nervous because I knew I had good kids in my bracket, but I knew I was going to be one of the top seeds, so I just came here looking to make something happen. I’m feeling good, so hopefully I can go win a state title now.”

Kenny also reached the final at 114 pounds but took a 3-2 loss to Notre Dame Green Pond’s Ayden Smith, a recent Rutgers commit who also handed the CBA freshman his only other high school loss – 3-1 in sudden victory in the Powerade semifinals.

Coluccio and Kenny are training partners and look to be capable of chasing state titles at the two lowest weights in Atlantic City when the calendar turns to March while being the nucleus for the Colts for years to come.

“We flow 10 minutes, then drill for 10-15 minutes, then go live, try to make each other better,” said Coluccio. “He gets the better of me, usually, but I still hang in with him. I’ve know him for 10 years, probably, always training with him. I wrestled him when I was younger too, he beat me up a couple times, threw me to my back. It was pretty funny, but I’m still with him now.”

Ryan Burton (left) of St. Joseph (Mont.) wrestles Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy (Pa.) in the 172 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

Scare for Sammy Spaulding

Camden Catholic sophomore Sammy Spaulding landed awkwardly on his neck and head on a mat return by Eren Sement of Council Rock North (Pa.) in the third period of their third-place match at 127 pounds.

Spaulding stayed face down on the mat for 10 minutes before being helped to his feet and leaving the gymnasium with a neck brace on a stretcher. He gave a thumbs up to the crowd and was smiling after being placed on the stretcher.

Camden Catholic coach Bill Heverly said in a text message that Spaulding is expected to be fine. Spaulding took third as the mat return was called a slam.

Heverly also noted Kage Jones, who suffered an injury default loss in a consolation match at 160 pounds on Saturday, would be OK.

Five more finalists

In addition to the CBA freshmen, New Jersey saw five other wrestlers reach the final, picking up one more title.

St. Joseph (Mont.)’s Ryan Burton won the 172-pound crown over Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy (Pa.), 3-1, in sudden victory. His teammate, Rocco Dellagatta, finished second at heavyweight with a 3-1 loss to State College (Pa.)’s Nicholas Pavlechko.

Rocco Dellagatta (right) of St. Joseph (Mont.) wrestles Nicholas Pavlechko of State College (Pa.) in the 285 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

Bethlehem Catholic’s Kollin Rath scored a takedown with 21 seconds left to defeat Southern’s Matt Henrich, 4-3, in an 152-pound matchup of previous ETR champions. Mountain View (Va.)’s Tyler Traves pinned Paramus Catholic No. 5 seed Dylan Ross at 139 pounds.

Nikolaus O’Neill defeated Southern No. 11 seed Bryce Manera, 7-4, at 133 pounds. Manera beat the country’s 12th-ranked wrestler, Camden Baum of Bishop McDevitt, 5-3, in the quarterfinals and the 11th-ranked wrestler Legacy Christian’s Dillon Campbell – a Virginia Tech commit – on an injury default after a wild scramble in sudden victory.

Ryan Burton (left) of St. Joseph (Mont.) takes down Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy (Pa.) in overtime to win the 172 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

O’Neill is ranked No. 7 by Flo.

Bill Evans can be reached at [email protected].

Ryan Burton (left) of St. Joseph (Mont.) wrestles Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy (Pa.) in the 172 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

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Rocco Dellagatta (right) of St. Joseph (Mont.) wrestles Nicholas Pavlechko of State College (Pa.) in the 285 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

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Killian Coluccio (left) of Christian Brothers wrestles Colby Martinelli of Penn Ridge (Pa.) in the 107 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

Rocco Dellagatta (top) of St. Joseph (Mont.) wrestles Nicholas Pavlechko of State College (Pa.) in the 285 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

Ryan Burton of St. Joseph (Mont.) defeats Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy (Pa.) to win the 172 pound final during the finals of the Escape the Rock boys wrestling tournament at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pa on Sunday, January 14, 2024.