By TONY BELLISSIMO
The 171-pound senior dominated the competition in repeating as a Nassau County champion and carried a 37-0 record into last weekend's state wrestling tournament at Syracuse's Onondaga County War Memorial. It was there in front of family and friends and more than 7,000 other spectators that he capped a perfect season by winning three consecutive decisions, the last a 3-2 win over Ben Haradon-Keane of Corning, to become Calhoun's first state champ since 1978.
"What a season he had -- what a career," an elated Colts coach Gregg Muscarella said of Lawrence, a three-time All-County performer who went 107-15 throughout high school. "He had an outstanding weekend. He was consistent and solid. We knew he was in a good spot in the bracket, but when you're in the state championships, there's no such thing as an easy road."
Lawrence's final opponent was a lot like him -- powerful and explosive.
"We knew it was going to be one heck of a hurdle," Muscarella said. "That kid showed some quality skills in beating Sean Coffin of Smithtown in the semis. But it was positioning and hand-fighting that really made the difference for Greg."
Lawrence held Haradon-Keane in check at a crucial time, when the Corning senior opened the second period on top. An escape and takedown allowed Lawrence to open a 3-0 lead, and he led 3-1 heading into the third period.
"For Greg, it was a big thing mentally to shut down that kid's best strength," Muscarella said.
Lawrence rode Haradon-Keane for the first minute of the third and did a great tactical job thereafter to hold on for the victory.
"At no time was Greg trying to milk away the last minute," Muscarella said. "It was tremendous mat management. It was by the book. His experience really showed."
The semifinal match saw Lawrence defeat Brandon Scott of Gouveneur, 4-1.
"We saw Scott wrestle twice on Friday night, and that scouting we did was invaluable," Muscarella said. "You don't want to walk into someone's bread-and-butter move if you can help it. If you're aware of it, you can react quicker, and that's what happened."
Lawrence was able to score a pair of takedowns against Scott, who couldn't muster much in terms of offense.
It took one victory on Friday evening to guarantee Lawrence All-State honors and move him into the semis. He bested Declan Josephson of Port Chester, 12-2.
"Greg had the kind of opening match that sets the tone for a strong tournament," Muscarella said. "It gave him a lot of confidence. It's always a good feeling to get that first one. He came close to pinning the kid in the second period and his strength and positioning proved to be a little too much.
"He was really in a zone the entire weekend," the coach added. "Everyone is proud of him."
Next up for Lawrence is the Senior National Tournament, which takes place April 5-7 at the University of Delaware.
