Sarra: Dutton surpasses Jantzen's LI wrestling mark

Rocky Point's Stephen Dutton was on the verge of taking down the most prestigious record in Long Island high school wrestling history. He was about to become the all-time wins leader. But that barely fazed him.

"It's nice recognition, but winning the state tournament is the most important thing," said Dutton, who stretched, jogged and went about his business. "We take it one match at a time."

The defending state champion earned three wins Friday in the Suffolk County wrestling championships at the Indoor Sports Complex at Stony Brook University. The third win, a decision by technical fall over Hauppauge's Anthony Piscitello in the semifinals, gave Dutton the all-time wins record of 222, one more than Jesse Jantzen.

Jantzen, who wrestled for Shoreham-Wading River from 1994-2000, arguably is Long Island's greatest wrestler. He had a career record of 221-3 and won an unprecedented six county championships. He also won four state titles before moving on to capture the NCAA crown at 149 pounds as a senior at Harvard in 2004.

Dutton, now 222-13, tied Jantzen's mark with a win by technical fall over Connetquot's Nick Castellanos. He will meet Riverhead's Edwin Perry on Saturday morning in the championship bout at 140 pounds.

Dutton's march to surpass Long Island's most coveted record has been quite impressive. The senior has a 44-0 record this season, including 32 by pin and 10 by technical fall. Only two opponents have gone the distance with him.

"He is the most tenacious wrestler," said Rocky Point coach Darren Goldstein, who is proud of Dutton's work ethic. "He respects everyone that gets on the mat with him, but once the whistle blows, he's all over them."

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That respect makes Dutton go 100 percent every time he steps in the circle. His reasoning: "If you're good enough and brave enough to step on the mat with me, then you're good enough to get everything I have."

There is no first gear with Dutton. There never has been. He starts off in third gear and then accelerates. Goldstein calls him relentless.

"He's his own worst critic, and that continually drives him," Goldstein said. "He never blames anyone but himself if a match doesn't go as planned."

Dutton, a three-time state place-winner, is certainly in the upper echelon of Long Island's top wrestlers of all time. But it would be unfair to compare him to Jantzen, who did things no one else has accomplished.

Goldstein was an assistant coach at Shoreham-Wading River in Jantzen's seventh-grade season. Under his tutelage, Jantzen earned the 91-pound county title and placed third in the state.

"His technique was superior at a young age," Goldstein said. "He used a crab ride and matured physically and emotionally quicker than most students. He was the perfect storm, combining technique and strength with emotional and physical maturity."

Dutton transferred to Rocky Point from Hauppauge as a junior. "The one thing that sets Jesse apart from Dutton was their personalities," Goldstein said. "Jesse would crush an opponent and punish him on the mat. But off the mat, he was the most humble and unassuming kid you'd ever meet. Dutton crushes people and he's very emotional. He's never been able to hold back his emotion and sometimes that works against him. Sometimes people read him wrong."

The common denominator between the two is their passion for the sport.

Jantzen's final high school loss was as an eighth-grader in the semifinal round of the state tournament. He placed third that year and went on to win four straight state crowns and 163 consecutive matches, finishing his high school career at 152 pounds.

Dutton's last loss came in his sophomore season in the first round of the state tournament. He's won 97 straight bouts. "It's an honor to be mentioned in the same breath with a guy like Jantzen," Dutton said. "I know all about him. He set the bar."

And Dutton worked hard enough to clear it.