Greene, Morris and Brienza are St. Anthony's holy trinity

One runs with the praise, another passes off the spotlight, and the last always kicks off the party.

They're St. Anthony's Triple Threat.

Grant Greene, the verbose one, Jimmy Morris, the reserved one, and Chris Brienza, the self-titled "father figure of the group" (he's a senior, Greene and Morris are juniors), are ready to etch their mark as the best 1-2-3 combination in New York State wrestling.

They'll each look to defend their titles at the CHSAA state championships beginning Sunday in their home gym. But Brienza (103 pounds), Morris (112) and Greene (119), who are wrestling in consecutive weight classes for the third straight year, believe they're already the finest collaboration in the state, as demonstrated by their coming-out party in Albany last March.

"It feels pretty cool to know that just us three, out of every one in New York State - in New York State - placed sixth," said Greene, who last year became the Friars' first NYSPHSAA state champion since Lucas Magnani in 2000. "Just us three. Three little kids."

Greene bent the truth a little. Their heavyweight won one match to contribute to the Friars' 55.5 team points, which were just 1.5 behind Longwood for a spot in the state's top five. But the rest was all thanks to the lightweight trio.

After none of the three placed in the 2008 state tournament, Brienza took fourth at 96 pounds, Morris took third at 103 and Greene won the 112-pound title last March. Morris, who was completing just his second season of competitive wrestling, advanced to the quarterfinals before eventually placing third.

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"You can always hear people yelling," the shy Morris said of his experience in Albany. "It feels like everyone's watching you."

Greene won four straight matches - none sweeter than his 24-second pin of defending champ Bob Dierna of Wayne in the semifinals - to win the 112-pound title.

"I just went nuts," Greene said of knocking off Dierna on his way to the title. "I think of that feeling all the time. I've never had a feeling like that before."

But that wasn't even the best part. "The fact that we knew we were all returning," Brienza said, "that was the greatest feeling."

This season, Brienza is 39-1, Greene 29-2 and Morris 38-3 as they've led St. Anthony's to one of its most successful campaigns. The Friars won the CHSAA Duals and the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA championships, and are the favorite at the Catholic states.

Now the Friars believe they are in the same company as Suffolk's elite, such as Huntington, Sachem East and Riverhead - all teams they've defeated this season.

Said Brienza: "St. Anthony's is definitely on a different level than the rest of the Long Island Catholic schools."

He, Morris and Greene are the main reason why, as the Friars generally stake themselves to a healthy lead with this troika at the head of the lineup. The team's success has a school better known for its prominent football program buzzing about wrestling.

"When you walk around the school, all you hear is Triple Threat," St. Anthony's coach Tony Walters said.

Even the opposition has taken notice.

"Their dedication and love for the sport has caught on over there," Chaminade coach George Dlugolonski said. "They're very popular kids and very charismatic."

Greene was a Division II state runner-up as an eighth-grader for Cold Spring Harbor a few months before he met Brienza while working at Vougar Oroudjov's wrestling club in Syosset. The two hit it off before Greene even arrived at St. Anthony's, and then Morris joined the clan as a diamond in the rough two years ago. Now, they're not only inseparable, they're unstoppable.

"When we go out for match, we want to put on a show," Greene said. "It feels awesome knowing that we're going out there and just wiping it out. People are there just to watch us."

At St. Anthony's, the Triple Threat has become the talk of the town.