Anthony Falbo pushes himself so much that he's hardly ever pushed, himself, on the wrestling mats. Falbo regularly makes quick work of opponents, often pinning his counterparts in mere seconds, and the Newtown High School junior standout has lost only twice in his NHS career on his way to a 140-2 overall record. Both of those defeats were in the New England Championships, in his freshman and sophomore campaigns.Falbo Unbeaten

The 182 pound weight division grappler had a few tough challenges en route to capturing a title and helping his Nighthawks place second in this year's New England finals, in Providence, R.I., March 4-5.

But the bottom line is Falbo got it done, capping his efforts with a 3-2 decision over Killingly's Austin Caffrey in a rematch of the State Open final, also won by Falbo.

Newtown, which had another place winner in third-place finisher Joe Accousti (170 pound weight class) scored 60.5 points, narrowly edging third-place New Fairfield with 58.5, and fourth-place Danbury with 57.5. Connecticut had an ultra strong showing with New Milford, Fairfield Warde, Foran of Milford, and Trumbull all cracking the top ten. Bishop Hendricken of Warwick, R.I., won the event with 89 points.

The Nighthawks were runner-up for the second straight year - no small feat given there were more than 150 schools representing the New England states at the competition. The Hawks are second best among every school, including the non-qualifiers, from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

"We've been up against so much this year with the injuries, the failure to fill a lineup. These guys never quit - they never gave up," Newtown Coach Chris Bray said.

Bray noted that each of his New England qualifiers played a key role in the Hawks earning second place. Pin fall and technical fall victories gave Newtown important extra points on their way to a strong team finish.

Falbo was 4-0 with a pin, and Accousti went 4-1, scoring two pins. Accousti scored a 6-4 decision over No. 1 seed Robert Heatherman of Mt Ararat/Brunswick of Maine in the third-place match.

Ed Lovely went 4-2 and scored a technical fall and pair of pin falls at 145.

"He wrestled well. His weight class was a very, very talented weight class," Bray said of Lovely.

Junior Tom Long, who started wrestling as a freshman and has come a long way quickly - capturing a state Class LL title along the way - picked up a key win, via pin fall, in the wrestlebacks.

"As tight as the team scoring was, the extra points earned were extremely important for us placing second," Bray notes.

Falbo captured South-West Conference, state class LL, and State Open titles in an undefeated campaign.

"When I won New Englands I felt really excited that all my hard work paid off. I had no days off and I trained and competed all year," the grappler said. "I wrestle five days a week in the off season, lift daily, and have a lot of cardio workouts to stay in great shape. Even when I don't feel like it, I push myself to be the best I can be."

Capturing the New England title gives Falbo the one championship that had eluded him. A three-time SWC, Class LL and State Open winner, he was third in the New England competition as a 152 pound competitor his freshman year, second as a 170 grappler in his sophomore campaign.

"When I lost last year it motivated me everyday to work hard so I wouldn't lose again. A New England title and being undefeated was a big goal I knew I could accomplish," Falbo said.

He won the folk style division of the National Championships last spring, and will look to defend his title in Virginia Beach, Va., April 1-3. Falbo again will cut weight to compete in the 170 division, which he won a year ago.

Falbo was taken down only once this winter, and that was by Caffrey in the State Open, a match he battled back to win in a 6-4 decision.

"I knew the final was going to be a battle and it was," said Falbo, adding that he earned important takedowns in both his semifinal win over state champ Brandon Cousino of Vergennes, Vt., and Caffrey, Both matches were 3-2 nail-biters. Falbo also scored a 4-1 decision over John Boyle of Triton in Massachusetts in the quarterfinals. His other win was in a 1:43 pin fall triumph over Caleb Lomme of Hollis Brookline, N.H.

"Talentwise, Anthony is head and shoulders above any wrestler I've ever coached," Bray, who has coached for a decade and a half, said of Falbo, who started wrestling in second grade. "Clearly, he's more athletic than most of the guys he wrestles."

Although a middle-upper weight class competitor, Falbo wrestles with the quickness of a grappler in a lighter weight division, yet brings the necessary strength and size to the mat to succeed against his counterparts.

In addition to his athleticism, Falbo brings a lot of talent to the mats.

"Also, he's very smart. He's got good mat awareness. He studies his opponents," said Bray, noting that his junior standout watches YouTube highlights of top wrestlers he's likely to face in big competitions to study their tendencies, Bray says.

Falbo has a verbal agreement to wrestle at West Point.

Although this success might beg the question, what more is there to accomplish? Falbo stands to continue to improve.

"As long as he wrestles he will be better every year over the previous," Bray said. "He's a hard worker and he's still learning."