Newtown Youth Wrestling Association standout Camron Veneziano, 12, won the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) National Championship, held in Virginia Beach, Va., in dramatic fashion on March 30.

There were 44 wrestlers in the bracket. Veneziano had a bye in round one so he started in the round of 32 to then win five straight matches to become the 85 (plus three) pound NHSCA Middle School National Champion.

As the matches unfolded it seemed as if nobody was going to stop him but the finals match was close. Veneziano’s opponent pulled off amazing defensive effort to prevent a takedown. Veneziano secured top position for the entire second period moving the scoreless match into the third. He chose bottom and was close to an escape numerous times but it wasn’t until there were 13 seconds left that Veneziano secured a reversal and sealed the 2-0 victory.

“It felt great to accomplish one of my biggest goals. I am proud to know where I stand against the rest of the country,” said Veneziano, who is in his seventh year on the mats. “Competition level was high. Most definitely the toughest I have seen.”

Veneziano gave his challenging counterparts more than they could handle thanks to his hard work and preparation.

“I train seven days most weeks to keep getting better. I also spend a lot of weekends travel wrestling up in age and weight to push me mentally and physically. But most of all I couldn’t do it without my coaches pushing me,” he said.

Newtown coaches Curtis Urbina, Mike Long, Tom Long, and Kyle Ibbitson, along with club coaches Blair Tugman from Team Tugman in Ansonia and Grant Paswall from GPS wresting out of Armonk, N.Y. have helped guide Veneziano.

“I am also thankful for my parents for surrounding me with the right people and supporting my goals,” the 12-year-old said.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.