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SOUTHINGTON - The Southington wrestling team continued its push for a CCC West crown with a 38-31 win over Newington on Wednesday night.

Southington 171-pounder Carmine Castiglione put the finishing touches on the match with a pin with one second left in the first period that gave the Blue Knights a 38-25 lead with one match remaining.

The Blue Knights (11-3 overall, 4-0 West) also got pins from Christian Bowles (112 pounds, 1:44), Nick Solomon (119, 3:57), Doug Fontaine (130, 0:46) and Cory Seeger (145, 2:41).

Fontaine and Seeger are the Blue Knights' senior captains this season.

"Doug and Cory have been very consistent," Southington coach Derek Dion said. "We count on their consistency and leadership towards the other kids. They show the other kids how to work and how to prepare for their matches."

Knights' freshman Nick Sforza won his 152-pound match by a technical fall (19-3).

Xavier Crofton, Southington's 215-pounder, started the evening in exciting fashion, topping Newington's Jordan Allen 11-9 with 23 seconds left in the first one-minute overtime period.

The Knights earned a stranglehold on the CCC West with dates remaining with just Simsbury (Feb. 3 on the road) and against New Britain on Feb. 10, which is Southington's Senior Night.

Simsbury already has a loss in the West to Newington (13-4 overall, 4-1 West) and New Britain is winless. A pair of victories will give the Blue Knights the conference championship.

But first Southington will host a 12-team interstate showdown this Saturday morning, starting around 9:30. "MassConn Fusion" will pit six premium Connecticut teams against six top squads for Massachusetts. It will be tournament style, with wrestlers competing individually, but accruing points for the team standings. Individual, team and state champs will be crowned.

"If Massachusetts wins we wrestle in West Springfield next year and if we win the meet comes back to Southington," Dion said.

In addition to the Blue Knights, four of Connecticut's top 10 teams will participate: No. 1 New Milford, No. 4 Bristol Central, No. 8 Bacon Academy-Colchester and No. 10 Shelton.

Berlin, a traditional power like Southington though currently unranked, is also in the mix. Finals are scheduled to begin between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

"It should be some really good wrestling," Dion said. "It should be a lot of fun and we're hoping for a good turnout."

Dion came up with the idea for MassConn Fusion with a coach at West Springfield during a dual tournament earlier this year.

"I developed a relationship with (West Springfield)," Dion said. "We brainstormed about a border war between Massachusetts and Connecticut. We both liked the individual tournament rather than the dual-meet format. So we put it together."

The tournament will also be good preparation for the Blue Knights as they head closer to the postseason.

"It's great for kids who might go to New Englands to see some of the best kids from other states," Dion said. "In the State Open you don't know the guy you are wrestling and what he does. Scouting gets difficult. Now we get a bunch of guys they don't know, so they can just focus on their own skills and techniques."

Fontaine, a former state champion, said he's excited to compete against the best on Saturday.

"I'm going to be seeing two of the best kids in the state on Saturday," Fontaine said. "Nick Cyr from Bristol Central and Andrew Golden from New Milford are two of the best around. It's going to be great competition."

Fans can follow the scores online if they can't attend the meet at kapwrestling.com.