CRANBERRY TWP — Sports stories don’t always come with happy endings, but Tony Palumbo still has time to create one.

The Cranberry Township resident and Central Catholic wrestler saw his junior season come to an end with a 2-1 overtime loss to Belle Vernon’s Jarod Verkleeren in the WPIAL 145-pound consolation finals last weekend.

A win in that match would have advanced Palumbo to the PIAA Tournament this week. Instead, his season ended at 18-4.

“It just makes me that much more hungry for next year,” Palumbo said. “A WPIAL title, even a state title ... Those have to be the goals.

“It’s my last shot.”

Palumbo showed plenty of promise at Central his freshman year, winning 24 matches. Also a member of the Pitt Bull Wrestling Club — run by Vikings coach Sonny Abe — he competes in the sport year round.

But a torn ACL and MCL suffered on the mat in August of 2012 cost Palumbo his entire sophomore season. He came back to wrestle this season, but aggravated the knee injury in January.

“That cost me a month and a half because we didn’t want to take any chances before the postseason,” Palumbo said. “I didn’t come back until just before the section tournament.”

He wound up winning the section tourney title in a series of decisions — 11-2 over Hampton’s Nick Gost, 1-0 over North Hills’ David Tuzikow and 4-3 over Plum’s Eric Green in the section finals.

At the time, the trio of wrestlers he defeated had a combined 61 wins this season.

“I had to alter my style on the mat after coming back,” Palumbo said. “I couldn’t be aggressive and shoot as much because it strained my knee every time I did it.

“I had to wrestle more of a defensive style, be more patient. I had to do more stuff on my feet.”

Abe lauded Palumbo’s efforts in re-inventing himself on the mat.

“It’s tough when a kid has to do that,” the coach said. “Tony worked hard at it. He had to wear a knee brace and he did what he could.

“Before tweaking that knee again, we figured he’d get through to states. It was heartbreaking, the way it ended.”

Palumbo picked up three more wins at the WPIAL Tournament — including a 6-4 decision over 30-win wrestler Corey Wilding of Upper St. Clair — before ending his season.

“It was a blast going through that WPIAL Tournament. There’s so many great wrestlers there,” Palumbo said. “I picked up a lot of confidence in myself during that weekend.

“We still got two WPIAL champions out of there and I’ll be rooting for them at the state meet.”

One of those WPIAL champions — Vincenzo Joseph (36-3) at 138 pounds — is Palumbo’s regular workout partner in the room. Central’s other champion is Kyle Coniker (27-3) at 170 pounds.

“Vincenzo and I have made each other better,” Palumbo said. “We really go after each other in there. He’s only a junior, too, so we’ll be back to do it again.”

“They are great workout partners,” Abe agreed. “They’re definitely good for each other.”

Palumbo hopes to attend the Naval Academy down the road and wrestle there. His father, Virgil Palumbo, attended Navy. He also coached his son in freshman football.

“To follow in my dad’s footsteps there would be awesome,” Palumbo said of attending Navy. “But I’ve got more business to take care of in high school first.”

If Palumbo stays healthy, Abe believes that happy ending will come.

“He lives and breathes the sport,” Abe said. “He can definitely make it to states and place at states next year.”