BRISTOL — As if Berlin’s John Fiorillo didn’t have enough to think about, the team scores told a harrowing tale.

Prior to his bout at 160 pounds, the Redcoats needed more than just a victory out of their undefeated, top-seeded captain to finish second in the Class L wrestling tournament. They needed him to vanquish second-seeded Kyle Lundberg of Guilford by a major decision to surpass Hand.

But it’s never been Fiorillo’s style to overtax his mind with worry. He took command of the bout, built a lead and garnered the necessary point by scoring a 9-1 major to win his second straight state title.

Fiorillo enters next weekend’s State Open with a 47-0 record. Berlin earned 164 team points, second to Middletown, which won its second straight ‘L’ crown with 177.5. New Milford was third with 160.5, Hand settled for fourth at 159.

Farmington barged into the top five when Luke Walsh (44-2) registered a technical fall over Ian McAllister of Hall at 119.

When Fiorillo took the mat, Berlin trailed Hand by four points. A decision would leave the teams tied and Hand still had a finalist yet to wrestle.

“He had to get a pin or a major and we needed Hand to lose so he had some serious pressure on him,” Berlin coach Dave Tremblay said. “I told him we were going to secure the match then go for the major. We needed the major to have a chance.”

Fiorillo accepted the additional challenge in the same unflappable way he’s gone about his business all season.

“For the first period or two, I wasn’t really thinking about it, but when the third period came around and I saw what the score was (5-0) I realized that it was possible and I’d be able to pull it off,” he said. “I went neutral and was able to take him down.”

Tremblay, himself a former Berlin champion, has the credentials to compare Fiorillo to other great wrestlers in one of the state’s top programs. Fiorillo has his sights set on the the school mark for wins in a season, which currently belongs to Shane Day (50-2)

“Not barring what he does at the Open and the New Englands, he could be one of the top three (in school history),” said Tremblay, who won a state title in 1993 and has been on the coaching staff since 1995. “He’s gonna break Shane’s record as a senior.”

Tremblay said Fiorillo built his championship on his strength of schedule and his mental strength.

“Every time we wrestled, he had the toughest kid we could find,” Tremblay said. “His record is legit. He’s the real deal. He worked hard and he came through for us.”

Fiorillo took a 2-0 lead on a takedown with 29 seconds left in the first period.

Lundberg (42-3) chose down for the second stanza. Like a steel vise closing slowly but steadily, Fiorillo locked in a cradle and turned him for a three-point nearfall. He took him down 40 seconds into the final period, cut him loose and took him down again with 20 seconds left to notch the major.

Walsh dominated his bout from the start. He had McAllister down in just 10 seconds and took him to his back twice to gain an 8-0 first-period lead. He accumulated five back points in the second period and the clinching takedown in the third.

“We sat down at the beginning of the year and this was the goal for us. Luke was coming here to win a state title,” Farmington coach Eric Misko said.

Walsh won his second-round and semifinal bouts by fall. He won a 14-1 decision in the quarters.

Farmington also placed Evan Baily second at 130, Ben Brody third at 171, Eric Orrell fifth at 112, Malcolm Yancey fifth at 135 and Sean O’Connell fifth at 189

Berlin placed Kevin Moss second at 135, Ethan Berube third at 145, Chris Solek third at 130, Ryan Bisson fourth at 125 and Justin Roncaioli sixth at 140.

The Class L wrestling tournament, without question, will be the one to watch as far as team competition goes.

Of the 17 teams across the state that received votes in the final regular-season coaches poll, nine of them will compete in the ‘L’ meet at Bristol Central beginning Friday night.

None of the state’s best teams are in Class S. Only two are in ‘LL,’ where the Danbury dynasty has no equal. The battle between second-ranked Ledyard, No. 3 Bacon Academy and seventh-ranked Windham should make for a compelling race in ‘M.’

Class L also features the most local wrestlers with sixth-ranked Berlin, No. 11 Farmington and Wethersfield vying for position. New Milford and Middletown, ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the poll, would have to be considered the favorites, but the deep Redcoats handled Middletown in Saturday’s Northwest Conference tussle.

The field also includes undefeated, eighth-ranked Bristol Central, ninth-ranked Hand-Madison, 14th-ranked Fairfield Ludlowe, CCC West champion Hall and Pomperaug, second to New Milford in the South-West Conference.

“The L’s are stacked this year,” Berlin coach Dave Tremblay said. “Last year they went from nobody to where six teams can win it. It’s going to be a great tournament to be at.”

History is on Berlin’s side. The Redcoats are seeking their 10th state title, the last coming in 2003. Their first title came in Class S in 1986. They have flip-flopped between ‘M’ and ‘L’ since 2000. Six titles have come in ‘M’ and two in ‘L.’

Tremblay would like nothing better than to annex a state title in his first year running the show. Tremblay, himself a Class M state champion at 189 in 1993, was an assistant to Jim Day for 13 years before his mentor stepped down after last season.

The Redcoats have two top seeds. Jon Fiorillo, who will defend his state title at 160, is 40-0. Kevin Moss (36-5) may get his stiffest challenge at 135 from Farmington’s Malcolm Yancey (27-4). Yancey wrestled up to 140 Saturday so the two didn’t meet.

Yancey also wrestled at 140 in the dual meet between the league rivals on Wednesday, won by Farmington, 32-29.

Fiorillo will have a pair of once-beaten wrestlers – Kyle Lundberg of Guilford and Pomperaug’s Jacob Verzello – looming as his primary competition.

“After seeing us wrestle (in the NWCs), I think we have a chance to do real well,” Fiorillo said. “I thought Middletown would have a good shot at winning but we just beat them here. They’re up there, too. Definitely.”

Farmington also has two top seeds in seniors Luke Walsh (119 pounds, 38-2) and Evan Baily (130, 27-1).

Walsh, who lost to Middletown powerhouse Casey Leslie in the Class L 112 final last year, may see Nick Cyr of Bristol Central in the semifinals. Walsh pinned Cyr in the quarters last year.

Baily may see fourth-seeded Chris Solek (31-10) in the semifinals, Baily beat Solek 9-3 in the dual meet and 9-2 in the 130-pound finals in the NWCs. Patrick Michael of Branford is seeded second in the division.

Wethersfield will be represented by one first seed in junior Diego Perez (125, 29-2). Perez took fifth at 119 last year.

Berlin’s depth is key. Day was always effective at motivating wrestlers who lost early to battle hard through the consolation rounds and Tremblay recognizes the importance of such perseverance.

“What it’s going to come down to in the first couple of rounds is who’s (competing hard) and who’s not,” he said. “I try to tell them to get their points while they can. The beginning rounds are where you score your points and as we go on, you worry about yourself and winning a title.”

Tremblay will be looking to wrestlers like sophomore Ryan Bisson (3rd seed, 34-9 at 125), junior Ethan Berube (5th, 33-11 at 145), the Banks brothers Cameron (6th, 29-6 at 171) and Jack (11th, 25-10 at 152) and freshman Will Matuszak (12th, 21-14 at 112) to finish higher than their seeds.

Some of the higher seeds that Farmington coach Eric Misko is counting on in addition to Walsh, Baily and Yancey are senior Eric Orrell (4th seed, 35-4 at 112), senior Tom Drake (8th, 24-9 at 125), senior Ben Brody (3rd, 38-3 at 171), sophomore Shawn O’Connell (6th, 31-8 at 189) and senior Kevin Cabelus (7th, 17-5, heavyweight).

Wethersfield’s next highest seeds after Perez are sophomore Jon Fields (7th, 19-10 at 135) and junior James Queiros (10th, 22-11 at 171).