By Andy Elder
For the CDT
UNIVERSITY PARK — The next time you’re in Rec Hall for a Penn State wrestling match, listen closely. Above the dull roar of the Nittany Lion faithful you’ll hear it.
Especially if the 174-pounders are on the mat.
You might hear someone yell, “Come on, James! “or some other form of encouragement in a booming, baritone voice.
Follow the sound of that voice to its source and you’ll find Ed Hill, Nittany Lion 174-pounder James Yonushonis’ uncle and Godfather. Close by you’ll find Jim and Mary Ellen Yonushonis, James’ parents, and probably Melanie and Megan, James’ younger sisters.
Like a lighthouse in the fog, Uncle Ed’s voice is a beacon that assures James that his family is right where it should be, where it’s always been — 100 percent behind him.
“I’m used to it. Sometimes I don’t hear it, sometimes I do. I used to hear it all the time in high school, but not so much in college, “James said. “All of my family usually comes to the matches with Uncle Ed. He usually drives them. We’re all close.”
Ed is Mary Ellen’s brother. “Besides the four of us, he’s right there with us, “she said. But when asked about his booming voice and his propensity for using it, she added with a laugh, “you could say he’s Jim’s brother.”
Of course, none of this is new to Centre County wrestling fans.
Before coming to Penn State, James was a two-time PIAA placewinner for Philipsburg-Osceola High School and a recipient of the CDT’s Snyder Award. The honor was also bestowed on Melanie.
Breaking Through
Coming into the 2005-06 season, Yonushonis was viewed by most as an unheralded two-year starter with a 29-35 career record.
During those two seasons, Yonushonis earned a reputation for his relentless training and work ethic. That commitment to conditioning manifested itself in the third period of the seemingly unending string of close matches in which he found himself. More often than not opponents watched in disbelief as Yonushonis sprinted to the center of the mat while those same opponents could barely muster the energy to walk, let alone sprint.
Still, Yonushonis couldn’t seem to make his conditioning pay off with wins over highly ranked opponents.
And like the two years before, Yonushonis seemed to be living on borrowed time in the starting lineup entering this season.
Even coach Troy Sunderland, at the team’s media day in early November, hinted at as much.
“He’s going to be challenged by some other kids in the room, “Sunderland said, “namely Neil Bretz and Mike Ward.”
But, perhaps in a bit of foreshadowing, Yonushonis easily earned the right to start a third year at 174 for the Nittany Lions.
He still hasn’t been beaten.
Once the regular season started, a new and improved Yonushonis took the mat. He posted five consecutive wins to start the season, the last three against opponents ranked in the Top 11.
First came a 6-4 overtime win over No. 7 Travis Frick of Lehigh, an opponent he had lost to on several occasions by just a few points.
Then came a 5-3 win over No. 10 Kelly Flaherty of Wisconsin.
The third win was a 3-1 overtime decision of Michigan’s No. 11 Nick Roy, another opponent that Yonushonis had never defeated.
“On the defensive side of things, in years past you’d get in on his legs, you’re gonna score. That’s not the case anymore, “Sunderland said. “Coach (Dave) Hart spent hours with him on his sprawl defense and working on a funk and some rolls and different things. He used it on Flaherty in the first takedown situation. Two years ago that would have been a takedown for Flaherty and James would have been trying to get off the bottom. That’s just day after day of working on a weakness and making it a strength.”
The national media took notice. In the latest rankings, Yonushonis debuted at No. 8.
“He’s been working awfully hard at this sport for a long time. It’s great to see all of that hard work paying off, “Jim Yonushonis said. “That (the ranking) was a bit of a surprise. I didn’t know they’d rank him that high, but if there’s anybody that deserves it, it’s him. He’s taken his lumps and bumps along the road, but that hasn’t stopped him.”
James, a humble, devout Catholic, wasn’t even aware that he had finally earned a national ranking.
“I don’t really pay attention to the rankings at all. But my roommate (Brian Cantalupi) told me like a week or so after the Michigan match. I said, ‘No. 8? That’s an insult,’ “Yonushonis said, laughing.
So, what’s the difference this year? Even Yonushonis admitted he’s not sure.
“I don’t know. I finally cracked that wall that’s been so tough to get through. I’ve been right there with all of these guys, having one- or two-point matches with them a lot of the time, “he said. “I can’t really say one thing. I just kept working and it’s paid off.”
Whatever the secret to James’ new-found success is, his Mom doesn’t want it to end.
“I don’t want to say anything and break the magic. We’re excited for him, “Mary Ellen said. “He’s been on the brink of this. He’s had so many close matches with so many good guys.”
Hard Work Equals Success
The more you learn about the Yonushonis family, the less you wonder where James’ work ethic comes from.
“My husband and I work a lot. We believe in working a lot, “Mary Ellen said. “He (Jim) owns a business and I teach nursing at Penn State. Maybe we’re sort of old fashioned in our ideas, but we think hard work brings good results.”
Jim couldn’t agree more.
“I have a grocery store, “Jim said. “I work seven days a week. Our kids were brought up that way. We tried to teach James and our two daughters that life doesn’t come easy. It’s a lot of hard work.”
James uses that same approach in all facets of his life. A secondary education major and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he has been working on the pre-student teaching phase of his degree this semester.
It hasn’t been easy.
Most days, James would awake before first light, attend an early morning practice, shower, drive to Altoona, teach for a few periods, return to campus, attend his other classes and then head back to the Nittany Lions’ afternoon practice.
Jim learned the work ethic he instilled in James in DuBois, where he grew up and where Jim’s mother still lives today.
That’s also where Jim’s love of wrestling started.
“My dad was an avid fan of wrestling and a good wrestler for DuBois. I suppose that’s what interested me and my brother, “Jim said. “I wrestled in high school, but I sure wasn’t anything like James.”
It was fitting that James’ wrestling career should start in DuBois, as well.
“He wrestled in his first tournament in, I think, fourth grade. He got a trophy in DuBois, for placing third or fourth. That was the beginning of the fever, “Mary Ellen recalled.
“He’s always enjoyed all of his sports. But we always seemed to end up in wrestling tournaments. As a little boy, his first tournament was at 75 pounds. I remember them writing it on his hand. He would only wrestle maybe one tournament a weekend, and not far away, maybe an hour at the most. It was fun. We always wanted it to be fun.”
The Caslow Touch
Of course, in wrestling, unlike almost any other sport, the fun is in the winning. That came soon enough for James, but it accelerated during his sophomore year under the tutelage of legendary Mounties coach Dave Caslow
“He loves coach Caslow. They’re very close, “Mary Ellen said. “They were roommates this summer at Ken Chertow’s camp; they spent the week together. We sometimes refer to him as James’ better parent. He’s a wonderful role model. He practices what he preaches. He runs four miles to school every day.”
Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Yonushonis routinely leads Penn State’s conditioning runs. He inherited the work ethic from his father and modeled his training after Caslow.
None of that would matter, though, without the one common denominator all good wrestlers share.
“In high school he had such a great desire for it, “Jim said. “Even his high school coach commented different times about the heart James has for wrestling, that in all of his years of coaching very few have come through like James, with the desire and heart and love of the sport. Coach Caslow tells you how it is. He has good moral values. He’s been a great influence on James, too.”
James doesn’t disagree.
“I wish I could put it into words. It’s awesome. He’s had an amazing effect on my career. He still has an effect on my career, “he said. “This summer I got to watch some tape with him. Something that he always says is love makes the difference. Love for the sport. He and I both have a passion for wrestling.”
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