Palumbos make the sport a family affair

Wrestling: Palumbos make the sport a family affair
By RON SNYDER, Staff Writer

Jake Palumbo established a premature path to becoming a wrestling coach during his junior year at Annapolis Area Christian School.

It was at that time in 1998 when Palumbo, who placed sixth in the state private school tournament as a sophomore, saw his scholastic mat career come to an end following a series of concussions. He remained with the program his last two years and worked with some of the younger wrestlers during practice.

“It was tough not being able to wrestle the last two years in high school, “Palumbo said. “But, it gave me the opportunity to coach and I realized I was a better coach than wrestler.”

Palumbo, 23, got his chance to prove that point last year when he returned to his alma matter to try and rebuild a program that had suffered from coaching instability in the previous three years. At the same time, Palumbo received one of the first building blocks of that rebuilding foundation in the form of his younger brother, Adam.

Adam Palumbo, 15, a sophomore, is the sixth of seven Palumbo children and the fourth to go through the Eagles wrestling program. He joins brothers Josh (1992-1996), Jake (1995-1999) and Luke (1997-2001) as other members of the Palumbo family to take to the mat. In addition, older sisters Jola (1989-1993) and Lindsay (2000-2004) were statisticians for the Eagles wrestling program.

“Adam probably got picked on a little more than he deserved, but that’s what happens when you are the youngest (boy), “said Jake Palumbo jokingly.

The youngest Palumbo picked up the sport in the third grade while coming up through the Navy junior league program. He started on varsity for the Eagles last year and placed fourth in the MIAA tournament and fifth in the private schools state tournament. This year, Adam Palumbo is 20-2 with first-place finishes in the AACS Ed Peery Invitational and South River’s Seahawk Invitational and a second-place finishes in the War on the Shore tournament and the Catholic tournament. He is currently ranked third among private school 112-pound wrestlers by the Maryland State Wrestling Association.

“I originally got into wrestling because of my brothers, but learned to love it more as I got better and older, “Adam Palumbo said.

Jake Palumbo said his brother has a lot of potential and he is glad to be able to be there for him both on and off the mat. When not acting as his coach or brother, Jake Palumbo is Adam’s biology teacher.

“Adam’s a great worker and a smart wrestler, “Jake Palumbo said. “He does a good job of taking advantage of a situation and he’s confident in his skills and applies that to his matches. It’s nice to have the relationship we have because it allows me to put the proper time in with him.”

Adam Palumbo said it is interesting having his brother as both his coach and his teacher. He added that he tries to avoid referring to him by name while in class because he is not sure whether to call him “Jake “or “Mr. Palumbo”.

“Jake is very professional as a coach and teacher, “Adam Palumbo said. “But, it’s hard to see him like that because he’s the biggest goofball outside of school.”

Adam Palumbo said he wants to do all he can to help Jake turn the AACS program into a consistent winner in the MIAA B Conference, something that is hard for him sometimes since he, along with fellow sophomore Pat McMahon, are the most experienced wrestlers on the squad.

“I expect everyone to be at my level and I find myself sometimes yelling at the guys in practice”, Adam Palumbo said. “But I’m learning to be more of a leader. It’s my second year and Jake’s second year; so rebuilding the program is a real family affair.”

While Adam sees Jake the most during the school week, those outside of the school would probably try to compare him to Luke Palumbo. Luke finished his high school career with a 158-24 lifetime record that included an MIAA title at 125 pounds and a fifth-place finish in the National Preps tournament.

Despite an extensive junior league background and a long family history of successful prep wrestlers, his family says there is no added pressure on him to do the same.

“The only pressure on Adam is for him to live up to his own athletic ability, not his brother’s, “said Adam’s father and AACS athletic director Joe Palumbo. “Luke was passionate about wrestling and did it year-round. Adam has the ability to be like him if he wants to. For me, it’s just been a joy to be able to watch my children compete and achieve success here.”