Penn-Trafford junior relishes his instant wrestling success
By John Grupp
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, January 2, 2005
When Ryan Tomei decided to wrestle to stay in shape for football, he couldn’t have imagined part of his conditioning program would involve lifting big trophies.
Tomei, a junior at Penn-Trafford High School, hasn’t wrestled since middle school and admitted his main priority was to trim down for the school’s Class AAAA football program and the upcoming baseball season.
But despite eight months’ lifetime experience on the mat and a recent sabbatical from the sport, Tomei has emerged as one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in western Pennsylvania.
He is off to a 17-2 start and pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the 38-year history of the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament when he won the 275-pound title Thursday night.
“He’s no superhero or anything like that, “Penn-Trafford coach Vince Testa said. “But he’s the feel-good wrestler of the year.”
Most top-flight wrestlers in the WPIAL — one of the elite high school wrestling districts in the nation — picked up the sport in grade school and compete year-round.
Tomei’s teammate, Tom Picarsic, the 140-pound Powerade champion, started wrestling at age 4. Tomei was a late starter. He wrestled for three months in seventh grade, three months in eighth grade, and about six weeks this season.
The 250-pound Tomei was unseeded at Powerade — the state’s top wrestling event and ranked among the nation’s best tournaments — but reeled off five wins in a row for the first wrestling gold-medal of his life.
Along the way, Tomei beat No. 4 seed Elliott Bates of Chartiers-Houston in overtime in the first round and recorded first-period pins over Tony Newvall of Freedom, top-seeded Adam McKnight of Chartiers Valley and No. 5 seed Tim Carroll of Solon (Ohio) to reach the finals.
“It hasn’t hit me yet, “Tomei said.
As word of his unlikely charge to the title-match spread through the gym, the 5-foot-10, Tomei became an instant fan-favorite for those who stayed for the last bout of the two-day event.
In the finals, he erased a 5-1 deficit against Keystone Oaks’ highly regarded Myles Caragein and took an 8-7 lead with a takedown with 35 seconds left in the match. With the crowd on its feet, Tomei clamped his arms around the waist of the 255-pound Caragein and prevented him from escaping for the final 30 seconds.
“I wanted to win a few matches and place, “Tomei said. “I wasn’t thinking first place.”
Tomei is undefeated against WPIAL wrestlers this season. His losses were to state Class AA No. 1 Terry Tate of Tyrone and Adam Caldwell of Clearfield at two out-of-town tournaments.
“It’s pretty amazing, “Picarsic said.
Ironically, Tomei’s greatest gift, his sheer power, was honed as a result of quitting wrestling after eighth grade to focus on lifting for football. He is the starting nose guard on the Penn-Trafford football team and, with a 340-pound bench press, he’s the strongest player on the roster.
Tomei is able to augment a lack of experience with brute strength. He’s not fancy. But he’s athletic, quick and strong, and that’s enough in the WPIAL heavyweight class, which has been down the past few years.
“I have a couple normal moves, and I practice them and work on those, “he said. “That’s about it.”
Penn-Trafford 220-pound assistant coach Randy Guinther was overwhelmed by Tomei’s raw power after their first practice session.
“In my 13 years, he’s the strongest wrestler we’ve had in the room, “he said.
Testa has always been a big fan of his star heavyweight. He was Tomei’s gym teacher in middle school and tagged him with the nickname, “Bulldog.”
“I’m one of those guys who believes in down-playing everything, “Testa said. “But Bulldog’s the best-kept secret. Now, he’s no longer a secret.”
John Grupp can be reached at [email protected] or (412) 320-7930.
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