'Canes promote masterof all things wrestling
Assistant Mike Porcelli, who helped build Citrus' wrestling program and created another community program, now takes over as head coach.
By DAWN REISS
Published June 21, 2006
INVERNESS - Mike Porcelli's mind teems with ideas. It doesn't matter what time of day it is, wrestling always seems to be somewhere in his thoughts.
So it's no surprise that after two years as a Citrus assistant wrestling coach, Porcelli takes over the program he helped build from obscurity with former head coach Rob Hermann.
Hermann, promoted to Citrus' dean of students this past year, realized just how much time an administrative position takes. On the verge of becoming an assistant principal next fall, after a pending interview today, Hermann knew he couldn't commit the necessary time. He already had given much of the program's responsibility to Porcelli and knows the program will only grow under his tutelage.
"Mike's got a global method of teaching," said Hermann, who has been the head coach the past three seasons. "He knows a lot so he'll teach a lot. He's a kids' coach and they love him. But his enthusiasm is his best quality because he has atomic energy when it comes to wrestling."
Citrus broke barriers this past season, winning the county, district and region championships.
"For our high school to win regionals," Hermann said. "It was like climbing Mount Everest."
Porcelli said it is just the beginning. He hopes to contend for a state title in the next year or two, with state qualifiers Bryant Fisher and Craig Barker returning and "four or five other kids knocking on the door." "If they place at state," Porcelli said. "We've got the title."
For Porcelli, it's about changing a preconditioned mind-set.
"When I first got here, there was no excitement," Porcelli said. "Rob and I have changed that. We won and started turning heads in a short time. That comes from being dedicated, having kids buy into the program and having them work hard because once they get a taste of success they want more."
Last year, Porcelli, 44, started Citrus Three-Style Wrestling Club to help promote the sport. The nearly year-round program, which combines Greco Roman, folkstyle and freestyle wrestling, has attracted first-graders through middle-aged adults who train Tuesday and Thursday nights at Citrus High and hosts monthly USA Wrestling tournaments except in August.
Porcelli, who boasts his own impressive credentials, previously coached 14 years at New Bay Shore and East Islip School in New York. He also worked as an assistant coach at Division I Hofstra University, where Porcelli said he was the school's first scholarship recipient for any sport. He also coached at SUNY Brockport (N.Y) 1984-85 and San Diego City College in 1981.
As an athlete, Porcelli is a five-time freestyle All-American and was a 1988 Olympic alternate in the 220-pound weight class. He was a two-time 177-pound state champion at Bay Shore High (1978-79) and a two-time California State Junior College 190-pound champion at San Diego City College. Then he became a two-time NCAA qualifier from 1983-84 and received Big 8 Conference honors at Iowa State.
He sees coaching high school as an extension, "a stepping stone," to his bigger plan. Porcelli now sees college programs cutting his beloved sport. He hopes to combat that by improving interest, even if it's one grappler at a time.
Through Citrus Freestyle, Porcelli said local wrestlers will have the chance to compete as many as 40 times in the offseason, comparable to a high school season. He hopes to take wrestlers to China next summer, and in October, Porcelli is bringing 35 15- to 18-year-old wrestlers from New York as part of USA Wrestling's "Beat the Streets" program that targets kids and teens.
"We want to take kids off the streets," Porcelli said. "Even though we don't live in a big city, we're all a part of that. Since wrestling has age and weight classes, you really can't get much fairer than that in sports."
Porcelli would like to start a girls wrestling club. His 13-year-old daughter, Ashley, who will be a freshman at Citrus this fall, will be on the Hurricanes team. Though Porcelli said he is not a "big proponent" of girls wrestling boys, he hopes she will have a chance to wrestle against other females. With women's wrestling added to the Olympics in 2004, Porcelli also sees teaching girls as a way to balance gender equity issues that colleges cite when cutting wrestling programs.
"Just four days ago, Fresno State cut its program because . . . there isn't a female counterpart to wrestling," Porcelli said. "I'm all for Title IX, because it gets girls going, so there is no reason to stop it. But now it's up to wrestling grass roots to push up viable options for the sport."
For now, Porcelli's immediate goal is making sure the Hurricanes are competitive.
"I don't talk about winning a lot," he said. "I talk about working extremely hard, about learning how to compete, learning to fear no one and to wrestle as hard as you can every time on the mat."
But more than anything, Porcelli is excited.
"I want to see how far we can take this," he said. "And I think we can take it pretty far."
Dawn Reiss can be reached at dreiss@sptimes.com or (352) 860-7303.