 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Eagles' DeCristofaro savors perfect year
By BRANT JAMES © St. Petersburg Times, published March 14, 2001 SPRING HILL -- When Gerard DeCristofaro's hand was raised in victory after the 140-pound championship in the Florida Finals, his mission had come to a successful end. Now, theoretically, was time for celebration, relaxation. But after earning victories in all 49 of his matches (39 by pin), the Springstead senior was not ready to gear down. "I wasn't really tired," DeCristofaro said. "I just, like, wanted more of it, that same feeling. "High school was over and I felt like it went by so fast," he said. "I'd love to do it again." That shark-like single-mindedness helped make DeCristofaro the Times' All-Citrus/Hernando Wrestler of the Year. "He wrestled at 140, and about 130 pounds of that was heart," Springstead coach Bob Levija said. "He's the best kid I ever coached, and I'm counting my son in that group. (DeCristofaro) was everything you could ask for." So was his season. DeCristofaro was taken down just once early this year, but eventually won that match by pin. "He's quite a hard worker," Central coach Alan Solomon said. "He also had an older brother (Anthony) to look up to and lead by example, and his family support system was just great." The lanky kid became just the third Eagle to finish a season undefeated and set a school record for wins. DeCristofaro has earned some recruiting interest from colleges, including Wisconsin and Montclair (N.J.) State. DeCristofaro's title march began in the 2000 Florida Finals, which he entered with a 41-2 record but lost twice and failed to place. "I basically was on a mission this year," DeCristofaro said. "I had gone pretty much undefeated last year, but those last two losses killed me. That just made me work 10 times harder this summer." "The day after (the finals) last season, he started getting ready," Levija said. "He said he was coming all the way back to win." DeCristofaro's current excuse to train is the High School Nationals in Delaware in early April. The top two finishers in each class in each state are invited to compete. DeCristofaro's season was bolstered by having a state champion as a workout partner. Junior Matt Booker finished the season 48-1 and captured a title at 135. His lone loss came to Derek Schiffer of Land O'Lakes in the Dr. Batista Invitational. "He helped me a lot," DeCristofaro said of Booker. "Steel sharpens steel." Levija saw the value in the relationship. "They just worked their butts off," he said. "He and Booker."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Citrus Times |
