For some wrestlers, a growth spurt is the kiss of death.
Now you have to go against opponents who are comfortable in a heavier weight class while you have to make major adjustments.
But, especially with boys, it’s common.
Poway’s Mario Carini jumped not one, not two, but three weight classes, going from competing at 144 pounds to 165 and on occasion, 175.
Not that you’d notice, though, because Carini has gotten some pretty special help and just past the midway point in the season, he has suffered only two losses against 24 wins.
Included in those 24 victories were five in the Battle for the Belt last weekend in Temecula where he captured the 175 pound-title with a 17-1 technical fall over teammate Gunnar Neal, leading the Titans to the team title.
Mind you, Carini was no slouch at 144, going 33-9 as he placed third in the state, losing to Gilroy’s Moses Mirabel, the eventual champion, 8-4 in the semifinals before beating Clovis North’s Max Del Bosque, 5-4.
The points were crucial for the Titans who went on to win the state team title with a record 290.5.
“You always learn more from a loss than a win,” said Carini, who was competing in his first state championship. “I was right back wrestling on Monday. I knew I had to reflect on what happened and see how I could get better.
“There was no doubt I’d move up. When I wrestled at 144, I had started at 159 and lost a lot of baby fat. I had to cut weight all year but it’s not as hard this year. Losing that much weight isn’t really good for you, so I’m much happier wrestling at 165.
“I went from 5-foot-8, 144 pounds to 5-10, 165 — that’s a big growth spurt — I’ll probably be at 175 next year.”
About that ‘special help.’
Carini’s wrestling partner every day is Angelo Posada, ranked No. 1 in the state at 215 pounds. All Posada did was go unbeaten last year and win the state title at 175 pounds.
“Angelo and I are friends, but we go at it pretty hard sometimes,” Carini said. “He’s like 6-foot-3, a super long frame, and he’s really strong. If we wrestled, he’d beat me, but one of the things I learned from last year is you have to be tough.
“I bring speed, which allows me to get inside on him which helps me when I’m wrestling against opponents my own weight. You go against Angelo every day for an hour, it’s making you better.”
Although he entered the state meet seeded No. 6, Carini stunned No. 3 Tommy Thongseng of Exeter in the quarterfinals 5-4 to face No. 2 Mirabal in the semis.
“Last year I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “It was a real mindset change for the better. I started to think about the next thing to do, to keep going — it’s a machine gun mindset. Keep going, physically dominate and look ahead.
“Although I was seeded sixth, I knew I’d do well but the team winning, for the first time in like 15 years, that was awesome. I was one of the youngest freshmen to place that high, behind my teammate Arseni Kikiniou, who was second.
“I came in wanting to be a four-time state champion. Now I want to be a three-time state champion. Four is always the goal, but finishing third on a state championship team made me happy.”
Carini is ranked No. 1 by CalGrappler at 165, a spot ahead of L.A. Birmingham’s Slava Shahbazyan, who, coincidentally, has also moved up from 144 where he lost to Carini in the second round at state last year.
Although Carini has two losses, one was at the Doc Buchanan Tournament to a wrestler from Georgia, who is ranked No. 8 in the nation, and the other to Joseph Antonio of St. John Bosco at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Antonio is ranked No. 3 in the state at 165.
Carini didn’t waste any time getting involved in sports, starting to compete in Jiu-Jitsu as a three-year-old and turning to wrestling as an 8-year-old.
Instant success.
“I won the national elementary school championships as an 8-year-old and while I don’t much, I got my name in a big book of champions. That year I won Tulsa and Reno but I was second in the Tulsa Kickoff, missing out on what is considered the Triple Crown.
“While I really liked that, high school wrestling is better because there is a lot of competition.”
But he has the edge. No one else has Angelo Posada as a training partner.
