Wildcat eager for healthy senior season

Marco Tramontano played an integral role on Mayfield’s offensive and defensive lines as the Wildcats earned a playoff berth during the 2018 season.

But anyone who watched the 6-foot-2, 295-pound lineman could tell he wasn’t 100 percent.

Tramontano suffered a torn labrum early in his junior year, yet remained in action for Mayfield. He underwent surgery following the team’s 49-0 playoff loss to Akron Hoban, which forced him to miss his junior wrestling season.

“It was definitely painful,” Tramontano said. “I basically only had one arm — that’s how I was playing. I was playing with my right arm. Even on the left side, if I was lined up on the left side, I would go down with my right arm.”

Mayfield coach Ross Bandiera saw Tramontano back in the weight room in January. He worked his way back to full strength ahead of schedule, in time to qualify for the state track and field meet in the Division I shot put.

Tramontano said his labrum was almost fully torn off. Doctors told him another hit from a particular angle to his shoulder would’ve required a more complex, invasive surgery

to repair his labrum.

Bandiera could tell the injury hampered his standout lineman mentally throughout the season.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing a healthy Marco out there and someone that’s having fun,” Bandiera said. “I don’t even know if he had fun last year because I know it was

weighing on him. He had to look toward that surgery, and not wrestling.”

Mayfield finished 5-5 in 2018 before the Wildcats ran into eventual Division II state champion Akron Hoban in their first postseason game. Mayfield opens the season against Walsh Jesuit on Aug. 30.

Behind Tramontano, junior

Michael Huss enters his third year as Mayfield’s starting quarterback. Senior Joey Isabella and junior Joey Dostal return as weapons at the skill positions.

Tramontano begins his senior year with offers to play football at Ohio Dominican, Findlay, Wheeling Jesuit and Valparaiso. A winning season is his first

goal for Mayfield in 2019.

For now, he’s just happy to have full use of each arm on the field.

“I’m super-fast with my right arm now,” Tramontano said. “Now my left arm is kind of lagging behind but it’s fine — it’s stronger than ever, though. Now that I have both, it feels so good.”