STARTED AT THE BOTTOM
Tolman/Shea co-op thriving thanks to improved numbers
PROVIDENCE – Jacob Felix admitted he experienced a lot of success last season as a standout for the then- Tolman/ Shea/ Central Falls Co-op squad.
As a sophomore, he secured a fifth-place finish in the 106-pound weight class at the state Interscholastic wrestling championships; that came after a stellar dual-meet campaign, not to mention high finishes in assorted tournaments around New England.
Still, something was missing, and he knew just what it was, so he set out to do something about it.
“Last year was a grind; we only had, like, six people on the team, and we only won one dual meet,” he stated, apparently forgetting the team went a better-than-believed 3-12.
“It was difficult, and not as much fun as it should have been; I mean, we were losing all the time, and who likes that? So we as captains decided we needed to go out and (attract) more people,” he added.
He, Anthony Hernandez and Kyle Ferrara went to their friends on the football team first to ask, but they weren’t greeted with much enthusiasm.
“It was difficult, and not as much fun as it should have been; I mean, we were losing all the time, and who likes that? So we as captains decided we needed to go out and (attract) more people.”
— Tolman’s Jacob Felix
“Some of them said wrestling just wasn’t for them, others said it was a pointless sport and others thought it was (effeminate),” Felix stated matter-of-factly. “A lot of them said it would be a letdown because all we all did was lose anyway.”
The trio, however, didn’t back down. The guys attracted five footballers to the squad, which already had dwindled after Central Falls broke off its affiliation to go its own way, then moved to the soccer team and even boys and girls passing by in the hallways.
The captains sang the praises of their beloved sport and team, and – slow but sure – their persuasiveness took. It’s paid handsome dividends ever since.
It shows in the new Tolman/Shea co-op’s unexpected success so far this winter. Entering a Division II crossover quad meet inside the small gym at Central High last week, the Tigers/ Raiders had an 11-3 mark in Division II-B, and – by the time it ended – they had upped that record to 13-4.
“The difference this year is we went out and recruited; we wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Felix grinned. “All the kids have worked really hard; everyone has put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this, even the kids who just joined up. They actually look like they have more experience than they do.
“Like I said, we only had six guys last year, and now we have 13 of the 14 weight classes filled. One of our captains, Anthony, suffered a concussion and is sitting out, but we’re hoping we’ll have him back by the state meet.
“This is amazing to see!” he added. “We’re having a great time. This has turned into a great family to bond with, and I’m a proud captain of this team. It couldn’t be going any better, unless – of course – we were beating Woon- socket right now.”
That’s the one meet Tolman/Shea lost on this night (a 65-7 blowout) but there were plenty of advances going on.
Felix improved to 17-0 in dual-meet action (26-0 overall), while Ferrara moved to 14-3 in league at 138/145. Hernandez sat on the team bench cheering for or providing instruction to his teammates, though – in the meet opposite Central Falls – he didn’t have to do much.
The reason: Not only did Ferrara win by forfeit at 138, so did senior Tobias Perry (120), Helion Cabral (145), junior Sebastian Montenegro (152), sophomore Jose Baez (160), classmate Arthur Koala (170), 10th-grader Anthony Morrison (182), senior Deandre Wright (195) and frosh Sami Kalahji (heavyweight).
“I find the coaching is the same as last year with Coach Pierre (Ridore) and Coach (Matt) Medina, but the practices have changed because we have so many more people in the room,” Felix indicated. “There’s more competition; everyone’s more intense because everybody’s trying to beat all the other guys. Everyone’s trying to prove himself or herself. It’s much more competitive than it was last year.”
According to Ferrara, this campaign has meant a lot more to all of them, and it’s because they’ve actually built a wrestling family of sorts. Any varsity program that’s successful will state that’s what it takes: That camaraderie and positivity both in practice and outside it.
“I always have fun wrestling, but we knew every night last year while heading to a match we were going to lose; that made it less fun,” he said. “This season? It’s been a lot more enjoyable. We have a bigger team, and everyone is motivated to do well, more dedicated to get better.
“I know I’ve improved because I decided (after last season) to join the Providence County Wrestling Club (at Central Falls High) with Coach Eugene Monteiro; in fact, a lot of us did,” he continued. “We were wrestling more and learning more, so we naturally got better. We got more experience, and that’s carried over into this season as well.
“I know when we recruited, I talked to anybody and everybody I could in school to get them to join. We actually started with 35 kids, but then some quit, so now we’re at around 20, which is still a lot better than a year ago.
“You have to credit the first-year wrestlers; they’ve really stepped it up. I think they saw what the captains and the older guys were doing at practice and tried to do the same, and the intensity became contagious.”
Kalahji claimed he registered for the team because Ridore and the upperclassmen told him it would help him lose weight in his effort to make the varsity soccer team as a sophomore.
“I really want to be a better goaltender,” he confessed. “I liked this right away. I think wrestling makes you mentally and physically tougher. I will say I used to run pretty slow, and I couldn’t run very far, but I’m a lot faster than I was before.”
Ferrara indicated freshman Adam Tromblay is “the most uproarious, spirited guy on the team,” one who keeps the atmosphere lighter, and that second-year grappler Koala is “getting better every day.”
Ever Ridore expressed pleasure at the initiative his team leaders took to improve the team’s size and talent.
“They’ve done a fantastic job getting the kids out,” he said. “The captains, they’re outstanding leaders, and it’s been night and day, the kids’ attitude and work ethic. If someone had told me before the season we’d have 13 wins this season, I would’ve said, ‘Are you kidding? No way.’
“The biggest difference is the increase numbers and how the younger guys have taken to the leadership of the older ones,” he added. “They’re the ones who’ve gotten everyone more excited about the program. I can’t say enough about all of them.”