NORRIDGE — The wrestling season is less than a month old, but there’s already ample evidence of junior Rocco Caringella’s improvement from last year.
Ridgewood’s 126-pounder started the week at 12-2, which includes an unblemished 9-0 mark at the Vernon Hills Tournament during the first week of competition.
Caringella’s success has come after he spent the offseason working on his craft. He wrestled Greco-Roman style — where holds below the waist are not allowed — during the summer. He also worked against wrestlers who are better than him, including college grapplers at a five-day camp at Northern Illinois and defending 3A state champion Kris Williams of Thornwood.
Those experiences have helped Caringella’s confidence increase, especially in tough matches.
“I’m definitely more comfortable [this year],” said Caringella, who was 22-20 as a sophomore. “It’s a mental thing. I’m not afraid to wrestle somebody who’s better than me if I know they’re better. It just encourages me to wrestle my best because I’ve already wrestled [the best] before.”
Caringella also has grown physically. He said his weight went up to about 138 pounds in the offseason, but he has been cutting his weight down to 126 of late.
Ridgewood coach Jared McCabe said Caringella has only had to cut about three or four pounds each week during the wrestling season.
“I felt like I would have a better chance [in matches] because I’d be at a lighter weight class,” Caringella said of why he stayed at 126.
Caringella also has been working harder this year, according to junior Adonis Silva, who is sometimes his practice partner.
“He’ll be trying harder when he’s running, and when we’re drilling,” Silva said.
Caringella said his goals this year are to be all-conference — he was all-Metro Suburban as a sophomore — and to qualify for the state tournament.
McCabe said Caringella is capable of advancing to state. Caringella’s openness to trying new things could help him reach that level.
His willingness to experiment has been evident both in practice and in matches. McCabe said Caringella tried a move called a Kelly tip when he had a comfortable 9-2 advantage in a dual meet against Maine East on Dec. 4.
“The move didn’t work, but he tried it,” McCabe said. “He tried something new because he wants to expand on the moves he hits. … The more moves you hit, the better you are.”
Caringella’s intelligence has proven to be another asset on the mat. He earned high honors — it’s given to students with a GPA of 4.0 or higher — at Ridgewood during the fourth quarter of his sophomore year.
McCabe said Caringella’s wit could be especially helpful when he tries to pick up new moves or when he has to make split-second decisions during tense matches.
“He’s got the talent,” McCabe said. “He works hard every day, and he’s smart enough — definitely smart enough [to get downstate]. He’s off to a great start this season.”