Athlete of the Week: Sky is the limit for Norwich's Garcia
By anyone’s standard, Norwich’s Frankie Garcia, who recently turned 14 years old, had a heck of week on the wrestling mat.
A much-heralded pee-wee wrestler, along with fellow seventh-grader Tristan Rifanburg, Garcia has lived up to expectations over the first six weeks of the 2009-2010 season.
In the span of three days a week ago, Garcia avenged his only defeat in beating the number two ranked Section IV, Division II wrestler at 103 pounds, then proceeded to beat Section III’s number one ranked Division II wrestler at 103 pounds, and in the championship match at the Leo J. Sammon Tournament in Ilion, beat Section III’s number one ranked Division I wrestler. Garcia was, not surprisingly, named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler, and is our honoree today as Evening Sun/Smith Ford LLC Athlete of the Week.
Garcia and Rifanburg are two key building blocks of Norwich’s resurgent wrestling program, and each sport gaudy records with a combined 39-2 record in their first-ever varsity season. Norwich coach Joe Downey had no doubt that Garcia would make a smooth transition into the varsity lineup, even though he missed the first two weeks of the season recovering from a football injury.
“Frankie and I worked together in the spring time and pretty much all summer with our camp,” Downey said. “He’s just tough, and he’s not going to let an injury hold him back or set him back. He has a great wrestling mentality, and the right mindset.”
The only blemish on Garcia’s record was the aforementioned defeat. That came by pinfall when he lost to Windsor’s Jesse Holton in the finals of the Windsor Tournament. In the rematch last Thursday, Garcia never trailed, and scored big points in the final period to win an impressive 7-1 decision.
Two days later, he upended Sherburne-Earlville’s previously-unbeaten, Tyi Franklin, winning 15-7. Garcia jumped out on top early with two takedowns, and led the entire match. In the finals, he led Ilion’s Derrick Gray throughout, but gave up a late takedown to force overtime. In the extra period, Garcia’s relentless style paid off as he picked up the winning takedown.
“Frankie’s just in your face, aggressive, and non-stop,” Downey said. “His best period is the third period. That’s where he turns it on. The score might be tight, but he opens up and becomes a new wrestler.”
As for the future – this season and the ensuing five seasons – big things are expected of Garcia (Rifanburg as well). Through the youth ranks, each produced championship results against the best competition in their respective age groups, and each should be serious contenders at sectionals next month. “The sky is the limit for them as long as they keep working hard,” Downey said. “We need to keep them focused and determined, and to not let up in practice. Both have their goals, and we hope they can meet them.”
Editor’s note: The artist, Aidamarie Rull, who produced Frankie Garcia’s portrait for this article, is a 1986 graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle. To contract her for a pencil or charcoal portrait, she may be reached by e-mail at aidamarie_rull@yahoo.com.
A much-heralded pee-wee wrestler, along with fellow seventh-grader Tristan Rifanburg, Garcia has lived up to expectations over the first six weeks of the 2009-2010 season.
In the span of three days a week ago, Garcia avenged his only defeat in beating the number two ranked Section IV, Division II wrestler at 103 pounds, then proceeded to beat Section III’s number one ranked Division II wrestler at 103 pounds, and in the championship match at the Leo J. Sammon Tournament in Ilion, beat Section III’s number one ranked Division I wrestler. Garcia was, not surprisingly, named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler, and is our honoree today as Evening Sun/Smith Ford LLC Athlete of the Week.
Garcia and Rifanburg are two key building blocks of Norwich’s resurgent wrestling program, and each sport gaudy records with a combined 39-2 record in their first-ever varsity season. Norwich coach Joe Downey had no doubt that Garcia would make a smooth transition into the varsity lineup, even though he missed the first two weeks of the season recovering from a football injury.
“Frankie and I worked together in the spring time and pretty much all summer with our camp,” Downey said. “He’s just tough, and he’s not going to let an injury hold him back or set him back. He has a great wrestling mentality, and the right mindset.”
The only blemish on Garcia’s record was the aforementioned defeat. That came by pinfall when he lost to Windsor’s Jesse Holton in the finals of the Windsor Tournament. In the rematch last Thursday, Garcia never trailed, and scored big points in the final period to win an impressive 7-1 decision.
Two days later, he upended Sherburne-Earlville’s previously-unbeaten, Tyi Franklin, winning 15-7. Garcia jumped out on top early with two takedowns, and led the entire match. In the finals, he led Ilion’s Derrick Gray throughout, but gave up a late takedown to force overtime. In the extra period, Garcia’s relentless style paid off as he picked up the winning takedown.
“Frankie’s just in your face, aggressive, and non-stop,” Downey said. “His best period is the third period. That’s where he turns it on. The score might be tight, but he opens up and becomes a new wrestler.”
As for the future – this season and the ensuing five seasons – big things are expected of Garcia (Rifanburg as well). Through the youth ranks, each produced championship results against the best competition in their respective age groups, and each should be serious contenders at sectionals next month. “The sky is the limit for them as long as they keep working hard,” Downey said. “We need to keep them focused and determined, and to not let up in practice. Both have their goals, and we hope they can meet them.”
Editor’s note: The artist, Aidamarie Rull, who produced Frankie Garcia’s portrait for this article, is a 1986 graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle. To contract her for a pencil or charcoal portrait, she may be reached by e-mail at aidamarie_rull@yahoo.com.
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