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Boardman’s Graziani back after breaking leg
By Brian Dzenis
CANFIELD
Mario Graziani has done more with half a season than most have done all year.
His peers warming up in Canfield’s wrestling room on Tuesday for Media Day have wrestled close to 40 or 50 matches a year to the Boardman senior’s 25. All the 160-pound grappler has to show for it is a 23-2 record, a No. 8 state ranking in his weight class and a district title. A broken leg from the his last football game of the season led to a shortened wrestling season.
Five minutes into Boardman’s 27-2 playoff loss to Tri-City on Nov. 7, Graziani broke his fibula after a 17-yard run on his team’s opening drive. After spending a few weeks in a cast, he had missed a chunk of the season and to work on his conditioning as he jumped back into competition.
“It kind puts the perspective on living every day like it’s your last. You practice every practice like it’s your last practice,” Graziani said. “Just like that, my football season was over and I’d only have half a season for wrestling in my senior year, so it put my mind in a good place.”
Graziani didn’t need too much time to get back into his prime.
“I had two losses in the first tournament when I came back and I haven’t lost since, so I’d say I’m doing something right,” Graziani said.
Boardman coach Dominic Mancinci agrees.
“The thing about Mario is he doesn’t let anything affect him. He just keeps looking to the future and trying to get better,” Mancini said. “He’s capable of beating anyone and I know that by watching him over the years. Just when you think you know how good he is, he gets to another level and that’s what he has going for him.”
Last Saturday, Graziani won the Division I Mentor district title at 160 by beating Austintown Fitch’s Adam Green in a 4-3 decision. He previously made the state tournament as a sophomore and took eighth place at 145. He likes having the No. 1 seed at state, but hasn’t read too much into whether or not he’s a favorite on paper.
“I learned last year that rankings don’t mean anything,” Graziani said. “The postseason is about who shows up to wrestle and the better wrestler wins, so I don’t pay attention to rankings.
“I’ll look at it for giggles, but I don’t really pay attention.”
Graziani says he gets by more with guile and quickness than with strength. Mancini said Boardman’s lone state tournament competitor has a mean streak about him, but Graziani there’s more than anger to his match persona.
“In a way, I try to wrestle more smart than angry,” Graziani said. “If you wrestle too angry, you’ll find yourself out of position, but the anger is there, too.”
Graziani he’s already forgotten about his district title. It’s all about Columbus now. He doesn’t want to place, he wants to win. It’s all he can imagine.
“[I expect] to win. Everyone’s mindset should be about winning,” Graziani said. “They should envision themselves winning. They should picture themselves winning and all I see is myself winning.”