Kaminski Defies Odds to Win Region 8 Title

Tyler Kaminski didn’t have to look at the field in the 113-pound weight class of the Region 8 wrestling tournament long to realize why he was only a No. 6 seed. The bracket was littered with talented wrestlers, many of whom had beaten him during the course of the season.

There was No. 1 seed Tom Gattinella, of St. Augustine Prep, who entered the tournament 31-4, with a win over Kaminski.

There was No. 2 seed Sam Morina, of Paulsboro, who had defeated Kaminski twice.

No. 4 seed Anthony Racobaldo (30-3) of Williamstown, also got the better of the West Deptford junior.

No. 3 seed Dylan LaPalomento of Washington Township was 30-3.

The field was stacked, and no one was giving Kaminski a chance to medal, let alone reach the top of the podium. No one except Kaminski and his coach, that is.

One by one, Kaminski defeated his old nemeses, until only Gattinella remained in the finals. Like he had the entire tournament, Kaminski went out there with a "nothing-to-lose attitude." By the time the match had concluded, a wide-eyed Kaminski not only had a place on the podium, but a place in history.

Kaminski scored a 4-3 victory over Gattinella in the 113 finals Saturday evening to become the first West Deptford wrestler in 11 years to win a Region 8 title, and in the process was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

The West Deptford junior, who is light in weight and words, but big in talent, jumped into the arms of his coaches after he had done what outsiders viewed as impossible.

“I felt like I was on top of the world,” Kaminski said. “It was awesome.”

Kaminski said he wasn’t intimidated by the field, despite the fact that it was loaded with wrestlers who had defeated him in the past. He credited that confidence to positive reinforcement from Eagles’ head coach John Craig.

“I took it one match at a time, but my coach was confident that I was going to win,” he said.

Craig wasn’t just blowing smoke either. Having coached Kaminksi the last three years, he knew the talent was there.

“We started talking this week, and I told him all week that I thought 113 was the deepest weight class in this region,” Craig said. “You had kids that were seven and eight seeds that went deep in this tournament in the past.

"I told him that didn’t matter to me, that he is capable of beating anybody. Tyler is a dangerous wrestler and I told him all week he was going to win this tournament. He believed he was going to win this tournament and that was the difference. He was relaxed, focused and he stepped up.”

“I just wrestled like there was no weight on my shoulders,” Kaminski said. “I wrestled loose, and it showed.”

Kaminski’s run started when he upset LaPalomento in Friday’s quarterfinal. His biggest win may have come in Saturday’s semifinal, when he knocked off Morina, 4-2, in the semifinals. Morina defeated Kaminski, 7-4 in last week’s District 29 finals, as well as in the regular season.

“That gave me the hunger. That was the fuel to my fire,” Kaminski said. “I just wanted to keep wrestling after that without any breaks.”

With a spot in the finals came the drama of introductions. The lights were turned down low and a spotlight was put on Kaminski as his career accomplishments were rattled off by the announcer. For just a moment, Kaminski felt out of place.

“I was nervous,” admitted Kaminski. “I didn’t know what to do. I was just standing around.”

Once his match started, Kaminski showed how much in his element he really was. He scored a takedown to gain a 2-0 lead 30 seconds into the match. Gattinella responded with a reversal that tied the match at 2 after one period.

The match remained that was until the third period when Kaminski—who started on bottom—scored a reversal to take a 4-2 lead. Gattinella got the match to 4-3 and twice came close to getting Kaminski on his back, but Kaminski showed his physical and mental strength by staving off Gattinella’s attempts for back points and claiming the title.

“Wrestling, because of the individual nature of it, is so mental, and I really think he was able to win these matches mentally,” Craig said. “He came in here as the sixth seed and he beat the third, second and first seed in order.

"I can’t be happier. It couldn’t happen to a better kid. It couldn’t happen to a harder worker.”

Not to be left out was junior Rory Bonner, who will be joining Kaminski in Atlantic City. Bonner placed third at 182, winning a consolation match, 6-2, over Clayton’s Michael Robinson.

“It feels pretty good, but I still have a lot of work to do,” Bonner said.         

Bonner was pinned by Hammonton’s David Williams in the semifinals, but shrugged off the loss to win a pair of wrestle-backs.

“I wasn’t that disappointed in the match, because Williams is a really good wrestler, and I knew exactly what I did wrong,” Bonner said. “It’s just going to fuel me in the future.”

The season came to an end for Evan Zuzulock and Gerald Owens, who were eliminated in the wrestle-back rounds.

For a complete look at the Region 8 brackets, click here.