NEWS-TIMES CORRESPONDENT

Matt Tricarico (second from left).

If Matt Tricarico, a star wrestler from Danbury High, goes on to win the New England title later this winter, times like this can be minimized.

But right now the feeling is real for him. The senior feels as if he's in the middle of a firestorm.

Last weekend at the 40-team Eastern States wrestling tournament in Middletown, N.Y., Tricarico was involved in a controversial match with Ricky Scott, a wrestler from Valley Central in New York's Section 9.

Scott, New York's top rated high school wrestler, was ahead of Tricarico 9-0 in the third period of their title match when Tricarico jumped the start and head butted Scott. Scott, according to the Times Herald-Record, was taken to the hospital with a possible concussion and awarded the win by injury default.

Scuffles broke out in the stands between two rival New York schools. Meanwhile, Tricarico was assessed an unsportsmanlike penalty point by referee Greg Tufano. He was later escorted to the locker room.

From there, the stories radically differ.

Valley Central coach Paul Cummings said that the head butt was intentional.

"You saw the match and you know how dirty Tricarico is,'' Cummings told the Times Herald-Record. "We beat the kid fair and square and he used a blatant head butt. We don't need that in our sport. Ricky's up 9-0, and he's got to do that to get back into the match.''

But Tricarico and the Danbury coaches saw it differently.

"As far as I could see, it wasn't intentional at all,'' Danbury coach Ricky Shook said. "He was down 9-0. Matt was trying to get up. He was trying to get a point. I asked him if it was intentional, and he told me no. I believe him.''

Tricarico, for his part, agreed with Shook.

"It was definitely not intentional,'' Tricarico said. "Last year, they said I punched Scott and I didn't. I've always been taught to wrestle hard, no matter what the score, no matter what the circumstance. I always have to have intensity. I stood straight up. I was down 9-0, and I needed to stand up and try to get a point."

Initially, there was speculation that the Danbury administration might take action. But Chip Salvestrini, Danbury's athletic director, said that no suspension will be forthcoming.

"I spoke to coach Shook and he told me that he believes that the incident is over,'' Salvestrini said. "If coach says it's over, then I believe it's over. I don't think the incident should be carried any further.''

Still, the high school wrestling message boards have been flooded with messages over the incident. Most of the messages were negative toward Tricarico, a quiet kid off the mat.

"I can't let any of that stuff bother me,'' Tricarico said. "That's just the opinion of people. I can't let it affect me in any way. The issue has to be dead to me.''

If Tricarico were an ordinary wrestler, there probably wouldn't be such a fuss made over the incident. Tricarico, however, is anything but.

At 171 pounds, Tricarico is Danbury's best wrestler. He's the defending state champion in his weight class and New England's runner-up. He's 15-2 this season, he's a captain and is a Division I college prospect for next season.

Tricarico is a beast on the mat. He's a ferocious wrestler with the killer instinct that every coach looks for. He has a good chance to be Danbury's first New England winner in over five years. As a team, Danbury finished sixth in the tournament, among the most challenging on the East coast. Tricarico finished second, and Frank Cammisa (135 pounds), finished sixth. They were the only two Hatter wrestlers to place.

"Matt's a great kid,'' Shook said. "I just think the whole thing was blown out of proportion, and I think the reason it was is because it was Matt. If it were anyone else, people wouldn't be talking so much.''

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