By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor

From 30 wins and 12 losses and out early in the state series as a sophomore to 45-2 and a state champion as a junior …

            No, that wasn’t Superman stepping out of a phone booth. It was Joe Fagiano of Chicago (Ill.) St. Patrick High completing his transition from an obscure 171-pounder to a nationally-ranked 215-pounder…and in the process becoming one of the pleasant surprises of the season in the wrestling-mad Chicago area.

            Competing with a stacked Illinois group last summer, Fagiano showed the season was no fluke. He went 7-2 competing for Team Illinois in the Junior National Greco-Roman Duals in Oklahoma City, Okla., then got off to a 4-0 start in the Junior National freestyle meet at Fargo, N.D.

            Leading future University of Minnesota freshman Brent Eidenschink, 5-0, in the first period of his fifth-round match, Fagiano’s run came to a sudden and painful end when he broke his ankle trying to execute what would have been a period-winning arch. After surgery and rehabilitation, he’s back at it in a very successful senior season to date.

            Fagiano’s 32-0 mark at press time includes a 4-3 victory over Chicago St. Rita High’s Jerome Ward in an early December battle between defending state champions, as well as a title in the loaded Al Dvorak Memorial Invitational. In November, Fagiano signed a national letter of intent with Indiana University.

            Not bad for a wrestler whose varsity record prior to last season was 41-23. But, as he reveals in this candid interview,  Fagiano always had confidence in his ability and was focused enough to take the steps he needed to take to get there.

            WIN: After being at 215 pounds last year, you decided to take a shot at 189 this year and eventually went back (to 215). Talk about the decision to go to 189 and what you did, from a diet and a mental standpoint, to get there.

            Fagiano: I was around 205 at Fargo. Last year, I could have made 189 — it wouldn’t have been that hard — but I didn’t really shoot at it too much. This year, I thought I could make it, but I got a little bigger and a little heavier. I was up at 215, so about two months before the season, I started dieting down — cutting out all the carbs, the fast food, all the junk — pretty much eating oatmeal and chicken and brown rice and stuff like that.

            That brought my weight down to about 200. From there, it was pretty hard. I was into the season at 200 pounds and we had three weeks (before the first match) and then I got down to 195. But those last six pounds were really tough for me.

            WIN: So what you’re saying is, you’ve put on quite a bit of muscle since last year?

            Fagiano: Yeah, I think I’ve put on about 10 pounds since last year.

            WIN: What was your regular weight last year?

            Fagiano: Probably 200 to 205. On a heavy day, I was about 205, but sometimes after a practice I’d be like 198 or 199. I was light last year.

            WIN: You’re obviously not going to have a problem being a 197-pounder when you get to college.

            Fagiano: I think it’ll be easier to make, getting in more practices and stuff. So (making) 197 shouldn’t be a problem.

            WIN: Earlier this year, you wrestled Jerome Ward in a dual meet. There was a lot of buildup for that match between two state champions and it was one of the most anticipated matches of the season. You managed to come out on top in that match. How did you prepare, and how did it go for you through the three periods?

            Fagiano: I was kind of unprepared, actually. It was the week I decided to go back up to 215 because I was getting sick from cutting weight. And I had a cold and a fever maybe three days before the match.

            When the match came, I was trying to get as mentally prepared as I could. I was hoping I was going to score more, but I almost turned him in the first period. He shot and I slid him by, and I was able to get his shoulders stuck in the mat, and I was trying to drive him over that shoulder. It was close. I almost got two there. I was close to breaking the 90(-degree plane). I got a one-count. I had him on the mat for maybe 45 seconds and then he bellied out.

            In the second period, I went down and I got out. So it was 3-0. In the third period he got out and then he took me down at the edge and it was 3-3. Then I got out. And that was it.

            WIN: Considering what he’s done to the guys he’s wrestled since then — he’s beaten (Chicago Marist High’s) John Schoen at 215 and (Oak Park-River Forest High’s) Pete Kowalczuk at heavyweight — the fact that you were able to prevail in that match, and even at a little less than 100 percent, had to give you a pretty good feeling.

            Fagiano: Yeah, but I was heavier than him, too. I wish we were at the same weight. But you can’t use that as an excuse.

            WIN: What’s your strategy when you wrestle a guy like Ward, who’s very athletic and very quick? How do you try to neutralize those things?

            Fagiano: I don’t think about that too much. I just go out there and execute my game plan and just wrestle my match. I don’t try to psyche myself out.

            WIN: How much better do you feel being back at 215 pounds and being able to eat anything you want?

            Fagiano: It’s a lot easier. You don’t have to go through every day worrying about the weight. That was really hard for me, always watching my weight, having to cut down before every meet. It’s just one stress off, and now I can just focus on wrestling. I’m not getting sick or cramping up now. I feel a lot better at 215.

            WIN: Your first two years of high school, you had 23 losses. What happened between your sophomore and junior years where the light went on for you?

            Fagiano: I think I was better my sophomore year than (my record showed). I went to Ken Chertow’s camps and I learned a lot from those. He was able to break it down, from setups and takedowns, to finishing. They helped me put everything together, put my game together when I was on the mat. I had a good shot and I always had good mat presence and stuff, but I didn’t have any setups. I didn’t have the ability to go from one thing to the next.

            That helped me make a huge transition. But I think my sophomore year, I flew under the radar because I wrestled some kids that were good. I’d have close matches and I’d lose, so I never got noticed.

            WIN: Going from where you were as a sophomore to an elite wrestler as a junior — at 215, which was a pretty tough weight class — did you exceed your own expectations? What were you hoping to accomplish going into your junior year?

            Fagiano: I wanted to be a state champ. People would say, ‘Are you sure?’ And they were kind of second-guessing me, looking at me like I didn’t know what I was talking about. But I just proved it.

            WIN: Was there a particular meet that told you that you belonged; maybe the Dvorak or any other point in the season?

            Fagiano: The first tournament we had was the Barrington Tournament and I knocked off two kids that were ranked at the top of the state. So that was a tournament that got me noticed. After that, I knew I wasn’t going back to last year and losing. I had that mind set.

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