Wrestling Captures Tuzzolino’s Full Attention : Preps: Capistrano Valley senior looks forward to facing toughest opponents in 215-pound weight class.

Andrew Tuzzolino’s first experience with the wrestling program at Capistrano Valley High was one he’d just as soon forget.

“That was my freshman year,” said Tuzzolino, now a senior. “Football has always been my first love. I needed something to pass the time, and my brother told me I should go out for wrestling. He said it would get the baby fat off.”

Wrestling workouts, Tuzzolino discovered, made football’s “hell week” seem like a summer holiday. “It was not very fun,” he said. “The conditioning was insane. I was wondering what I got myself into.”

Tuzzolino has always been a kingpin on the football field, where he played nose guard and center. This past season, he earned Times Orange County second-team honors.

But as a freshman wrestler, he found that a tackle that might take down a running back didn’t necessarily work on the mat.

“It’s pretty funny when I think about it,” he said. “I just tried to tackle everybody. . . . I remember I wrestled two varsity matches when I was a freshman. It was awful. All I remember was I was totally destroyed.”

Adding to Tuzzolino’s discomfort that first season was the success of his older brother, Terry.

Terry Tuzzolino was one of Capistrano Valley’s best wrestlers, and as a senior finished second at 171 pounds at the state finals in 1994. Everyone assumed Andrew would follow in his brother’s footsteps.

“When Andy came out, he had a lot to learn about wrestling,” Capistrano Valley Coach Joe Zeller said. “As a freshman, Andy was basically a football guy who didn’t know the technique of wrestling. It took him almost two years before he started to master the sport.”

Last season, Tuzzolino was the South Coast League champion at 189 pounds and finished fourth at the Southern Section Division I finals. He finished the season with a 29-5 record.

Tuzzolino is the county’s top-ranked wrestler at 215 pounds. He has expectations of winning the section Division I championship and maybe even placing in the state finals.

Tuzzolino’s breakthrough came at the Laguna Hills tournament, midway through his junior season. He was scheduled to wrestle against J’Von Willis of Santa Monica in the finals.

Tuzzolino recalls being extremely nervous before the match.

“I have to admit I was scared,” he said. “Willis was really good and he was a pretty big guy.”

Tuzzolino settled down after his initial doubts and began to focus on his match.

He beat Willis, 5-3, in overtime, and from that moment, his outlook changed.

“That match between Andy and Willis was very important,” Zeller said. “From that point on, it made Andy aware that he might be a pretty good wrestler.”

And Tuzzolino’s reaction?

“That [Willis match] really helped me. I started to have confidence in myself and I knew I could maybe get somewhere in this sport.”

Zeller said that in addition to being a confidence-builder, the victory took the pressure off Tuzzolino.

“After that match, he started to see himself as a wrestler,” Zeller said. “But more importantly, he wasn’t seen in the shadow of his brother.”

Since joining the wrestling team after the Cougars’ football season ended in a disappointing 24-21 loss to Long Beach Poly in the second round of the Division I playoffs, Tuzzolino is undefeated at 4-0.

He said he is particularly looking forward to matches this season against Jeff Tibbets of Mission Viejo, El Toro’s Damain deBeaubien, Mateo Headrick of San Clemente and Anaheim’s Reuben Droughns--matches he says will determine if he has taken the step from novice to experienced wrestler.

“I understand Headrick is supposed to be pretty good, so I would like to wrestle him,” Tuzzolino said. “But I really want to wrestle Droughns. He’s very good, and I can’t think of a better way to test myself.”

Tuzzolino also plays baseball, but next to football, wrestling is sport of choice.

“In football it’s a team effort; everybody works together to win the game. But in wrestling, there’s only you and the other guy. It’s a very individual sport. It really makes you look at yourself. It tests you and makes you a better person.”