PLAYOFF PROFILES : Vitale Rises to Challenge

You have to get up pretty early in the morning to defeat wrestler Anthony Vitale.

And probably no area heavyweight arises earlier than Vitale who, along with his Alemany High teammates, routinely hits the mat for practice at 5:30 a.m.

“When I first found out practices were at 5:30 in the morning, I freaked out,” Vitale said. “But it’s a good schedule because it’s a way to get rid of people who don’t really want to wrestle. It gets rid of the dead weight.”

Yet Vitale (20-0), a two-time Mission League champion, was the one caught dead on his feet Saturday at 10 a.m. in the opening round of the Southern Section Division IV finals.

A first-period takedown by Robert Thayer of West Valley accounted for the first points Vitale had allowed all season. And it woke him up like a cold slap in the face.

Vitale recovered to pin Thayer in 1 minute 43 seconds. From there, Vitale pinned three consecutive opponents--two in the first period--before defeating David Chavez of Duarte, 8-7, for his first section title.

Vitale, 56-5 the past two seasons, will compete Saturday in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Fountain Valley High. The top eight placers in each weight class advance to next week’s State finals in Stockton--something Vitale failed to accomplish last season.

However, the outlook this season is markedly improved for Vitale, a 6-foot, 273-pound senior who earned All-Del Rey League honors as an offensive and defensive lineman last fall.

Except for the Chavez bout, Vitale has pinned every opponent this year, a rare ratio among heavyweights.

“I’m pretty confident I will do well,” Vitale said.