Citrano brothers give Plum wrestling strong foundation
By:
Saturday, December 7, 2019 | 10:25 AM
The Citrano brothers, Jared (left) and Vinny (right) work out during a recent practice.
Plum senior Cole Yocca looks to set up a move on a teammate during a wrestling practice on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019.
Plum sophomore Vinny Citrano works out with his brother Jared during a wrestling practice on Tuesday Dec. 3, 2019.
Plum’s Cole Yocca competes in the Eastern Area Invitational Wrestling Tournament Dec. 6, 2019, at Gateway.
Plum’s Luke Heath (right) competes in the Eastern Area Invitational Wrestling Tournament Dec. 6, 2019, at Gateway.
Plum’s Paul McClintock (right) competes in the Eastern Area Invitational Wrestling Tournament Dec. 6, 2019, at Gateway.
With a roster full of youth, talent and potential, the Plum wrestling team is looking forward to a season in which development and learning experiences are expected.
“This season should be one that will be exciting to see growth and to build on the experiences of last year,” coach Mike Supak said.
The Mustangs went 2-5 last season and are looking to put wrestlers in the best position to succeed at individual postseason tournaments.
One of those wrestlers is sophomore Vince Citrano.
As a freshman last season, Citrano finished second at 106 pounds at the Section 1A-AAA tournament and earned a fifth-place finish at the WPIAL tournament. He concluded his season with a 30-6 record and 12 pins.
Citrano is back for more in his sophomore season.
“It’s not necessarily a different mindset from last year, it’s just going out and doing what you do and dominate and go and win a state title,” Citrano said. “The plan doesn’t deviate from last year. I may have hit some road bumps last year, but I’ve been training this summer, and I’m ready to jump over those road bumps and get what I want.”
Jarrod Citrano, Vince’s older brother, finished 20-11 with six pins last season. He has a 27-18 career record and is looking to take another step in his senior season.
“I kind of just fell flat in the section tournament last year,” Jarrod said. “But all the hard work that I’ve put in, I’m just trying to leave it all on the mat this year.”
For the Citranos, wrestling is a brotherly endeavor. Vince started when he was younger. Jarrod decided to join the sport later.
Vince wrestled at 106 and Jarrod was at 152 last year, but the brothers push each other to their limits, especially in the offseason.
“Over the summer, it’s, I don’t want to say every day, but it was a lot,” Jarrod said. “Rolling around and just getting ready.”
Jarrod also offered his brothers advice that helped him succeed in his freshman season.
“It’s awesome, having a guy like him to work towards being like every day, academically and physically,” Vince said. “As you can see, he’s pretty strong. So that’s what I’m trying to work towards.”
The talent at Plum extends beyond the Citranos, as senior Cole Yocca will look to excel this season.
He took last season off after compiling a record of 34-21 between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Yocca said he’s just looking to win matches and do whatever he can to help the team.
“There’s definitely gonna be some rust at first, but I’m hoping to pick it back up as the season goes,” Yocca said. “I’m just hoping to win matches and get as many points as I can.”
Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Tags: Plum
More High School Sports
• Through the Years: 40 years ago, Freeport finally got the better of nemesis Jeannette• Kiski Area football coach Sam Albert hangs up head coach’s whistle after 3 decades
• Monessen girls basketball team sets sail under Schmidt
• Monessen looks to extend playoff streak to 43 years despite graduation of top scorer
• WPIAL Class 3A championship preview: Avonworth, Central Valley set for rematch
