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Rocco Cardinale says goodbye
By Liz Kane
Retiring from something you love is never an easy decision.
And for Rocco Cardinale, the outwardly stoic but inwardly
emotional wrestling coach at Oak Ridge High, it was especially
hard to impart the news to the Trojan team.
“It was a very emotional decision made because of personal
issues and illness in my family. I shed my tears earlier because I
knew when I got into that room I had to stay solid for the team,”
Cardinale said. “I’m a very sentimental person and I didn’t want
to break down.
“I told them I’d still be here for them in their lives and if they were
struggling they could always come in and see me.”
His successor, Casey Rhyan, was also concerned.
“I knew how emotional Rocco is and I was worried he wouldn’t get
through it,” Rhyan said. “He loves the kids and he’s given his life
to them. This was never about him. He dedicated himself to the
team but it was never just about wrestling or winning - it was
about kids learning life lessons and leaving the program as
better people.”
And for Rocco Cardinale, the outwardly stoic but inwardly
emotional wrestling coach at Oak Ridge High, it was especially
hard to impart the news to the Trojan team.
“It was a very emotional decision made because of personal
issues and illness in my family. I shed my tears earlier because I
knew when I got into that room I had to stay solid for the team,”
Cardinale said. “I’m a very sentimental person and I didn’t want
to break down.
“I told them I’d still be here for them in their lives and if they were
struggling they could always come in and see me.”
His successor, Casey Rhyan, was also concerned.
“I knew how emotional Rocco is and I was worried he wouldn’t get
through it,” Rhyan said. “He loves the kids and he’s given his life
to them. This was never about him. He dedicated himself to the
team but it was never just about wrestling or winning - it was
about kids learning life lessons and leaving the program as
better people.”
| HANGING IT UP After 10 years guiding the Oak Ridge wrestling team to a conference title and several state medals, coach Rocco Cardinale has stepped away from the program. Democrat photo by Megan Jeremica |
“It takes a special person to wrestle. Not everyone is tremendously successful. Some kids are in and out of the lineup for four years, but they
put a lot into it and put value into the team. Kids have to be tough-minded.” Cardinale knew coming in it would take time to build the program.
“It’s my belief that it takes at least 10 years to get things going,” he said. “I was lucky. I had good kids here but it takes a lot of improvement
and numbers to change the perception on campus.”
Cardinale left a successful program at Fairfield to take a physical education position at Oak Ridge. He commuted for a year and was a
volunteer assistant for former coach Jay Aliff. One of the highlights of his years at Fairfied was defeating Vacaville, a team that hadn’t lost a
dual match in 20 years. “The first year (at Fairfield) I had a team of kids who had never wrestled - there was no feeder program, “Cardinale
said. “But they were super kids with a great work ethic in a tough league,” adding that he was even more proud of their accomplishments
after graduation. Cardinale, who took fourth in the state meet in high school, was coached by Olympic champion Bill Smith, who won gold in
Helsinki. They still keep in touch. He wrestled for Pacifica High in West Pittsburgh for three years but when the school closed, the team
transferred en masse to Clayton Valley in Concord and won a team state championship when he was a senior.
And in the small world department, Cardinale’s assistant coach at Oak Ridge this past two years was Rhyan, whose dad coached for a
competing high school. “I knew Casey when he was 12 years old. His dad was the football and wrestling coach at College Park and we
wrestled them in league,” Cardinale said. “Casey was that little kid always running around in the corner. It’s incredible that Casey moved
here; I’ve really enjoyed coaching the last two years with him.
“All the guys I’ve coached with were from coaching families who understood the sport and loved it. Brian Marlette stepped up in my second
year and we’ve been together the whole time. He was always someone I could turn to and ask questions. He would see things I didn’t.”
When Rhyan reached high school, he wrestled for Antioch, which also won a state championship. Both Rhyan’s coach, Steve Sanchez, and
Cardinale’s coach, Bill Smith, are in the California Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Cardinale’s 10-year prediction about the Trojans proved accurate. El Dorado County wrestling is no longer dominated by Ponderosa. In 2008
Oak Ridge won the Sierra Valley Conference title, handing the Bruins their first league loss since 1995, and went on to win the Division II
Team Section title, a team vs. team championship pitting the top two finishers in each D-II league against each other. Ponderosa rallied to win
the Division II title (individual qualifying tournament for the Masters) a week later and exacted more revenge in January of 2009 with a 38-29
dual meet victory over Troy in SVC action. The Bruins won the Team Section title and the SVC championship, but Oak Ridge came back to
win the Division II title. The rivalry lives on.
Cardinale has no idea what his win-loss record is.“I never kept track of my record,” he said. “The most important part was the journey, the
time we spent together. Those are the special things. I had the opportunity to work with very good kids and I never measured success by wins
and losses.
“What I will miss most is watching the kids grow as wrestlers - and people - and the joy of watching them compete. Having a feeder program
(the El Dorado Hills Wrestling Club) was most important. It’s essential.“I had kids coming into the program that I had known for four years and
I could look at them and say ‘You’re finally here.’ Trey Reese, Keaton Subjeck came in and we already had built camaraderie.” Coaches and
their wrestlers develop very strong bonds through the years and it’s common for former wrestlers to stay in touch.
In Cardinale’s first year at Oak Ridge, the Trojans had two state medalists - the first in many years - Grant Barnes and Matt Diaz. Tom Haines
took sixth in 2005, and Kyle West medaled twice, taking second in 2008, the best a Trojan has ever done. This past March Oak Ridge had
three state medalists - Vince Waldhauser, Nick Rohrer and Ka’von Tillotson.“That was a special year,” Cardinale said of his first season.
“Grant has a big heart as a person and he took care of business when he was on the mat. Matt Diaz e-mails me or comes by at the beginning
of every year just to catch up and ask what the team looks like. It’s great when the kids come back.
“I like to see the kids win - especially team victories. That touches my heart,” Cardinale said. “The kids feel so good and it leaves them with
confidence for the rest of their lives. I would tell them, ‘You worked hard and accomplished. Take that feeling with you.’
“The kids we have are so dedicated to becoming successful,” Cardinale added. “Even after a long tough season, Vince, Josh Dawson and
Cameron Miller all went to a 28-day camp this summer.”
While the decision and saying goodbye to the team he’s worked to build was difficult, Cardinale knew he was leaving the wrestlers in good
hands as Rhyan took over the program. “Knowing Casey would be there made it easier,” Cardinale said. “I have the upmost confidence in
him. We couldn’t find a better coach.”