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player ready...As a wrestler, Elmwood Park’s Olsi Rama hates to err on the side of caution.
“It’s always good to have that aggression and have that chip on your shoulder,” the sophomore said. “But I’m also learning to channel it when needed because too much aggression isn’t always a good thing.”
Rama (16-1 at 182 pounds) won an individual title at Walther Christian’s 14-team tournament and placed second at Harvard’s 16-team tournament.
Tigers coach Neil Posmer pulled Rama up to varsity at the end of his freshman year and knew he would be a varsity mainstay this season.
“He pushes the pace and he wears guys down. He’s relied on having more of a gas tank than they do and that has won him some matches,” Posmer said. “He’s so aggressive that I’d like to see him wrestle a little more defensively, rather than force scoring opportunities and put himself in bad spots. But as a coach I’d rather have a kid that’s aggressive the way Olsi is, than a kid that won’t open up.”
In Rama’s 9-7 overtime win against Walther’s Malik Jenkins on the title mat at Walther, his conditioning paid off against a tough, physical wrestler. Rama pushed Jenkins to his breaking point in coming away with the win.
On the title mat at Harvard, Rama faced a wrestler ranked fifth in the state at 182 by Illinois Matmen, in Woodstock’s Nicholas Sundberg. Rama wasn’t his normally aggressive self and it cost him, as he lost by 6-0 decision.
“I learned that I have to initiate my moves instead of waiting for (my opponent),” Rama said. “In that match I let my nerves get to me and I was constantly waiting for (Sundberg). Hopefully I’ll see him again at sectionals.”
Helping Rama prepare for sectionals and beyond is a group of upper-weight practice partners who have made him better, in Justin Chakchay (195), Tony Caruso (220) and Mark Rivera (285). They all outweigh Rama and push him in the practice room.
“It keeps him grounded,” Posmer said. “He’s a strong kid, but all four of those guys are strong so Olsi isn’t going to go out there and throw any of them around and have his way with them. He’s got some guys to battle with and that only helps him.”
Rama also works with Tigers senior Marco Padilla, who’s 17-0 and ranked third at 113 pounds. Padilla won 31 matches last year and is a returning state qualifier.
“He’s small, but he’s good and that’s why I wrestle with him. It helps me with my technique,” Rama said of Padilla. “And when I wrestle with the heavier guys, it improves my strength. I’m glad I have a variety of practice partners because it lends to my success, and their success.”
Rama was a fullback and a nose tackle on the Tigers’ football team in the fall. He has played football for years but never wrestled prior to his freshman year. It hasn’t taken him long to fall in love with the sport, however, and he’s considering wrestling in college.
Posmer believes Rama’s work ethic can take him in any direction he chooses.
“He comes in with guys on the team at 6 in the morning to do extra work. He’s always asking, ‘Are we going to be there at 6 tomorrow morning?’ even the day after tournaments,” Posmer said. “I know that if I open the doors at 6, Olsi will be there every morning.
“He’s so competitive. No one in our program is surprised by his success.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.