Character witness: Western Reserve's Sam Cartella's mettle comes from great mental fortitude
Accountability is the backbone of character.
Sam Cartella has known that his entire life, which is why the current Western Reserve Academy senior and future West Point freshman is where he is as both a human being and a wrestler.
A dozen years ago, the Hudson resident was looking for something to do in his spare time.
What he found was a sport where everything done is done to benefit the individual.
He went to the Kratos Wrestling Club as a first-grader and fell in love with the sport.
On Saturday, Cartella became an Ironman runner-up at 144 pounds.
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“My dad told me there was a wrestling club to try out,” Cartella said. “I was bouncing around between a lot of sports and ended up wrestling. I went there throughout my wrestling career in grade school.
“I’m not going to lie. I love that you have no one else to blame. I love that all the work goes towards you. All the work is on you. It feels great when you win.”
That attitude made him an attractive piece when it came to the college ranks.
It also made Cartella a natural with Army.
“He’s what every coach wants,” Western Reserve coach Dave Habat said. “He wants to work hard. He wants to improve his game. He’s a dog on a bone. He’s a great listener. He listens in practice and wants to learn.”
Hunger drives Sam Cartella
Habat knows a thing or two about wrestling. He was a four-time state placer and a state champion at St. Ignatius and a was a two-time All-American at Edinboro.
What he saw in Cartella was a sponge as much as an elite wrestler.
Cartella is never satisfied with anything.
That’s why a 2021 sixth-place finisher at Ironman turned into a finalist in 2022.
Cartella beat two-time state champ Ty Wilson of Dublin Scioto, returning state champ Mitchell Younger of Columbus Watterson and nationally-ranked Gavin Lisbon of Olentangy Liberty on his way to the championship.
It took two-time Ironman finalist and Virginia Tech pledge Mac Church of Waynesburg (Pa.).
It didn’t come easy for Church, who is ranked sixth nationally. It took the 30-30 overtimes to beat the 11th-ranked Cartella 2-1.
“That’s another quality Sam has,” Habat said. “He doesn’t get overly emotional. He’s oblivious. He just loves wrestling. A lot of kids let their nerves get to them. A lot of high schoolers, if they won a college open they would get too high on it. He’s just a wrestler. I think he could have gone two-and-out and he would have felt the same. It would have motivated him as well and he wouldn’t have gotten too low.”
National exposure drives Sam Cartella to local glory
Part of that comes from his drive to succeed, part of it comes from a national wrestling schedule that includes the Beast of the East, Ironman and Escape the Rock Tournaments.
Cartella also is allowed to wrestle in college opens and he’s made the most of it this year with a title at the Findlay Open.
“You learn relatively quick to get better,” Cartella said. “You always want to improve and get better. All I wanted to do was get better. I feel like the Ironman is a bigger deal. It’s in Ohio and I know a lot of these kids around here. It feels like a bigger crowd.
“It definitely calms my nerves. I’m learning how to compete in these high-pressure environments. It’s preparing me for those situations at West Point and in the Army. It boosts my confidence for sure. I can use it to get better in more tournaments. I’ll be at the Beast of the East next week, so I can definitely build on what happened here.”
Ironman team standings
1, Blair Academy (NJ) 190.5, 2. Stillwater (Okla.) 137.5, 3. Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 132.5, 4. Malvern Prep (Pa.), 102.5, 5. St. Edward 99, 6. Crown Point (Ind.) 87, 7. Bishop McCort (Pa.) 84.5, 8. Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) 82.5, 9. St. Charles East (Ill.) 80.5, 10. Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), 78, 13. Brecksville 69.5, 22. Wadsworth 53.5, 25. Perry, Western Reserve Academy 43, 63. Copley 15.5, 70 Walsh Jesuit 13, 80. GlenOak 9, 88. CVCA 8, 94. Louisville, 100. Buckeye 6.5
Ironman individual results
Championship bouts, plus placement bouts featuring area wrestlers
106: Muaretto (SCE) d. Dekraker (BA) 8-4; Fifth: Motyka (WS) over Yarbrough (Cop), med. ff.; 113: Bassett (BM) m.d. Jordan (Sti) 9-0; 120: Lilledahl (WS) d. Forrest (BM) 3-1, OT; 126: Davino (SCE) d. Anthony-McGowan (BA) 2-0; 132: Hughes (Sti) d. Lemley (MC) 5-2; Seventh: Joy (Wad) d. Lopes (BA) 4-3; 138: Webster (WC) d. Cannon (Pon) 5-4; 144: Church (Way) d. Cartella 2-1, TB; Third: Herman (Bre) d. Dupill (Gre) 5-2; 150: Duke (MV) d. Henckle (BA) 8-6; 157: Stiles (Cona) d. Birden (DC) 12-6; 165: Ferrari (Mel) d. Norman (BA) 3-1; 175: Welsh (WC) m.d. Miller (SE) 13-4; Seventh: Vanadia (Bre) d. Federici (WS) 9-4; 190: Thompson (LT) d. McDanel (TV) 3-2; 215: Shulaw (CD) m.d. Henderson (WC) 10-0; Seventh: Snider (CVCA) d. Clark (CP) 1-0; 285: Johnson (JCA) d. Moore (MR) 7-3.
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Western Reserve Academy senior Sam Cartella second in Walsh Ironman
