THE TIMES’ ALL--COUNTY TEAMS : Tomazic’s Tag Team : El Dorado Wrestler Gets an Assist From Popeye and Gumby . . . Really

Todd Tomazic’s second straight CIF state wrestling championship should be attributed to his strength, mental toughness and superior wrestling ability.

But an assist should be given to two animated characters that inspired Tomazic, an El Dorado High School senior, this season.

They were, in order of appearance, Popeye and Gumby.

The Popeye Persona:

You could always spot Tomazic at a meet, even if there were hundreds of fans, coaches and wrestlers crowding the gym. He was the one wearing the little white sailor’s cap with the name “Todd� on the front.

He looked as if he were about to squeeze open a can of spinach and gulp it down for extra strength.

He began wearing the hat, which his mother gave him when he was in second grade, to meets toward the end of his junior season. After he won the 1986 state championship at 168 pounds, he figured the hat was a good-luck charm.

Tomazic and his cap grew quite close this season--so close that he went to great lengths to recover it when the two became separated during the Southern Section Masters Meet at Fountain Valley High.

He had set his gear down to scout a match on one mat and realized the hat was missing as he headed for another mat to wrestle. He pinned his second-round opponent without the help of his hat, but he didn’t want to press his luck.

Tomazic asked the announcer to put an all-points bulletin out for the hat. But before any announcement was made, Tomazic found it in the same area that he lost it.

“I figured it would show up,� Tomazic said. “I wasn’t too worried about it at the time, but if that was the finals, it might have been a little different.�

The hat accompanied Tomazic in March to Fresno, where he won five straight matches, including a 9-4 decision over Workman’s Mike Ramos, to capture his second state title at 168 pounds. His accomplishments earned him the honor of Times’ Wrestler of the Year.

The Gumby Groove:

After Tomazic replaces the sailor’s cap with his headgear and the match begins, he relies on a series of moves named after the little green blob of clay.

They’re known as Gumby moves, because Tomazic bends and stretches his way through matches. He’s not a physical, brawling-type wrestler. His strength lies in his flexibility and free-style approach.

“A lot of guys try moves on me that work on other people, but I stretch a little farther than they think,� Tomazic said. “Everyone who wrestles me has got to wonder if there’s something wrong with me.

“I can see it when I wrestle my brother (Brian, a sophomore), who has the same flexibility. It drives me crazy, so I can only imagine what it does to someone else.�

Some of Tomazic’s best moves are unplanned. He just falls into them. He is so limber, he can flow with an opponent’s moves and improvise to gain the advantage.

“The best thing about him is that he’s unorthodox,� said Frank Gonzales, El Dorado coach.

Tomazic has used this style to accumulate a 155-27 record in four varsity seasons. He went 47-2 this year, won the prestigious Five Counties Tournament championship, finished third in the Southern Section 4-A meet and won the Masters Meet.

He became the second wrestler in El Dorado history to win two state championships, matching a feat accomplished by Howard Lawson in 1980 and ’81.

Tomazic’s wrestling career will continue in college. He has a 3.8 grade-point average and will be making a recruiting trip to Notre Dame next week. Other schools interested are Oklahoma State, Penn State and Lehigh.

Wherever he ends up, you can bet Popeye and Gumby will be with him, every step of the way.

ALL--COUNTY WRESTLING TEAM NICKY KOB 101 LOARA SENIOR

Finished second in Southern Section 4-A meet but was unable to wrestle in the Masters Meet because of illness. Had 42-3 record and won Empire League championship. Also won El Cajon, Magnolia, Edison and Mid-Cal tournament titles.

SAM LOPEZ 108 VALENCIA JUNIOR

Was first Valencia wrestler to place in the CIF state meet, where he finished third by winning six of seven matches. Had 50-8 record, won Masters title and finished second at 3-A meet. Also was Orange League champion.

DAN TISONE 115 CANYON SENIOR

Record of 35-4 included Rosemead and Canyon tournament championships. Also won the Century League and 4-A titles but was upset in the first round of Masters. Finished second at El Dorado and Sierra-Nevada tournaments.

BRETT SCHULTZ 122 CANYON JUNIOR

Was Orange County’s only 122-pounder to advance to state tournament. Won the Century League title, finished fifth in 4-A and Masters meets and had a 43-4 record. Also won Five Counties, El Dorado, Mount Carmel, Rosemead and Canyon tournament championships.

BRYON SCHULTZ 129 CANYON JUNIOR

Was county’s only 129-pounder to reach state tournament. Finished with a 29-3 record, which included tournament victories at Mount Carmel, Estancia and Canyon. Also won Century League title, finished third in 4-A and sixth at Masters.

LENNY FONTANEZ 135 LOS ALAMITOS SENIOR

Finished with a 44-9 record and won tournaments at El Rancho, Bolsa Grande and Laguna Hills. Won Empire League title, finished fourth at 4-A, sixth at Masters and was county’s only 135-pounder to reach state, where he lost in first round.

TOM ODAR 141 FOUNTAIN VALLEY SENIOR

Won the 4-A and Masters meet championships and won two matches in the state meet before losing in the quarterfinals. Also won tournament titles at Torrance, Valencia and Edgewood, was Sunset League champion and finished with a 51-7 record.

MIKE PHILLIPS 148 CAPO VALLEY JUNIOR

Lost to Victor Valley’s Dan Henderson in the 3-A finals but came back to defeat Henderson, 9-4, for the state championship at Fresno’s Selland Arena. Record of 48-5 included South Coast League, and Estancia and Mount Carmel tournament titles.

BRIAN MALAVAR 157 LOARA SENIOR

Finished second in 4-A meet, won Masters meet and advanced to the second round of state before losing to Los Gatos’ Chad Barnes in overtime. Also won the Empire League championship and Magnolia tournament title and finished with a 43-9 record.

TODD TOMAZIC 168 EL DORADO SENIOR

Avenged only two losses by defeating Atascadero’s Darin Brebes and Workman’s Mike Ramos on the way to the Masters title, and went on to defeat Ramos, 9-4, to win his second straight state championship. Also won Five Counties tournament and finished with 47-2 record.

FRED JENKINS 178 VALENCIA JUNIOR

Won the 3-A division and Masters Meet championships but lost in the second round of the state meet. Also won the Orange League title and the Edgewood tournament championship and finished the year with a 32-6 record.

MIKE GOMINSKY 194 CANYON SENIOR

Won the Five Counties, Rosemead and Canyon tournament championships and the Century League title, but a leg injury slowed him at the end of the season. Finished fourth at the 4-A meet but failed to place among the top six at Masters.

TOM OSENDORF HWT. SAVANNA SENIOR

Was one of four county wrestlers to place at state, where he finished sixth after losing in the quarterfinals. Also won the 3-A and Masters meet titles and Estancia and Mount Carmel tournament championships. Finished with a 49-4 record.

SECOND TEAM

101: Valentino Pacheco (La Quinta) Senior; 108: Kyle Iwanaga (El Dorado) Senior; 115: Rod Swearengin (Katella) Senior; 122: Doug Haring (Cypress) Junior; 129: Brett Fry (San Clemente) Junior; 135: Jason Dallas (Ocean View) Senior; 141: Chris Leuschen (Cypress) Senior; 148: Art Orosco (Garden Grove) Senior; 157: David Hynan (Capistrano Valley) Senior; 168: Robert Murray (Edison) Senior; 178: Edy Andros (Loara) Senior; 194: Reza Mehdizadeh (Fountain Valley) Junior; Heavyweight: Steve Palczewski (Pacifica) Senior