Ricky Del Fiorentino was a very big young man in high school and he used his size, strength and athletic ability to have a very big two-sport high school athletic career. He was an outstanding member of the Napa Indians football teams of the early 1980s and a heavyweight wrestler who established an enviable high school record and earned a scholarship to wrestle at the University of Oklahoma. As a sophomore, Del Fiorentino anchored the offensive and defensive lines for the 10-0 MEL championship Napa JV team. As a member of the 1981 and 1982 MEL championship varsity football teams, Del Fiorentino played tackle on both sides of the ball and earned All-MEL honors on both offense and defense. After being mentioned on the Street and Smith’s Pre-Season All-American High School Team, Del Fiorentino went on to have a great year for the 11-1 MEL championship Indians. In addition to being All-MEL, he earned All-County, All-Region and All-Northern California honors as a senior. He was also named to the 10-Year MEL All-Star football team established by the Vallejo Times Herald after the first 10 years of the league’s existence. Del Fiorentino was a heavyweight wrestler whose high school achievements included three MEL championships, two sub-section championships, one Sac Joaquin Section Championship, one Northern California championship and a second place in the state championship. He was named Most Improved Wrestler as a sophomore and Most Valuable as a senior. He received the award for most pins on the Napa team all three years and once pinned an opponent in under 8 seconds. His overall high school record was 102-8 and his senior year record of 43-1 (41 by pins) earned him honorable mention on U.S.A. Wrestling’s 1983 All-American team.
