Robinson wrestling coach Bryan Hazard likes to tell two stories about Roman Perryman. One centers around Perryman’s state title win over Frank Chapman of Princess Anne as a freshman and the other has very little at all to do with wrestling.
But both paint an appropriate picture of one of the area’s top wrestlers, who’s an integral part of one of the area’s top wrestling programs.
The more humorous story starts off with the 135-pound Perryman and the rest of Robinson’s wrestling team selling cheese steaks and Italian ice at the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore this past summer.
In what has been a successful fund raiser, Hazard splits the earnings with his team, and each wrestler takes home a few dollars for each hour worked. Each wrestler that is, of course, not working with Roman Perryman.
Perryman and senior Marcus Hathaway started joking around with a few of the sober and not-so-sober customers they encountered, changing the names of products such as Gatorade to “Party-aide” and otherwise just having a blast joking with concert-goers.
“I guess we were just entertaining,” Hathaway said. “Our little booth didn’t even sell alcohol, and we had a huge line all the time.”
That huge line resulted in over $700 worth of tips during the two-day event.
“They were having so much fun as a group, and they weren’t being super obnoxious,” Hazard said. “This group of kids, and Roman is one of those guys, they have a great time together.”
<b>THE SECOND STORY</b> pits Perryman against Chapman at the 2007 Virginia AAA state wrestling finals, which took place that year at Robinson Secondary School. Perryman was trying to wrap up his breakout season but found himself facing an early 6-2 deficit.
Chapman had Perryman cornered near where Hazard was sitting. With one look into Perryman’s eyes, Hazard, who’s in his 13th year as the head coach at Robinson, knew that everything was going to be all right. He knew his freshman phenom had turned a rather important corner.
“He looked up at me, and I said, ‘You’re all right,’” said Hazard, a 1991 Robinson graduate. “And instead of getting that pouty look that most kids get, I knew he was going to be OK. It wasn’t in his game plan that this would happen, but he was going to be able to rally.”
And Perryman did. Instead of tanking, Perryman earned a single point in the second period, scored a takedown early in the third and snagged three more the rest of the way to earn a come-from-behind 8-6 win.
Perryman said he had watched Chapman wrestle twice prior to that match and that he usually wore down after the first period. He also noted that the single point late in the second period turned around the match.
“I just tried to stay focused and not get too much into the hype of the match,” Perryman said. “I was on the bottom and there was a scramble, and I ended up getting one point and that’s what turned around the match. After that I just kept the ball rolling.”
<b>PERRYMAN FINISHED</b> third at states last winter but has started the ball rolling again during his junior campaign. He won his 100th career match on Jan. 14 over Bradley Smith of Manassas Park and has a record of 106-15 during his three years at Robinson.
Part of Perryman’s explanation for his success has to do with muscle memory, a byproduct of his experience. He started wrestling in first grade with the Bandits of the Northern Virginia Wrestling Federation and most things now are second nature.
“Most of the time, when I’m wrestling, there’s not even a thought in my head of wrestling,” said Perryman, who also won Concorde District and Northern Region titles during that fabled freshman season. “I just have a clear head and my muscles do the rest.”
This season, Perryman’s co-workers and teammates have done the rest. Behind the 189-pound Hathaway (27-6), 103-pounder Jake Smith (30-8) and 145-pound Reid Brown (27-9), Robinson holds an 11-3 record.
The Rams bested longtime nemesis Connellsville (Pa.) and finished tied for fourth at the Battlefield Duals on Jan. 2-3 and later took seventh at the Manheim Lions Tournament (Pa.) — three places better than they have ever done.
“When [Perryman] is having an off day, the team’s typically having an off day,” Hazard said. “When he’s on, the team typically works real hard. He’s a catalyst, no doubt.”