James Burns: Noah's finishing move

DOS PALOS -- Tony Accardo cradled the trophy in his hands, beaming as only a doting dad would.

This was his son's legacy, his gift to the world, his name immortalized.

In a physical sense, this was all that was left of young Noah Dru Moreno -- a 2-foot-tall black walnut trophy, topped by two figurines in the throws of competition, his name scratched onto the base in cursive.

The Noah Dru Moreno Memorial Trophy.

"I just got it. Just picked it up," his stepdad Accardo said last week, his emotions walking the tightrope between overwhelming pride and plunging sadness.

"It's beautiful."

Indeed.

In sight and spirit.

The trophy will be awarded to the winner of tonight's Los Banos-Dos Palos wrestling match at Los Banos High, and given out perpetually.

It's a rare meeting on the mats for these longtime Westside rivals. Their football games are the stuff of legend -- the buildup begins with a joint rally the Saturday before the big game -- but the two wrestling outfits haven't squared off in a dual in nearly two decades.

That'll change tonight. The varsity match will begin at 7.

If you're looking to pass out attaboys for this smashup, Accardo, Los Banos athletic director Gary Caropreso and Dos Palos AD Bill Van Worth poured sweat equally into the nonconference match.

But the evening was inspired by Noah, a blossoming lightweight who would have starred in tonight's 103-pound weight class had he...

It's been months now, but Accardo still has trouble saying the words.

Had he...

The memory of Noah shuffling around the mat, wiggling in and out holds, acts like a vice, squeezing Accardo's heart so tight he can barely breathe.

Had he not died such a tragic and mysterious death in July.

Accardo says his son, ever the showman and thrill-seeker, performed a back-flip off a 15-foot container into a 3-foot-deep pool in July.

The impact, Accardo told the Sun-Star, rendered his son unconscious and he eventually drowned.

Noah was fresh out of elementary school and on the cusp of realizing his potential as a boy.

He was, by all accounts, a protector, a skateboarder, an honor student and, of course, a wrestler.

He was a star in the San Joaquin Wrestling Association -- a collection of clubs from Merced, Dos Palos, Los Banos, Atwater and Lodi.

In 2007, he finished seventh at a state tournament. He also competed at a tournament at Menlo College that year, in front of current U.S. national team coach Zeke Jones. Noah finished second in his age group's pushup and takedown contests, and later won the tournament.

Ninety-three pounds at the time of his death, anyone who watched Noah shoot across a mat knew he had the potential to be a force in high school.

"A lot of people knew Noah," said Golden Valley coach Chopper Mello, also the director of the San Joaquin Wrestling Association. Mello, with support from association members, raised enough money to purchase a Dos Palos letterman for the family and establish a scholarship through Dos Palos High.

"He was very scrappy. A tough little guy."

And fearless.

Since his death, Accardo has found evidence of his son's daredevil spirit.

His digital camera holds footage of Noah launching himself off the roof of their home on his skateboard -- and landing it. Noah wasn't a troublemaker, just completely comfortably on life's edge.

"The little boy was a sidewinder," Accardo said. "He wasn't scared of anything. He climbed fences. He climbed roofs."

Wrestling appeared to be his outlet -- a conduit for all that energy coursing through his wiry frame.

"When he told me he wanted to wrestle, it nearly blew my mind. When I took him to Junior Mid-Cals in Gilroy, one of the state's biggest tournaments, he looked like a piece of gum stuck to the mat," Accardo said. "But he never quit. He was lights out. I thought he had the potential to be a state champion."

That, like his death, will forever be a mystery.

"My son made one mistake and it cost him his life," Accardo said, wearing a Team Heaven T-shirt. "I don't know if anything will ever fill the void, but in a way, (today) is going to be about healing for us.

"I would have loved to see what he could have done this year. He should be here."

He is.

In spirit.

And trophy.

James Burns is sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.