Sunday's wrestling tournament at Central York High School had all the things a typical tournament would have.

There were screaming fans.

There were bloody noses.

And there were plenty of wrestlers to cheer for.

The only thing out of the norm?

Well, the wrestlers weren't necessarily young.

Nearly 90 grapplers showed up for the first annual Bald and Fat Wrestling Tournament.

The event was held for participants 25-years-old and up, some of whom came from as far away as Delaware, New York and New Jersey to compete.

The tournament definitely lived up to its name.

Most participants likely wrestled at a weight higher than the one in which they competed in high school. Still,

Mike Hodowanec sports a Mexican wrestling mask during the Bald and Fat Wrestling Tournament held at Central York High School. (John A. Pavoncello) MORE PHOTOS
there was a good disparity to fill out the 10 weight classes, which ranged from 140 pounds to super heavyweight.

Many grapplers had shiny domes. And a lot of them still donned the singlet they wore in their high school days, including 250-pounder Melvin Heavner, who wrestled at 189 pounds as a senior at York Tech. Heavner is now 33.

The bouts consisted of three one-minute periods, so wrestlers weren't too winded when the final buzzer sounded. Still, some bouts were a bit sloppy, which could be expected between a pair of older guys. And there were a few injuries along the way -- the worst being a couple pulled hamstrings.

"Most of (the bouts) were actually pretty competitive," said Joe Musti, who organized the event. "They weren't Olympic-caliber or anything, but it wasn't bad to watch,"

That's not surprising when considering some wrestlers were performing in front of their wives and children for the first time. That alone is reason enough to dig deep and show the family how good daddy may have been back in his high school days.

"My wife said she is going to leave me for whoever I lose to," said 32-year-old Adam Boyce of Mechanicsburg.

Boyce, who once placed third at districts when wrestling for Jefferson Township (N.J.) High School, shared those thoughts after he defeated 53-year-old Richard Mastrangelo.

The oldest wrestler to compete on Sunday, Mastrangelo tried to tap on the wrestling abilities he used to win silver medals at states in his junior and senior years for Ipswich (Mass.) High School. Unfortunately for Mastrangelo, who is now a coach for the Red Lion youth program, he lost both of his bouts in the double-elimination tournament.

Success: Musti said Sunday's event raised roughly $4,000, all of which will go toward the Central York Youth Wrestling Program.

"We're pretty excited about it," Musti said. "Next year if we get a larger turnout, the plan is to do a 25-to-35 age group and a 35-and-up. And we'll come up with some tricky names for those."

Wrestlers took home gold, silver and bronze medals for their efforts on Sunday. Medal or not, it was a success for those who were just looking to recapture those moments of mat competition that they last felt in high school.

Reach John Walk at 505-5406 or jwalk@york dispatch.com or follow on Twitter @JohnKWalk.