Whiz Kid: Fifth Grade Phenom Nicholas Tantillo

When Fort Lee’s Nicholas Tantillo was growing up, he followed his older brother around, mimicking a lot of things that Tommy did and someday hoping to be just like him.

Now, that same process is playing out in another way, as 11-year-old Nicholas has blossomed into one of the town’s rising sports stars while also becoming an idol to his younger brother Robbie, who is now six.

The story begins a while ago when Nicholas was just four years old himself. Seeing that his older brother Tommy was very active in wrestling, the youngster started to follow the same path.

“As a kid, I would always look up to him and wanted to be like him,” Nick said.

“He started hanging out at the gym with his older brother and just watching,” Nick’s father Lou said. “He was doing wrestling moves long before we even let him wrestle [at the age of seven].”

And over time, Nick has become a top wrestler himself. He finished second in the districts this year and won the regional tournament, something that no one in the long-line of Tantillo family wrestlers has ever accomplished.

In addition to becoming a top wrestler in New Jersey, Nicholas is a rising star in football as well. The Fort Lee athlete won the Most Valuable Player of the Year award in 2009 as a running back in Hackensack and started to do the same this year before suffering a concussion and missing the remainder of the season.

For a self-described competitor, Nick really missed being out on the field.

“It hurt so bad. I really wanted to play,” he said looking back at the injury that prevented him from doing what he enjoys.

But following those two seasons, some athletes would consider taking the next one off. Nicholas wouldn’t do it though. He continues to play baseball now in the Fort Lee American League.

In a similar fashion to wrestling older athletes for practice, Nicholas follows the same notion in baseball. He is already playing up with seventh and eighth graders in the Major Leagues.

“It’s hard not being the top dog,” Lou Tantillo said of his son’s move up to the higher league instead of remaining in the minors. “If he stayed in the minor leagues, he would have been one of the better players in the league.”

Now, Nicholas is turning into one of the better players at that level anyway as he collected multiple hits in each of his games so far this season and is developing into the team’s catcher.

But whichever sport you look at, the Tantillo youth has a certain something that spreads across each activity he participates in.

“He’s the best," said Nick’s baseball coach Pete Mancini. "He loves to compete. He takes everything to heart.”

And that extends to the mentoring of his younger brother Robbie as well. Nick has gone out of his way to be there, just like Tommy did for him.

If the weather is nice after school, the two will go outside and play sports. During the fall, Nick will also help guide Robbie with advice on sports as well.

So whether it is doing really well in school, excelling in sports or just being there for his younger brother, Nick has exemplified those characteristics of a Whiz Kid through his actions.

And he is not done yet. The 11-year-old routinely works out, asks for exercise equipment for birthdays to stay in shape and aspires to keep being the best that he possibly can be.  

Even though wrestling is his favorite sport, Nicholas says that it is unlikely he would follow that as a career and instead hopes to become a professional football player someday.

In order to do that, Nick said, “I got to give a lot of hard work,” something he has given to everything he has done at such a young age.

Editor's Note: Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree. Each week, Fort Lee Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to erik.wander@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information:

● Nominator's Name
● Nominator's E-Mail
● Whiz Kid's Name
● Whiz Kid's Age
● Whiz Kid's School
● Whiz Kid's Accomplishment
● Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness (what made him/her successful?)

If your nominee is selected, we'll contact you and assign a photographer to take a photo. For questions, e-mail erik.wander@patch.com