View more wrestling photos by Steve E. Miller.
It could be said that wrestling is a sport of the gods. Greek mythology has it that Zeus outwrestled Cronus for possession of the universe, thus wrestling was a large part of Greek culture and literature.
Wrestling is one of the purest forms of competition—it’s man-on-man, there’s no equipment, no one to blame, and no time to rethink approach. When the whistle sounds, a wrestler’s world becomes the four corners of the mat. His whole being is immersed in the battle.
Wrestlers are considered elite athletes. That’s not to say that other sports don’t require the same amount of commitment. But these intense and very competitive athletes operate at a higher level of resilience. Rather than practicing, competing, and then being able to relax, wrestlers have to maintain focus and motivation around the clock.
Locally, three high-school wrestling teams have shown tremendous fortitude, taking point as the three to beat in the Los Padres League. The wrestling teams from Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, and Nipomo high schools have spent the last few years edging out the rest of the competition. And each of these teams engaged in a fierce battle with one another to reach the top.
Now some former collegiate wrestlers are helping develop top-notch athletes here on the Central Coast. This last month, the Sun got to know the coaches and students of each of these programs to find out what gives them that champion-level edge.
Coaches weigh in on wrestling
Despite being one of the oldest sports in history—it’s dated as far back as 15,000 BC based on paintings of wrestlers in the Lascaux Caves in France—wrestling is often overshadowed by other sports that have a professional angle.
Wrestling has always faced challenges due to the perceived risks associated with the sport. However, the wrestling coaches at Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, and Nipomo high schools said the sport equips athletes with tremendous life skills.
Santa Ynez head coach Brian Wallace, who wrestled at Lompoc’s Cabrillo High School before heading to the University of Wyoming, has been leading the Pirates since 2006. He said the playbook on wrestling is bigger than the one on football.
“There is more technique and nuances to wrestling than people realize,” Wallace said. “You’re causing someone pain while trying to pin them—there are no pads, timeouts, or substitutions. We train three hours for a six-minute match.”
Nipomo coach James Gross, who wrestled at Cal Poly until 2000, has been with the Titans since the school opened in 2003. Gross said wrestling is the toughest sport at the high school and college level, which makes keeping athletes in the sport difficult.
“The sport fosters a feeling of self-worth and self-pride in young individuals who oftentimes are lacking this in themselves,” Gross said. “The individuals who are able to stay with the sport learn a lot about hard work, dedication, and persistence.”
Wrestling isn’t supposed to be easy. For these coaches, wrestling is about showing athletes who survive the sport that they can go on to survive anything.
Santa Maria
Hanging on the wall of the Santa Maria High School wrestling room is a banner that says “Los Padres League Champions 2014” in bold red and black letters. According to the wrestling Saints, this banner is a constant reminder of the goal for which they grind every day—a championship title that was just within their reach last season.
Head coach Douglas Silva, a graduate of Righetti High School and a former collegiate wrestler, said the team has not had a CIF champion since 2005. The school has one of the oldest wrestling programs in the league. Silva said the Saints struggled for a bit when they moved to the Los Padres League.
But the last few years have seen Santa Maria take its competition to a new level. Last season, the Saints went undefeated in league and were dual league team champions. Unfortunately, they suffered a blow at league finals and finished second.
This season, the team has come out strong with two wins in league, recently defeating Morro Bay High School. With their eyes on the prize and hunger in their bellies, the Saints could make it back to the top.
“Every year is a rebuilding year in some ways,” Silva said. “They all work hard every day. We have seven seniors and a lot of tough, young kids who complement the team really well.”
Silva said he wants to take all 14 of the weight classes to CIF and to have everyone place in the top three for state.
With that in mind, the veteran coach said the team has been spending more time working on drills.
“We have been working on technique because that is where we lack,” he said.
Wrestling is a sport that commands self-discipline and a solid understanding of the rules. Silva said his technique as a coach is holding his athletes accountable.
“Everyone has to show up and be on time,” he said. “I like to have the coaches work out with the kids and wrestle with them. It keeps us in shape and it pushes the kids.”
Silva acknowledged that there are coaches that are yellers or just tough, but this coach simply tries to work with his athletes, who are competing in a highly demanding sport.
“I think with any sport you have to be mentally tough,” Silva said. “But these guys are elite athletes and overachievers.”
Of the seven seniors on the team this season, there are two second-generation wrestlers taking point as the top competitors on the squad. Senior and captain Oscar Velasco wrestles in the 120-pound weight category. His favorite takedown is the Single Leg, the first move he ever learned.
“My brother wrestled in 2012, and I fell in love with the sport,” Velasco said. “I started my freshmen year. I love it because it challenges me and it has made me the person I am.”
Velasco, whose dedication to the sport is evident through his passion, said he wants to win league again and to qualify for state.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I started,” the senior shared.
After wrestling for four years, Velasco didn’t hesitate to say that the Saints’ toughest competition will come from Santa Ynez and Nipomo high schools. “I think our teams are in the top three because we are able to develop a group of freshmen together,” Velasco said. “We go head-to-head with Nipomo every year. They gave us a good fight last year for league.”
Matt Garcia, another senior who wrestles in the 128-pound weight class, also joined his freshmen year. His brother was a wrestler in 2004. Garcia’s goals are to become league champion and to place at masters.
“I wanted to improve lots of little things, but mainly my technique on bottom,” Garcia said.
He agreed that the heftiest competition will come from the Pirates and the Titans.
“We are top in the [Los Padres League] because we work hard,” Garcia said. “The matches between us and Nipomo are always more intense with bigger crowds.”
In order to become league champions, Velasco said, the team will need to focus on healing from injuries and not get caught in situations that give their opponents a chance to score.
“It’s the small things that will win the big matches when it counts,” Velasco said.
Coach Silva said he wants his wrestlers to walk away from his program as good, strong men who enjoy everything they have.
“I am here guiding them—it’s about them,” Silva said. “They go out and wrestle. All of our victories are because of the kids.”
Santa Ynez
After Santa Ynez High School’s first wrestling tournament, people began wondering if the Pirates could take the lead as the best wrestling team in the Los Padres League.
While the wrestling team was established in 1965, the program hasn’t had a strong tradition. Coach Brian Wallace said the school has had only seven CIF placers in its history.
But traditions can certainly change. Already 2-0 in the league with a 58-18 win over Lompoc, this season holds promise for the Pirates.
“Years before I got here, the team placed last with only 15 wrestlers,” Wallace said. “The first thing to do was recruit and [to] make wrestling cool.”
This season, the Pirates are carrying 30 wrestlers with nine seniors. Wallace said seven of the seniors started out together their freshman year.
“These kids have good work ethic, and the seniors hold people accountable,” he said, adding that this year’s team has surprised a lot of people.
He shared that most of the guys who are doing well now didn’t perform at the same level their freshman year. He said each of them has had to work to get where they are.
Coming into this season, Wallace said he wants the team to realize its goals.
“Every year you set a goal without actually realizing it. These kids are old enough to remember us losing CIF to Nipomo two years ago,” he said. “Visualizing winning is the biggest difference with this team.”
With the sting of the loss to Nipomo still fresh in their minds, the Pirates have returned with a vengeance, defeating Nipomo and Santa Maria in tight matches.
“Nipomo and us are always tight,” Wallace said. “Both Santa Maria and Nipomo are good competition.”
Out on the mat, Wallace said he has a very basic philosophy when it comes to coaching his athletes.
“If you know how to wrestle, you can be successful,” he said. “We aren’t flashy. We teach moves a 5-year-old can do, but we do them all well.”
When it comes to motivating his kids, Wallace said he isn’t a yeller, but he doesn’t care if they like him or not. He wants his athletes to buy into each other and the common goal.
“I want them to do it for one another,” he said. “The motivation is every point they don’t up is a point they save for the team. Everyone on the team gets to feel important.”
Wallace added that while wrestling can be awesome individually, success comes when the athletes buy into the team aspect.
With a big group of upperclassmen, the Pirates have some experienced talent on their side, including monster senior Clayton Hanly. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Hanly is a fearsome competitor on the mat. He is 26-1 in wrestling and has helped lead the Pirates on a perfect run through the league so far. Last season, Hanly was a mere two wins away from qualifying for the fabled state meet.
Then there are Zach Tolson and Tyler Kelly, two seniors helping the Pirates acheive success. Wallace said, at 138 pounds, Tolson is a two-time league champion with mental toughness and determination.
“I was recruited freshman year by some football players, and after the first practice I was weirded out,” Tolson said. “But I like it because you get out of it what you put into it. It’s the raw talent of two guys with no one but yourself to rely on.”
Tolson said this season he wants to place higher in CIF. Like the rest of the Pirates, he’s using the loss against Nipomo to fuel his desire.
“The most important thing I’ve learned from my coach is to keep pushing,” he said. “Now I know what I need to do.”
Kelly, a senior wrestling at 160 pounds, is 21-5 so far this season and has also wrestled all four years. He’s also aiming to place in league and CIF.
“Wrestling has given me determination,” Kelly said. “A lot of it is mental and trying to push yourself when you’re tired.”
At the end of the day, Wallace wants his wrestlers to walk away from Santa Ynez wrestling knowing how to work with other people and how to become a part of something bigger than themselves.
With the clock ticking down on the season, the Pirates will continue to chip away at their opponents, having already pinned losses on wrestling rivals Nipomo and Santa Maria.
“In the future, I would love to get better and exceed what we have done in the past. The point is to remain consistent,” Wallace said. “We want to be in the match every year against Santa Maria and Nipomo.”
Nipomo
The youngest school and program out of the three, the Nipomo Titans have made up for their “green” status with years of consistent hard work and perseverance. The team has three league titles and a CIF semi-finals finish under its belt.
This year, the Titans are 2-2 overall and 1-1 in league, having suffered a tight loss to the Pirates earlier this season.
“The team is talented, but lacks experience,” coach Gross said. “The team is working hard, making progress, and having fun this year.”
Wrestling is intense enough without an over-zealous coach. With that in mind, Gross said he tries to make the sport as fun as possible for his athletes.
Carrying just five seniors, the Titans’ stronger wrestlers include junior Bennett Kobliska (132 pounds) and senior John Renner (162 pounds).
Kobliska, who has been wrestling for seven years, got into the sport after being recruited by friends who were participating to stay in shape for football. Kobliska said he eventually left football due to too many concussions and decided to stick with wrestling.
“I like the mental toughness and physical strength it requires,” he said. “You have to … know what you want to do.”
The junior said he has gotten a lot stronger since his freshman year, improving technique through experience and practicing different situations. This season, Kobliska wants to place in the top eight for masters and to have more pins and points scored than last year. So far, he is 8-1.
Kobliska admitted that Santa Ynez is looking especially strong with some tough middleweights, but the junior has his money on Nipomo.
“I think we have the most involved wrestling team. We stay strong and never give up in a match,” he said. “Everyone gets along and practices hard.”
Renner, whose twin brother, Michael, also wrestles on the team, is in his fifth year. The senior admits he didn’t like the sport at first but rather started liking it as he improved.
“This year I’d like to place first in league and go to masters,” he said.
Renner said his coach has taught him never to settle for average.
“The tempo at practice is a mellow learning environment, but when we wrestle live, he expects us to work hard,” he said.
The sport, which relies largely on technique and supreme conditioning, is three rounds of battle.
“The hardest part is breaking that wall barrier of being tired and making it all three rounds,” Renner said. “It becomes you versus that other guy, and you have to do everything to beat [him].”
With two back-to-back league titles, the Titans hope to finish out their season with a third, all the while maintaining their tradition of steady hard work and absolute focus.
Contact Staff Writer Kristina Sewell at ksewell@santamaria sun.com.
This article appears in Jan 23-30, 2014.