Righetti High School wrestling teammates John Martinez and Beni Banduenga don’t have all that much in common.
Martinez is a senior; Banduenga is a sophomore.
Martinez has been a wrestler since the age of 11; Banduenga picked up the sport only six months ago.
Martinez goes into matches with a veteran’s mindset: He knows exactly what to do at what time because he’s been there hundreds of times before.
Banduenga, on the other hand, is so new to the sport he said he watches YouTube videos before meets to learn new moves, and then incorporates them into his matches on the fly.
So what trait do these two guys share?
They’re both absolute studs on the mat. And they’re busy training for what will be without a doubt the toughest competition of their lives: the USA Wrestling Cadet and Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. The July 17 meet draws the best high school wrestlers in the nation annually, along with college coaches of every rank and division.
This Santa Maria duo qualified for the tournament after a set of strong finishes in regional and state meets earlier this spring, which was an impressive feat in itself.
“The Fargo nationals tournament is one of the most prestigious tournaments for high school wrestlers,” said Andrew Martinez, a wrestling coach at Righetti (who is referred to in this article as “coach Martinez” to avoid confusion). “They’re going to be out there with all the top wrestlers from all the top-notch programs.”
For Martinez, the tournament is business-as-usual. The senior competed in a USA Wrestling event last year in Oklahoma on Team California. But this year’s event is an individuals tournament, and Martinez said that makes it a bigger deal.
“I’m excited and a little nervous,” Martinez said.
Banduenga, who decided this past winter to quit soccer and pick up wrestling, admitted to having even more pre-tournament jitters. Banduenga will be wrestling on a national stage for the first time.
“I’m very, very nervous,” Banduenga told the Sun. “I was just on YouTube watching videos [before the interview]. I’m just trying to get ready.”
Behind Banduenga’s cloak of modesty is a wrestling superstar in the making. His teammates and coaches can’t say enough good things about the sophomore.
“That kid, he has so much potential,” Martinez said. “Every time we wrestle I think, ‘Dang, this guy is going to be really good.’”
It’s not only Banduenga’s raw talent that impresses, but also his work ethic and attitude, they say. Martinez lauded his receptiveness to coaching and his ability to absorb new information.
“When we’re wrestling, if I see something he could do differently, I just tell him. And next thing you know, he’s doing it,” Martinez said.
Coach Martinez noted that Banduenga also brings a healthy, joyful approach to the sport.
“When he goes out there, he has a really open attitude just to have fun,” coach Martinez said. “He doesn’t really go out there with a lot of pressure; he just goes out there and wrestles hard.”
“I just try my best,” Banduenga agreed. “I believe in myself that I can do it.”
Since summer started, the boys have been diligently training together for the competition. Coach Martinez is prepping them for the Greco-Roman style of wrestling, which only allows upper-body contact. It’s not the style used in high school and college wrestling, but that doesn’t mean it’s harder, Martinez said.
“It actually allows you to focus more on your move because you don’t have to worry about protecting your legs,” he explained.
While Martinez has more experience practicing Greco-Roman, Banduenga is brand new to it. Coach Martinez complimented the more experienced players in the program for leading the younger players and helping instill the right principles in them.
“The older guys are really taking good leadership and mentoring the younger group, which Beni’s a part of,” he said. “They’ve bought into the vision of the older kids. That’s given them a lot of direction on being committed to the sport and getting a lot better along the way.”
And there’s no doubt that Martinez is a key leader in that group given his rare combination of experience and skills.
“[Martinez] is just a very dedicated athlete,” coach Martinez said. “His commitment level is amazing as far as training year-round. He has a lot of confidence when he goes out there and executes his game plan very well because he’s been through the training and gotten the experience.”
The upcoming tournament also provides a great opportunity for Martinez to be seen by college coaches.
“I’m mostly focused on doing my best, but if there happens to be college out there, then great because I am looking forward to wrestling in college,” Martinez said. “Hopefully they’ll know who I am.”
Regardless of how the boys perform in Fargo, coach Martinez said he has no doubt the experience will be valuable for their development.
“Just the whole environment will be special,” he said. “There will be a couple thousand wrestlers at this tournament, 26 mats laid out on an area floor … it’s a huge deal.”
Contributor Peter Johnson can be reached at pjohnson@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jul 7-14, 2016.