GHS coach Armando Gonzalez wears his heart the only place he
knows
– on his sleeve
The Gilroy gymnasium was packed to capacity as an overflow crowd turned out for the Mid-Cal Classic championship round Saturday night. And while the hometown Mustangs had the strongest contingency in attendance, fans from visiting schools left no doubt as to whom their individual rooting allegiances belonged.
Suffice to say, the place was rockin’.
But in the midst of all the mayhem, the sweat and the physicality that goes with the sport of wrestling a most tender father/son moment was carrying itself out near the scorer’s table. There, nestled in the back of the gym, Gilroy’s wrestling head coach, Armando Gonzalez and his son, senior wrestler Armando Gonzalez shared a quiet, tender moment together.
The last six weeks had been a roller coaster ride of emotions for the entire Gonzalez family and now, finally, father and son had a chance to reflect back on the adversity of defeat and share in the present joy of a winning moment.
To fully appreciate the scene we do well to rewind back to the Reno TOC, held back in mid-December.
This was suppose to be Armando’s chance to shine. Finally this was going to be his opportunity to enjoy the fruits earned from years of hard work that had made their way to full fruition.
The No. 2 ranked wrestler in the state of California at 140 pounds was going up against some of the nation’s best. Both he and his father were looking forward to Armando basking in what was potentially being held out as his crowning moment. It was going to finally be his day in the sun.
But that moment would never come – at least not in Reno.
Early on the second day of competition Armando suffered a serious neck injury during a match that he would eventually lose. He would try to move on to the next round but the injury, more severe than initially thought, would force him to default during that match.
In just a matter of hours the anticipated thrill of victory had been replaced by emotions of despair, defeat and most notably, concern.
For the past six weeks Armando has seen his patience, self control and long suffering all tested to their limits as he has had to rehab his way back into shape. And his biggest fan, his father, has been there every step of the way.
“(Saturday) was a real emotional moment for the two of us,” the elder Gonzalez admitted. “It’s been hard on Armando to just give himself time to heal. He loves wrestling so much and he’s been itching to get back to the mat.
“This tournament means a lot to him and this is his last year competing in it so he really wanted to be back in time and to do well,” Gonzalez continued. “I think winning this tournament as a team was more emotional for Armando than it was even for me.
“Hunter (Collins) is the vocal leader of our team and Armando is definitely the emotional leader. I think the kids were really pulling for his return and he was always there at practice cheering our guys on.”
So when Armando finally took center stage at Saturday’s Mid-Cals it was no surprise that most of his teammates were gathered around, positioning themselves into accessible spectator locations.
Armando defeated his opponent 7-4, although the match wasn’t nearly that close, and his Gilroy “brothers” were the first to congratulate their senior captain.
But now it was time for everyone else to redirect their attention to the next match at hand.
Everyone, that is, except two.
There they both were, father and son, sitting on a wooden box at the rear of the gym. Gonzalez, with his arm embraced around his eldest son.
“I can’t begin to describe to you the full range of emotions that we were both feeling at that moment,” Gonzalez said. “It was just wonderful to see him back wrestling again. We certainly had in the back of our minds how he would hold up. Was he ready. Had the injury completely healed.
“To see him wrestle the way he did was more emotional than I can put into words,” Gonzalez continued. “It’s one of those moments that you just treasure and remember forever, You know what I mean?”
Yeah, Armando, I think we do.
As I left the wrestling arena after receiving what had to be at least a minimum of five hugs myself from the elder Gonzalez I couldn’t help but think, “It’s no wonder that this team wrestles with passion, competes with desire and fights with a relentless determination.”
For the Gilroy Mustangs wrestling team has a coach that does more than just dictates, teaches and explains to his wrestlers the technique of their sport. He wears his heart on his sleeve and because of this he has inspired his “wrestling sons,” all 14 of them, to compete with that same passion.
The wrestling team wears a T-shirt with the words stitched across the back that simply say, “Pain is temporary, Pride is forever.”
Never have those words taken on a more powerful meaning than over the last six weeks.
The Mustangs have big dreams and targeted goals for the remainder of this season, including their eyes set on a state title. But they’ve already formed a brotherhood bond that they’ll all take with them for years to come.
Mustang Pride is alive and well… And they can all thank their “fatherly coach” for that.
Saturday night, a father and son, surrounded by thousands, managed to find a bit of seclusion and shared some time together – alone.
The ripple affects of that moment will most certainly last a lifetime.
