Due
ñas, Gonzalez Top Careers with Big Finishes at Sr. Nationals
Gilroy – A disappointing performance at the Reno Tournament of Champions in December left Gilroy wrestler Adin Dueñas wondering how he could get his senior year back on track.
“I wasn’t really sure what to do after that point. I was really devastated,” Dueñas said.
He soon after found a way and hasn’t looked back since.
After failing to place in Reno, the 135-pound Dueñas won the very tough Doc Bucahanan, Mid-Cal and Mission San Jose tournaments and finished second at Five Counties.
Then he won a Central Coast Section title and went on to take third at the CIF State Wrestling Championships.
Finally, Dueñas capped his career off March 26 with a fourth-place finish at the Senior National Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh.
“I told myself the day I got back (from Reno) that I’m going to start training harder and longer so that I could do what I did a couple weeks ago,” Dueñas said.
Fellow senior Armando Gonzalez also had a solid showing at the Senior Nationals in the 140-pound weight class. He finished one match away from placing in the 67-man field with a record of 3-2. One of those losses was a tight 3-0 match with four-time Ohio state champion Lance Palmer.
At the national tournament, which in 2005 included two of this year’s NCAA finalists, Dueñas went 5-2. He dropped into the consolation bracket after losing a heartbreaker to New Jersey state champion and eventual senior national champ Jordan Burroughs in the semifinals. The Gilroy senior controlled most of the contest and led 3-2 with 45 seconds to go, but was taken down by Burroughs in the final ticks to lose 4-3.
“I had him beat. I have no one else to blame by myself,” Dueñas said. “He’s a good wrestler.”
Dueñas beat three-time Iowa state champ Derek Moyer 4-2 to get a shot at third-place, but lost the final match.
The senior said he was pleasantly surprised with the way he finished his high school career.
“Going into the tournament I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to wrestle my heart out,” said Dueñas, who will go on an official visit to Fresno State this week. “I actually did better than my goal, which was to place.”
But that’s just the kind of year Dueñas has had. A quiet leader for the Mustangs, Dueñas’ ambitious, methodical training helped him become even more prominent on the mat this year.
“It was hard because in past years he’d been in Armando’s shadow and this year Armando got hurt and Adin stepped up,” said Gilroy head coach Armando Gonzalez. “He’s just not in it for the glory. He just wants to get it done and accomplish his goals.”
The next goal is college wrestling. Dueñas is “90 percent” sure he will sign with Fresno State, which has offered him a full scholarship. If Dueñas does, he’ll join the younger Armando Gonzalez at the college ranks. The two have been best friends and have trained with each other since grammar school. They’ll also both be recognized in an upcoming issue of USA Wrestling magazine for their high national rankings.
“They want to stick together and cheer each other’s success,” coach Armando Gonzalez said about his son and Dueñas.
The coach added, “(Adin) has been a great leader. He’s led more by example and by just trusting the coaching staff and needing to make adjustments in four years. He’s the closest the team has to a perfect wrestler and role model right now.”
