Hunter Collins took a break from practice Wednesday, sweat
glistening from his forehead. His breathing was heavy.
Gilroy – Hunter Collins took a break from practice Wednesday, sweat glistening from his forehead. His breathing was heavy.
When asked if Gilroy’s wrestling team was ready to grapple with opponents rather than teammates, his answer was succinct.
“We’re dying in here. It’s like trying to train a fighting dog and not letting it out of its cage. We’re so ready we’re barely able to hold it together in this room,” Collins said.
The Mustangs will finally get a chance to tangle with unfamiliar faces when they travel to Fresno for the two-day Zinkin Classic this weekend, arguably one of the five toughest tournaments annually in the state. Actually, some of their opponents’ faces will be familiar since this is a test of some of the best wrestling teams in Northern California.
Weigh-ins are 8am Friday with wrestling to begin at 10; and 7 am Saturday with wrestling to begin at 9.
Collins, a junior, is a returning Zinkin champion at 171. So is 119-pounder Martin Gonzalez.
Nicolo Naranjo is in the “loaded” 125-pound weight class where GHS coach Armando Gonzalez anticipates “four or five state placers.” And yet Gonzalez figures Naranjo and Rudy Maldanado at 130 should fare well. He feels the same about Jesse Delgado, 103; Travis Sakamoto, 140; and Austin Gubrud, 145.
“There are a lot of (our) guys who are first-timers there,” Gonzalez said. “It’s the beginning of the season for them. We have a lot of kids who should do well.”
Gonzalez noted the Mustangs finished third the last two years and said that host Buchanan, the 2006 state champions, are again the team to beat. But he said GHS is more than ready to open its season.
“The guys are just chomping at the bit,” Gonzalez said. “They’ve been going so long (in practice) that they’re hurting each other. Now they just want to do some pounding on someone else.”
Collins seconded his coach.
“The thing with Gilroy wrestling is we’re able to bring it and start at a whole other level because we’re always in shape,” Collins said. “We have the mentality to do what we need to do when we are told.”
Whether that will be enough at Zinkin is to be determined. But there is no questioning the determination of the Mustangs after more than six weeks of practicing against each other.
