VIRGINA BEACH, VA. — March was quite a month for Gilroy’s Paul Fox.
The senior wrestler won his first California State Federation state title, signed his letter of intent to Stanford University and capped it all off with an NHSCA National Wrestling Championship Saturday in Virgina Beach, Va. He won his 152 lb. bout over Jairod James of Ohio 4-3 in overtime.
“I definitely put a lot of hard work into this — I didn’t just get it,” Fox said. “I definitely worked hard for it and to have it all pay off is just really satisfying to me. I put in a lot of extra work and did what I had to do to succeed.”
Fox is only the second wrestler in GHS history to win a national title, preceded by the University of Illinois’ Jesse Delgado — who won his second NCAA Division I crown on March 22 in Oklahoma City. In fact, the Mustangs have only ever had two wrestlers reach the finals of this tournament, but this year they had three. Accompanying Fox was Isaiah Locsin at 126 and Nikko Villarreal at 145. Locsin and Villarreal both finished second after losing to their respective opponents in OT. Locsin fell 2-1 to Ryan Millhof of Georgia, while Villarreal was handed his first loss of the year — an 8-6 decision — by Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer from New York.
“It (watching Fox) was nerve-wracking,” Gilroy coach Greg Varela said. “When it was done, I was happy for him and just so proud of him. Just knowing what he does everyday and what he has done everyday — all the extra work — for the past eight (or) nine years. It’s just great to see him develop into the national champion that he is. It’s been a long road for him.”
Fox also won the tournament as a freshman, but became just the second Mustang to earn the title in the senior division. Gilroy’s Brandon Felix took second at 113, while Anthony Villarreal was third at 152 in the freshman tournament.
While their high school careers may be done, the trio from Gilroy is far from through with wrestling. Both Fox and Locsin will wrestle for Stanford University next season, while Nikko will wrestle for Arizona State University.
“A lot of people think we’re crazy — and I know I am,” Varela said with a laugh. “It feels good that all that time and energy put into it has had a positive effect on my life and their lives. It feels good for them to be validated with the success they’ve had. All that time, pressure and pain that they’ve got through over the years all meant something — it wasn’t for nothing. They’re all going to college now.”
