GILROY—The Gilroy High wrestling program has a storied history of excellence, producing several California Interscholastic Federation state and Central Coast Section champions. The walls of the Bob Hagen gym are decorated with its multiple CCS team titles—the Mustangs have won 12 straight—and on Monday night, Gilroy added another honor to its collection: a proclamation from the City of Gilroy.
Mustangs coach Greg Varela accepted the proclamation from Mayor Don Gage during the Nov. 3 City Council meeting in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Varela was honored as a wrestling coach and educator and was credited for the success of the several CIF and CCS champions that have passed through his program. The Mustangs most recently took home two state championships last year thanks to 2014 graduates Nikko Villarreal and Paul Fox.
“Thank you very much, this is a great honor,” Varela said. “I’ve got to say that I’m very proud of Gilroy and that we’ve produced the wrestlers that we have here. There’s a couple companies and businesses in Gilroy (as well as) the Garlic Festival that have donated money, time and energy into exposure for our boys—including the opportunity to travel around the country. We couldn’t do it without them.”
The most notable Mustang alum is arguably Jesse Delgado, a 2009 grad who has gone on to win back-to-back NCAA titles with the University of Illinois in 2013 and 2014. Delgado will return to his old stomping grounds when the Illini take on wrestlers from Appalachian State University and Cal State Bakersfield at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at Gilroy High School.
“Whereas is anticipated, because of the success of the Gilroy High School wrestling program over the past two decades and because of the well known reputation of Jesse Delgado as the NCAA champion, that high school wrestlers and their coaches from other schools from the region will attend the event at Gilroy High School,”Gage read from the proclamation. “It’s fitting and proper for the City Council to recognize the achievements of Coach Varela, the Gilroy High School wrestling program under his leadership and the national predominance of Jesse Delgado as a wrestler as well the many noteworthy wrestlers from Gilroy High School over the decades.”
The City’s proclamation also recognized several of Gilroy’s CIF state champions, including Kordell Baker (1987), Hunter Collins (2008); Martin Gonzalez (2008 and 2009), Delgado (2008), Willie Fox (2012) and Villarreal who holds three titles with wins in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The Mustangs were honored for helping their wrestlers continue their education at the college level by producing stellar athletes. There are currently 10 GHS alumni attending four-year colleges on wrestling scholarships. Four of them are attending Division I universities with Villarreal wrestling for Arizona State University and Fox, Isaiah Locsin and Victor Olmos all representing the Cardinal of Stanford.
