It’s no coincidence that Gilroy High wrestling, the school’s
most successful sport in the past year, is also expected to be the
most successful sport in town for years to come.
It’s no coincidence that Gilroy High wrestling, the school’s most successful sport in the past year, is also expected to be the most successful sport in town for years to come.
Aside from the Bay Area’s parochial schools’ ability to offer scholarships to talented athletes in the form of grants and student-aid, GHS may have the most lucrative recruiting advantage of any high school in the entire Central Coast Section, across all sports.
The feeder system comes in the form of the Gilroy Hawks, a youth wrestling club that annually produces county and state champions in the elementary and middle school levels, and also recently had two alums, junior Martin Gonzalez and senior Hunter Collins, each win California state championships in early March. The titles are the first in the club’s history, which spans almost two decades. Both wrestlers, part of a GHS team that placed second in the state overall, reached the pinnacle of their high school career after spending nearly a decade competing for the Hawks, who compete in local as well as national tournaments.
“The way it affects our system is it is our system,” GHS head coach and Hawks assistant Armando Gonzalez says. “All of our varsity wrestlers who are state caliber and national caliber are products of the kids program. You can’t get to that level if you’re a seasonal wrestler. It’s very difficult to come into high school and become that good unless you go year-round.”
Coach Gonzalez, who runs the high school program with his protege and Hawks head coach Greg Varela – expected to take over the reigns full-time at GHS in a few years – says the success Collins and his son Martin had this year was related to those who came before them, helping form a more competitive environment. He says the recent success should also translate into more state medals in the future.
“If you look right down this room right here,” Gonzalez said at a recent Hawks practice, pointing at a group of 8- to 14-year olds lined up against a wall, “there are multiple county and state champions.
“By the time they’re seniors, they have nine, 10 years (of experience). And, so, the Gilroy Hawks program is a huge, huge reason for our success.”
Three individuals currently on the Hawks who appear destined for their own time in the spotlight at state, according to coaches, include 8th grader Leif Dominguez (placed at nationals twice, fourth at state twice and is a two-time county champ) and 6th graders Nikko Villerreal (three-time placer at nationals, third in state twice) and Isaiah Locsin.
Locsin has set the bar the highest, winning state three times and placing second at nationals twice. Expected to compete for high school titles as soon as he steps foot on the GHS campus, the 80-pound Locsin already has his goals clearly laid out.
“In high school I really want to be a state champion,” he said. “I was really inspired when I saw (Collins and Gonzalez) both win.”
Locsin’s father, Dan, is the strength and conditioning coach for several GHS sports and has worked with the San Francisco 49ers’ Jeff Ulbrich. His knowledge will undoubtedly give his son, who works out 15 hours per week, an advantage when it comes to training. Isaiah’s drive, however, tireless like most of the Hawks’ wrestlers but at a clip slightly higher, according to coaches, is what will carry him.
“He sets the standard by his work ethic in practice,” coach Gonzalez said. “And it’s not a coincidence that the kids above (Isaiah) and below him (in age) are very good.”
Locsin’s father tries to test him to see if the sport ever starts to be too consuming, but Isaiah never seems to want to stop.
“Most of the champions, you see it in Hunter and Martin, they know how hard they worked,” Dan said. “And they just love it.”
The same is true with Isaiah.
“Depending on where the best competition is, every tournament he goes to he’s seeking out tougher opponents,” Varela said. “He’s really ultra-talented.”
A flattering description for the individual and team when one considers Locsin’s coaches view him as one more great wrestler in a line that keeps getting longer.
Ones to keep an eye on
Randy Guerrero: The 15-year-old younger brother of IBF Featherweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is 5-0 as an amateur and has had trouble finding opponents willing to step inside the ring with him. His bloodlines suggest he has the talent as his father and all of his brothers were successful boxers. It will come down to how bad he wants it, and it sounds like Randy, who will be fighting in the Junior Olympics this summer and wants to compete in the 2012 Olympics, wants nothing more than to make his mark.
“I’d like to make a statement by achieving my own goals,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll be known like my brother – be one of the best.”
Others to watch: Bryant Cid (basketball, baseball); Cydney Cardonna (volleyball, running, basketball); Jonahluis Galvez (track and field); Kaylana Mah and Casey Lester (softball); Armando Covarrubias, and Rene Romero (running); Cesar Martinez (running); Alejandro Lustray and Paul Fox (wrestling), Alex Hernandez and Luis Galvan (soccer).
