Three San Benito grapplers set to wrestle at CIF state
championship
Whether it be the elevated mat, the all-eyes-on-me spotlight,
the fact that it’s the largest and most elite tournament of the
year or the simple finality of it all, the CIF State Wrestling
Championships has a way of breaking down even the best wrestlers,
both body and mind.
Three San Benito grapplers set to wrestle at CIF state championship
Whether it be the elevated mat, the all-eyes-on-me spotlight, the fact that it’s the largest and most elite tournament of the year or the simple finality of it all, the CIF State Wrestling Championships has a way of breaking down even the best wrestlers, both body and mind.
After roughly four months of wrestling and training, the state meet can very easily deliver a shock-and-awe takedown in the opening seconds.
Wrestlers can leave the mat physically exhausted after going up against one of the state’s best, or they can be mentally drained by the sheer size of the event itself.
“It’s just a battle to get to state anyway,” said San Benito head coach Brian DeCarli, who finished sixth in the state at 152 pounds during his senior year at Palma High in 1997.
“Everybody who goes out there wants to win the whole thing. It’s like March Madness – there is just a lot of crazy stuff that happens, just because the mental side of it is so huge,” DeCarli added. “Not a lot of kids are ready to deal with all those emotions when they actually have to step up and compete for everything they’ve worked for, for a lot of them, for the past four years.”
But San Benito High wrestlers Junior Davila, Josh Ramirez and Enrique Lucatero all have a bit of an edge. Davila (119 pounds) has been there and done that, qualifying for state three times now, while Ramirez (145) is returning to the state meet for a second year in a row.
As for Lucatero (160), well, this will be his first trip to the be-all, end-all of wrestling tournaments. However, not only does he have two teammates who have been before, but he also has four other brothers who’ve made the trip to Bakersfield.
With his third-place finish at the Central Coast Section Championships two weeks ago, Enrique officially joined siblings Fernando, Octavio, Saul and Eddie to complete a state-qualifying family dynasty, of sorts.
“All my brothers tell me, just wrestle my match,” Lucatero said. “I’m going to go out there and wrestle my match. I’m gonna try and push it and wrestle it the way I want to wrestle.
“But most of it’s in the head, like who wants it more. All it takes is a split-second to mess up. If you stop wrestling for that split-second, that could cost you the match.”
And Lucatero should have his hands full in the opening round. The 160-pound senior will face sophomore Luke Sheridan of De La Salle, who finished first in the North Coast Section.
Sheridan is described as a Greco-style wrestler, which encourages throws and upper-body movements.
“I’m not too worried about that,” Lucatero said. “I know he’s going to have to throw, but I’m going to try and take him out from the outside.”
Lucatero’s teammate, Junior Davila, is expected to have a difficult opening match as well. The three-time state qualifier will see Poway freshman Jesse Taylor, who finished first at 119 pounds in the San Diego Section.
“I know names, but I don’t really know who they are,” Davila said. “But you have to go in focused on your first match. You can’t just go out there and think about, like, you’re going to end up in the semifinals. You just have to take one match at a time.
“Everyone at state is good.”
Qualifying for such an elite tournament usually takes away from the guesswork. There’s no need in figuring out the quality of your opponent; who is a pushover and who is a powerhouse. As DeCarli points out, wrestlers need to be ready to go in the first round or not at all.
“If you’re not ready to go from the first second of the first round, then you’re not ready, period,” DeCarli said. “This is a totally different animal. If you’re not ready at the beginning, then you’re going to get eaten up and spit out.”
Senior Josh Ramirez says he’s ready. The CCS champion will open the state meet against Los Banos junior Greg Hartman, who finished seventh in the Sac-Joaquin Section at 145 pounds.
Ramirez, who qualified as a junior, said he feels more comfortable this year, especially after the Haybalers competed at The Bash tournament in Clovis East on Dec. 30, where many Southern Section teams were in attendance.
“It’s not as immense. It’s not as big anymore,” Ramirez said of state. “I’m not so worried about it. But either way, I don’t think I’ll be looking at the brackets.”
Distractions rarely ever seem to cloud Ramirez’ vision. He paces the side of the mat before each match, back and forth, his head down, his eyes focused.
He is aware of the top talent in his weight class, but as for a bio on Hartman or his draw at 145 pounds, Ramirez doesn’t necessarily think about it.
Many wrestlers feel that if the goal is to be a state placer, a state finalist, or better yet, a state champion, facing the absolute best wrestlers in the weight class is going to happen at one point or another.
So why worry?
“My mentality has always been to win. But I have a lot more confidence in my wrestling now than I ever have had,” Ramirez said. “If I win, I win. But if I lose, it’s all in God’s hands.”
