Eddie and Saul Lucatero used to grapple with their older sister,
Gracie, when they were boys. She must have taught them well.
Eddie and Saul Lucatero used to grapple with their older sister, Gracie, when they were boys. She must have taught them well.
Saul recently won the NAIA wrestling championship in the 149-pound weight class at the national tournament in Great Falls, Mont. Brother Eddie was fifth in the nation at 165 pounds. Menlo College teammate Ben Flores was fourth in the nation at heavyweight.
The three men have three things in common. All three wrestled for Menlo College, Moorpark Community College in Ventura County and for Hollister High.
Saul Lucatero defeated Chris Harada of Simon Fraser (British Columbia) in double overtime 4-3 to become champ, winning with an escape. For the tournament, he was 5-0 with two major decisions and a pin.
“I went a little crazy,” said Saul, 24. “I was pretty excited.”
Saul, a 1998 graduate of Hollister High, could have excused himself if he went more than a little crazy. His season started slowly because of some broken ribs. Then he was ill. He had to qualify for nationals by winning the Regionals.
His success at the national level is no surprise to Haybaler wrestling fans. Saul was fourth in the state as a senior. He won the Central Coast Section as a sophomore, then placed third and second in his junior and senior years, respectively. He went south to wrestle for Moorpark, a wrestling factory, where he won a state title in 2001.
That year, Eddie went 33-0, becoming one of two grapplers in Moorpark history to have gone undefeated in a season. The other was Ati Conner (1996-97), who went on to be a Division I All-American at Nebraska.
“I’m not surprised Saul is a national champ,” said Moorpark coach Paul Keysaw. “He’s one of the best wrestlers I have ever had here. He’s an outstanding kid. Mentally tough. He really focused on winning that national title this year. I’m proud of him.”
Eddie, Hollister High class of 1999, had success in high school as well. He was first in the CCS in his senior season after a second-place finish as a junior. In his senior year he placed fifth in the state. He went on to Moorpark where he came away with a state title at 157 pounds in 2002, going 31-1.
Eddie qualified for the nationals by taking second in an early-season tournament in Oregon. At nationals, he lost to eventual champ Chris Huntley of Southern Oregon, as well as the defending champion.
“I had a sub-.500 season,” said Eddie, who went 4-2 at nationals. “I was real happy to accomplish what I did.”
“Eddie wrestled in the toughest weight class at national’s,” Keysaw said. “I followed the tournament. That weight class was nails. He beat two All–American’s. He’s only a junior and he can win it next year.”
Flores qualified by placing third at thg regionals. He went 4-2 at the nationals and lost to the eventual champ, Matt Carter of Montana State. Flores, the Free Lance’s Senior Athlete of the Year for the class of 2000, had a stellar prep wrestling career. He was fourth in the state and second in the CCS in his senior year. At Moorpark, he was second in the state.
“I’m glad Ben decided he wanted to be a wrestler,” Keysaw said. “He’s a hell of an athlete. He’s been lifting weights and has improved his body. I’m proud of all three kids. They’re great kids, wholesome kids. What you see is what you get. They’re what wrestling is all about. They’re blue-collar kids from blue-collar families. Now they’re reaping the benefits of their hard work.”
The Lucatero brothers, who were first influenced by older brother Jose, have three younger brothers who are having early success on the mat.
Octavio Lucatero, a junior at Hollister High, took second in the CCS not long agon and went 3-2 at the state meet. Fernando, 12, and Enrique, 11, both sport 5-3 records for their respective school teams.
“I’m waiting for more Lucateros and Flores to come along,” Keysaw said.
It’s always been all in the family for the Lucateros, a family with seven boys and two girls.
“It was fun wrestling with them when they were younger,” said sister Beatrice, 21. “And we always went to watch them wrestle since they were little.”
Eddie hopes to teach and coach wrestling someday. Saul is majoring in sports management and wants to get a master’s degree in business. Flores is undecided on his future.
As a trio, these wrestlers have helped and/or kept Hollister, Moorpark and Menlo College on the wrestling map. Though Saul’s eligibility is used up, Eddie and Ben have another shot for the NAIA title next year and to propel Menlo to an improvement on its fourth place in the team standings this year.
