Hollister wrestler’s future seemingly has no limit

For the first four or five years of his wrestling career, Michael Zaragoza was solid but nothing special.
But two things happened to the longtime Hollister resident—Zaragoza was born in San Jose but moved here when he was 3—that has spurred him to new heights. During the summer of his fifth- or sixth-grade year, the incoming Palma High sophomore attended a wrestling camp in Fresno, where he honed in on the technical aspects of the sport.
The other major factor that pushed Zaragoza was his results, or lack of them—he always advanced to junior state wrestling tournaments only to finish 0-2. One summer, however, Zaragoza couldn’t stomach another defeat.
“I didn’t like the feeling of losing early in tournaments,” Zaragoza said. “I was tired of not being good enough.”
The 5-foot-7 Zaragoza has developed into a bona-fide future star. Last year he finished 32-5 wrestling in the 132-pound weight class, including a second-place finish in the Monterey Bay League Championships and a 3-2 record in the Central Coast Section Championships.
“Next year I’m thinking about placing in CCS, by junior year I’m thinking about making it to state and by senior year my mindset is I need to be at state,” he said. “I feel I’m only going to get better for the next three years.”
Zaragoza has already made good use of his time since the high school wrestling season ended in early March. In May, Zaragoza competed in the Junior Greco World Duals in Concord, finishing fifth in a field filled with international wrestlers.
“It’s probably the biggest tournament I’ve competed in, and I thought I did pretty well,” he said.
Two weeks ago, Zaragoza took second in the Greco Roman State Championships in Fresno, and a couple of days later he was on a plane for Idaho to compete in the West Region Tournament.
Zaragoza has also qualified for the Cadet (freshmen and sophomores) Nationals in Fargo, N.D., in July. If it seems like Zaragoza treats wrestling as a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week profession, it’s because he does.
All of the top-level wrestlers do the same. From December to mid-July, Zaragoza is physically pushing his body to the limit. Off the mat, he stays disciplined by eating lean protein and plenty of vegetables while for the most part staying away from junk food.
“When you’re wrestling in the season, I want to be in the best shape ever,” he said. “I’m constantly running, watching what I eat and always working out. When you’re doing everything right, you’re performing like a machine.”
Zaragoza didn’t look like any ordinary wrestler when he suplexed an opponent in the Greco Roman State Championships. The suplex is illegal in college wrestling, but legal in freestyle and Greco Roman style tournaments.
Zaragoza was on Cloud Nine when he pulled off the maneuver, since it takes tremendous strength and technique while also looking impressive to spectators. It’s also one of only a couple of moves in the sport that can garner a wrestler five points.
“It was really cool, the most amazing move you’ll ever feel,” he said.
Zaragoza has steadily improved over the years by working hard and getting several different perspectives from high-profile coaches, some of whom either competed in the Olympics or came close to qualifying for the Summer Games.
“I’ve been exposed to a lot of different ways of doing things, and when you incorporate those styles into your own, you become a more complete wrestler and can only get better,” he said.
Although wrestling is Zaragoza’s favorite sport, he also likes playing football. Last year, he started on Palma’s freshmen team, and the punishing sport actually gives him relief from wrestling eight months out of the year.
“I love wrestling, but the body really needs a break at some point in the year,” Zaragoza said. “You’re training hard, and that’s something I like to do. But you also have to cut weight sometimes, and that sucks. Your body takes a beating.”
Zaragoza’s father, John, who was a standout wrestler at Ceres High, said he was overwhelmed when his son won the 2013 West Region Tournament.
“Michael either pinned or won by technical fall in every match, which was a jaw-dropper,” John said. “He just dominated, and I didn’t think that could happen this soon. Now, it seems like anything is a possibility.”