Brothers Jose and Antonio Andrade recently took first place at
the Greco-Roman State Championships
When brothers Antonio and Jose Andrade start wrestling in the
family living room, father Steve Chapa is usually quick to
interject.
”
I get them to stop,
”
Chapa said.
Brothers Jose and Antonio Andrade recently took first place at the Greco-Roman State Championships
When brothers Antonio and Jose Andrade start wrestling in the family living room, father Steve Chapa is usually quick to interject.
“I get them to stop,” Chapa said.
Although the Andrade brothers are in an ideal position to continue their training outside of the wrestling room, they are, in fact, brothers. And the brotherly love can be lost in an instant, or a chokehold.
“We choke each other out,” said Antonio, 10.
“We can be a little too competitive,” added Jose, 11. “One of us will get too competitive, and the other one will hit.”
The wrestling-induced dislike between the two brothers usually subsides with the adrenaline. But constantly practicing and training, in the wrestling room or the living room, may just provide enough of an edge for the brothers. With a goal to someday wrestle in the Olympics, Antonio and Jose Andrade are constantly moving forward in their development, and their lengthy list of accolades proves as much.
The brothers recently returned from Temecula, where Antonio was named state champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 100-pound intermediate division, while Jose earned the same honor in the 140-pound novice division.
Their exploits at the Greco-Roman State Championship are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of accomplishments, though. Antonio, among other awards, recently earned double grand champion status in the Santa Clara Valley Wrestling Association after taking the intermediate Greco and intermediate Freestyle/Folkstyle divisions. He also won the triple crown award after finishing first at the Western States in Clovis and first at the Folkstyle state championships.
Jose, meanwhile, earned first at Western States, a trio of runner-up finishes in state competitions for Folkstyle, Freestyle and at the Reno World Championships, and took home third place at the Tulsa Kick-Off Classic in Oklahoma.
“I’m proud of my kids. It’s a big accomplishment for them,” Chapa said. “I’m just trying to take them to the next level and hopefully they’ll be ready for college.”
Chapa, who was raised in Gilroy, wrestled for 10 years in his youth, from South Valley Middle to Gilroy High to Gavilan College, and eventually directed both his sons toward the sport as well.
“Ever since they started, they’ve liked it. They just took off,” Chapa said. “It’s tough, but it’s a good sport.”
Initially, though, only Antonio was attracted to the sport – the traveling, the lack of sprinting.
“It gets boring when you sprint,” he said. “I like traveling, but not sprinting. I don’t like sprinting. But today I sprinted to the ice cream truck.”
Jose, however, didn’t truly grasp the sport until he watched his younger brother succeed.
“Then it was like, ‘Oh, I’ll do it. I’ll do it,'” Chapa said.
“I don’t know,” Jose added. “I was a little scared because I saw some kids slamming each other.”
And what does Jose enjoy about the sport now?
“Just beating up on kids,” he said.
The brothers, who wrestle approximately 10 months out of the year, are currently on a two-month break and will return to the mat in September.
As for wrestling in the living room, well, that could start up at a moment’s notice.
