Brian DeCarli peers at his stopwatch while relaying instructions to a dozen of wrestlers who are working up a serious sweat.
It’s near the end of a 2 ½ hour practice, and the athletes in the room are gassed. Still, they continue to go through the drills with precision and intensity, until DeCarli says to wrap things up.
“We work to keep them in position when they’re tired, so they can rely on muscle memory at that point,” DeCarli said.
Indeed, form tends to break down when athletes enter a fatigued state, so DeCarli’s drills will prepare his wrestlers to maintain their technique even at the end of some grueling matches.
The Haybalers are coming off a terrific season, finishing second to state powerhouse Gilroy in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division. Last year, San Benito excelled in dual matches—it went 6-1 in league and won a couple of individual matches against Gilroy, the reigning 12-time CCS champions who often beat opponents by 50 or more points in 2013-14.
Although depth proves to be paramount in dual matches, it doesn’t mean nearly as much in the Central Coast Section or state tournament.
A team that has high aspirations for a top-tier finish need to place at least a couple of podium finishers in different weight classes.
“We’re hopeful that we’re going to improve on our section finish,” said DeCarli, whose team finished 17th at sectionals last season. “We need to be back in the top 5, top 3. That’s where we’re at expectations-wise.”
Even though San Benito graduated a couple of standouts, it returns a healthy number of wrestlers who saw significant action last season. The top of the list includes Eric Loredo, who took fifth in the 113-pound class at CCS last year, senior J.J. Melo at 220 pounds and junior heavyweight Tristian Medina.
Melo and Medina were a win or two away from placing at sectionals last year, and DeCarli hopes an extra year of experience will propel them to a CCS podium finish in March.
Medina will probably wrestle around 240 pounds, which is light for the heavyweight division. However, Medina possesses tremendous athleticism and agility for a heavyweight, and his technical skills have improved each year.
“Tristian will probably be one of our guys with a top preseason ranking,” DeCarli said.
Loredo, who wrestled at 113 last year, is moving up a couple of weight classes and will compete at 126 or 132. DeCarli said Loredo has improved in almost every area of the sport, and he’s looking for Loredo to finish off opponents with even greater efficiency compared to a year ago.
Other key returners include seniors Osvaldo Ruiz (126 or 132 pound weight class), Adrian Valdez (106), Ezra Contreras (220) and David Morgan (140-145). In addition, the Balers return junior standout Juan Gutierrez, who is in his first week practicing with the team after competing in the CIF State Cross-Country Championships last week.
Gutierrez reached sectionals last year, going 1-2 in the 132-pound division. DeCarli expects sophomore Michael Camacho—in the summer he won a folkstyle state tournament in his age group—to have a big impact at 170 to 182 pounds.
“We have a lot of guys who are unproven to the rest of the section, guys that no one outside of this team know about,” DeCarli said. “And that’s great, because it keeps everyone hungry and pushing for the entire year.”
The Balers are loaded in the upper weight classes, with as many as six to eight wrestlers who are interchangeable and can win a key dual match at any given moment.
“We have a lot of guys who have been battling hard for a long time,” DeCarli said. “Now it’s their time to shine.”
