Few things excite Greg Varela more than the Central Coast Section’s wrestling ascension.
The Los Gatos High School wrestling coach is absolutely stoked that the CCS will now be sending the top four placers in each weight class from its Masters Finals to the CIF State Championships.
A veteran of the sport, Varela can’t remember the last time the CCS had its fourth-place finisher from each weight class advance to State.
“A decade at least, probably more,” said Varela, who is in his seventh season as LGHS coach. “Getting a fourth qualifier shows the quality of our section. It’s a sign of the times that the CCS is on the rise and we’re all getting better.”
Year after year, the Wildcats put a tremendous product on the mat, and this season is no different. Slotted at No. 11 in the state rankings, LGHS returns a pair of section powerhouses in junior Antonio Rodriguez and senior Dylan Pile.
Rodriguez, ranked No. 2 in the state at 126 pounds, showed his mettle in the prestigious Doc Buchanan Invitational on Jan. 4, reaching the final before falling to two-time state champion Ronnie Ramirez of Walnut High.
“Antonio beat a high-ranked kid on his way to the final at Doc B, and that was a huge deal,” Varela said. “He’s getting a lot of college offers now—full scholarship offers—and that’s all due to his hard work and commitment from his family and those around him to put him in a position to be his best.”
Rodriguez advanced to a state final in his freshman season before taking fifth last year after suffering a broken thumb in his first match of the tournament. Varela and his coaching staff have been emphasizing the mental aspect of the sport with Rodriguez.
“It’s all about getting Antonio in his mental zone where he’s not feeling pressure,” Varela said. “I think sophomore year he was trying to overperform because of people’s expectations. Well, those expectations and what people think doesn’t matter. None of that matters. We just want him to wrestle his match and do his best, and we’ve gotten to the point where he’s relaxing.”
‘Right now we’re working on his conditioning and hoping to get his lungs 100% for the state meet’
—Greg Varela, coach
Pile, a Stanford University-signee, is ranked No. 2 in California at 175 pounds. In his sophomore season, Pile won a CCS title at 160 pounds and finished fourth in the State Championships. Last year, Pile couldn’t compete in the year-ending tournaments after getting stricken with pneumonia midway through the season. This season, the Wildcats are hoping Pile can regain his health—he got sick in early December before being shut down from tournament action—in time for the postseason.
“Right now we’re working on his conditioning and hoping to get his lungs 100% for the state meet,” Varela said. “He’ll do a couple of mandatory (league) duels, but we’re trying to limit his exposure to big groups of kids. We’re not going to chance it. If he gets sick now, forget it—his season’s over.”
Senior Joseph Ramirez is another stalwart in the program, having won some key matches in the last couple of years. Ramirez is ranked No. 11 at 138 pounds but has his hands full in the weight class.
“Joseph has to wrestle a little more tactically and with more strategy because guys in this weight class are a little bigger than him,” Varela said. “He’s a little undersized, but he’s adjusting to the weight pretty well. I think he’s going to have it figured out by the time State comes around.”
The Wildcats have an outstanding freshmen class, led by Wesley Hayden, Luke Schoch and Michael Terrell. Varela was effusive in his praise of the trio.
“They’re exceeding our expectations every weekend,” Varela said. “They’re learning how to cut weight, managing their homework and pushing themselves in the classroom. We’re not just striving for titles—we’re striving for good grades. I’m proud of these guys because they’re not happy with a B grade—they’re going the extra mile to get the A. That’s admirable. They’ve bought in and it’s spreading to other kids on the team as well.”
