When the the talented trio of Luke Schoch, Michael Terrell and Wesley Hayden burst onto the scene last year as freshmen, they provided a clear glimpse into the future of the Los Gatos High School wrestling program.
True to form, the trio have done nothing to suggest a sophomore slump is anywhere near the horizon. All three wrestlers entered the week ranked in the top 15 in the state in their respective weight classes—Terrell is No. 9 in the 144-pound weight class, Schoch is No. 12 at 126 pounds and Hayden is No. 13 at 150.
“They train so hard at perfecting wrestling,” Varela said. “I commend them on how hard they train. They’re all in, they do everything the right way, they listen to me, but most importantly, they’re good people. I’m proud to have them on the team.”
The Wildcats have won the SCVAL De Anza Division championship in every season since Varela became the LGHS coach starting in the 2018-2019 school year. Although Varela values victories on the scoreboard, it’s the process of daily improvement that really resonates with him.
“My highlights aren’t really the wins and losses,” he said. “It’s watching the kids come together, compete well, rooting for each other, training together and sacrificing for each other—those are my highlights. I’m loving where we are as a team; we’re doing great. But if you ask me what I love about this team, it’s watching them before practice, before matches, and seeing them help each other with technique. It’s a brotherhood.”
The top individual performances so far this season came from Hayden and Terrell in the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions in mid-December. After a somewhat disappointing fifth-place finish in the season-opening Robert Arballo Tournament, Hayden rebounded with an eighth-place podium finish at Reno TOC, one of the toughest competitions in the country.
“Wesley is finding his groove,” Varela said. “He had a slow start and didn’t wrestle his best at Robert Arballo, but then he figured things out. If you’re having an off-day and take fifth at one of the toughest tournaments in the state, you’re doing pretty good. And then him bouncing back at Reno TOCs—which is ranked as one of the top five tournaments in the country—I’m super happy with his progress.”
Terrell also came close to placing at Reno—though unofficially, he did finish in the top eight from Varela’s standpoint.
“Michael Terrell had a great tournament at Reno TOC,” Varela said. “He loses to the No. 1-ranked guy in the state at 144 pounds, then wrestles all the way back into the blood round (consolation match to place in a tournament), and has the lead by two points with 18 seconds left. There was some confusion with the (scorer’s) table and how the scoring went. When it was all said and done, they took away four points from him. And he eventually ended up losing in overtime. When I reviewed the tape later in the day, it was just a complete error, a mistake. First time seeing something like that in 23 years of coaching. There’s a first time for everything, I guess.”
Varela was proud of how Terrell responded after getting short-changed.
“‘It was a tough, tough time for him, but he just smiled and shook his head, as if to say, ‘Well, I guess that happens in life,’” Varela said. “It’s deceiving to say he didn’t place in Reno because he did, and I’m excited to see how he does as we go into the second stretch of the season.”
Four-year starters Joseph Pavlov Ramirez (No. 17 at 138 pounds) and Lucas Pannell (No. 14 at 165) have made immense contributions to the program over the last handful of years, helping the team win crucial matches in the CCS Northern Regional and Masters Championships.
Hayden’s younger brother, Lucius, has competed well and is ranked No. 20 at 175 pounds. Los Gatos suffered a huge loss when three-time State placer Antonio Rodriguez graduated early and moved to Arizona in mid-December to start training with the Arizona State University wrestling team, the program he signed with in November.
Despite Rodriguez’s departure, the Wildcats know they have to move forward—one of the defining traits of high-caliber teams.
“You look at the sophomores after their great freshmen year, and as soon as it was over, it’s, OK, that’s in the past, we’re at ground zero, let’s move forward,” Varela said. “The expectations are great, and we’re going right back to business to start taking on the next thing.”
