By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
RIO GRANDE CITY — Alex Islas took up wrestling on a bet.
If he didn’t find it more challenging than football, his friend, Jose Alonzo, owed him $5.
“I said, ‘Alright, I’ll take that bet,” Islas said. “We went to the old wrestling room (at Rio Grande City High School), and an hour later practice was over. I was dripping with sweat, tired, beat out. I could barely pick myself up.
“Then he comes to me and says, ‘Oh, so what? Five bucks for me or five bucks for you?’ I said, ‘Alright, I give you this. Wrestling is harder than football.’”
At that time, Islas was in the seventh grade, obsessed with football. But that one afternoon changed his life for the next four years. He has since been recognized as the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the 285-pound weight class by WrestlingTexas.com, and he has opened the season with a 15-1 record heading into this weekend.
As Islas retraced his journey in the sport, he considered the missed opportunities — his freshman year, where he wrestled only two times because he was ruled academically ineligible; his disqualification earlier this season, which blemished his otherwise perfect record.
Either situation could have been avoided. He drew a DQ following an illegal slam, saying he was “real pumped up and I guess too excited” when he tossed a PSJA High freshman. And two years ago, he failed two classes, essentially eliminating what was left of his freshman season.
“Honestly, in my head, I always think ‘what if?’ What if I passed? What would’ve happened as a freshman? That’s what gets to me,” Islas said. “But right now, I can’t let it get to me. So I put it aside. Coach (Ronald) Pratt says everything happens for a reason, so I said, OK, it happened. I can’t dwell on it.”
He balances his appreciation for where he stands now — on an upward trajectory, eying state — with his desire to make the most of what little time he has remaining at Rio Grande City.
After taking a year away from football, Islas rejoined the team this season. He intends to play in 2016, as well.
Pratt credits part of his improvement to last year’s trip to state. He said Islas’ attitude changed after dropping the first two sets, as he measured himself against higher competition. It inspired him to polish his techniques.
When he’s close to getting pinned now, Islas is more explosive in breaking from holds. If he’s on top, Islas can generally keep his opponent down.
Part of that is due to conditioning. Coming off a year in which he wasn’t at his physical peak, Islas focused on offseason workouts and film studies. By the same token, he’s received an added motivation from his No. 1 ranking in Class 5A.
Initially, Islas was aware of the list, but didn’t exactly know where he stood on it. Pratt informed him it was in the top 10, but didn’t reveal much else. When he found out he was listed as the top-ranked wrestler in Class 5A, he froze.
“I said, ‘What? Me? Ranked first? I’m not that good,’” Islas recalls thinking. “But, alright, if they say I’m that good, then I have to work for it. I have to live up to what they say.
“It gave me confidence, but it’s also pressure.”
That incentive is to not only win, but win convincingly. Though he appears primed to make a return trip to state, Islas has refused to take nights off. At times, it’s to his detriment, like when his over-anxiousness inspired him to toss his opponent, earning a DQ.
Pratt, however, turned it into a positive.
“I said, ‘Fine, you did it. Own it. But let it sit there at the pit of your stomach. Let it fester, and let it make you want to do better,’” he said. “If he goes undefeated the rest of the way, we’ll call it a good season.”
Alonzo remembers making the wager years ago with Islas, who was convinced he wouldn’t like anything else other than football.
“He got his (butt) whooped, but he ended up liking it,” Alonzo said.
It was physical, and it left a lasting impression on the RGC junior.
“It was fun trying something new,” Islas said. “Never in my life did I think I would do something like that. I would say experience something new, because you’ll never know if you’ll like it or not.
“You never know what could happen.”