By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
SAN BENITO — San Benito girls wrestling coach Crispin Lopez has been with the Greyhounds for 13 seasons.
Boys coach Xavier Perez is in his third season, his arrival coinciding with that of his two captains, juniors Arturo Solis and Ethan Guerrero.
Lopez doesn’t think Perez’s influence and the resulting bump in participation is a coincidence.
“The boys program has made tremendous leaps as far as numbers,” Lopez said. “When Coach Perez took over the program, he picked up the numbers, and every week it’s getting better and better.”
The boys held wrestle-offs to whittle down their varsity roster Thursday, and Solis and Guerrero were among the few who had already locked down their positions at 160 pounds and 132 pounds, respectively.
The San Benito coaching staff marveled at Solis’ ability to shed weight and move down classes, which they felt was nothing short of remarkable. He has since dropped 35 pounds from his freshman year wrestling weight of 195 pounds.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of growth between last year and this year (for Solis),” Perez said. “Skill-wise, and with his personal growth.”
Solis and Guerrero spar together in practice and set the tone for San Benito on and off the mat.
The two learn from each other’s signature moves — Guerrero calls his the “ankle-pick,” a move that is predicated on speed, and Solis’ speciality is “scrambling,” a method of escaping a takedown.
Solis said Tyler Hite, wrestling at 170 pounds, shows promise and has defeated ranked opponents.
“He’s really strong,” Solis said. “I just need to show him technique.”
Lopez’s Lady Greyhounds have established themselves as perennial contenders due in large part senior captains Destiny Quiroz and Yamilex Perez.
“I expect them to lead by example, not by words,” Lopez said. “Because anybody can talk. But I want them to take the bull by the horn, and take the young girls under their wings and mentor them. Whatever weight class you’re in, that’s your girl you want to mentor.”
Quiroz is ranked No. 3 in state at the 110-pound weight class, and Perez is ranked No. 8 at 165 pounds.
Perez said she and her teammates have begun to raise their expectations collectively each year, and that they supplied the same drive and motivation that she and her co-captain brought to every practice and competition.
“You could tell on the mat,” Perez said. “Before, it was, like, ‘My first match, now it’s over.’ And now it’s, ‘No, we need to stay here.’ It becomes an addiction to win.”
The San Benito boys and girls are set to compete in the District 16-6A championship meet Feb. 7 at Los Fresnos.
“Our program is very successful,” Lopez said. “It has been, and will continue to be.”