McALLEN — Camila Flores and Dante Lopez have both been on the cusp of greatness at the state level but both feel they can do better.
Flores, a junior, wrestles for Sharyland Pioneer and has wrestled at the state tourney for the past three years. However, she hasn’t qualified for the second day when the medal rounds take place.
“It bugs me,” she said. “I guess all the pressure of making it to the second day got to me a lot. I was very devastated (this year). I see it (now) as more motivation. To push myself more and see how I can make it to the second day.”
At state, wrestlers will face two or three opponents. If they win both, or win two out of three, they continue to the second day’s events that determine the top finishers and state champions.
An alternate at state last year for Mission High, Lopez wrestled at state this year as a junior.
“At state, I went 1-2, which eliminated me from the tournament,” Lopez said. “As a senior (next year), my goal is to place as high as I can in state.”
Through their common perseverance, both have emerged as The Monitor’s All-Area Heavyweight Wrestlers of the Year.
HAVING A GO AT WRESTLING
Flores remembers her years in middle school. She couldn’t make a go of it in other sports so she decided to try wrestling in ninth grade.
“I saw wrestling (on the schedule) and knew it was a hard sport,” she said. “I was overweight back then and I wanted to lose all that. At first, it was challenging because I was not athletic at all. I ended up falling in love with the sport, which kept me in it.”
In her first year on the mat, she dropped 30 pounds and toned her body. Thanks to wrestling, she has kept the weight off and competes at 210 pounds.
She has an affinity for the sport, having won a district title all three years she has competed. In addition, she has advanced to regionals and state three times.
“It’s physically and mentally challenging,” she said. “It tests everyone. I’m glad I got into it.”
She admits that there are times when she has gotten down on herself and thought of quitting the sport but she “pushes through those negative thoughts.”
Sharyland Pioneer coach Richard Eckley thinks the world of her.
“Camila is a very good person and a great wrestler,” Eckley wrote in an email. “(She’s) the exact type of kid you want on your wrestling team. Sometimes she lacks self-confidence. I wish she could see the talent and skill in herself that the rest of us see in her. At Pioneer, we have a culture of always wanting to compete, learning from our losses and relying on our teammates to get us through the tough times, which there are many.”
Eckley remembered a big match where Flores persevered her freshman year.
“I believe it was the district championships match,” Eckley wrote. “She was wrestling a girl from Donna North that had beat her three times over the year. She was able to reverse a headlock and put the girl from North on her back and pin her. I think that was the first time Camila realized how successful she was going to be at this sport.”
Fast forward to this season and Flores thought about a what-might-have-been moment where she beat a future state champion.
She beat Donna High’s Precious Hernandez in the district championship this season but lost to her when they met for the regional crown. Flores doesn’t use it as an excuse but she sprained her ankle two days before the regional meet. They never faced each other again as Precious went on to win the state heavyweight title.
“She’s very tall, so it’s more challenging for me and I struggled a lot bringing her down,” Flores recalled of their two matches. “As soon as I saw the point where I could pin her, I just took it. At regional, I could have beaten her if I didn’t let myself go to my back so easily. I need to work more on my balance. She just pushed me and I landed on my back and she was able to pin me. I was really tired. I couldn’t breathe so I couldn’t really push myself more to try to get out of that position and I lost.”
Eckley said her hard work and great attitude make her an outstanding wrestler.
“Too many girls are too afraid to try wrestling for one reason or another,” Eckley wrote. “Camila didn’t let herself be fearful and has experienced great success. That can be a lesson to other, younger, girls.”
Now Flores plans to hit the weights to bulk up for next year “because I really want to make it to second day,” she said. “That’s my goal since freshman year.”
MULTIPLE SPORTS, BETTER WRESTLERS
Dante Lopez loves wrestling and football. Involvement in both sports (actually three with track) has made him a better athlete, he said.
“In football, you have to rely on every single one of those players,” he said. “In wrestling, it’s considered a team sport to some extent but when it’s you on that mat, it’s (just) you and that guy. There’s no one else to help you. If you mess up, then you mess up. You can’t hope that someone else can cover for you.”
Tactically speaking, his play at nose guard for the Eagles has improved with the knowledge gained from wrestling regarding hand movements and leverage.
“A little hand movement helps, especially on the (defensive) line,” he said.
Despite the solitary nature of the sport, Lopez doesn’t sense any nerves come fight time.
“I don’t see any pressure in that,” he said. “Some may call it pressure. I just call it fun. It’s mano a mano. There’s no one else that can stop the match and you basically find out who the tougher guy is.”
Lopez tips the scales at about 260 pounds. He likes that size, which puts him in the middle of the heavyweight range (220-285 pounds).
“I’m not too heavy so I can handle the lighter heavyweights,” he said. “I’m fast enough so I can deal with the bigger heavyweights.”
Lopez has won the district championship two straight years. He also advanced to regionals and state each year including as a state alternate in 2019.
This season, he was 35-5 with all five losses coming against out-of-Valley opponents. One of those losses came in the regional title match. He lost to a New Braunfels wrestler who was ranked No. 1 in the state at the time.
“The experience (at state) is amazing,” he said. “You just go in there and you see all the people in the stands. Come wrestling time, it’s still the same thing. You have to have the same mindset. It’s me versus you no matter how many people are watching.”
In three years (really, two due to an injury sustained as a freshman), Lopez has become a student of the game.
“There’s some guys where you know that they’re going to do this and there’s some where they might change up their whole strategy for you,” Lopez said. “It’s just a matter of adapting. You have to go in there and focus on your match. The first 20 seconds usually determines what I want to do. If I know I can overpower you, I’ll drive in. I’ll find a way to get your leg. If you’re faster than me, I’ll work to outmuscle you. If you’re stronger than me, I’ll work to become faster than you.”
Lopez plans to improve himself even more by participating in a judo camp. A martial art with similarities to wrestling, judo involves throws and mat work.
His career goal is to go into law enforcement.