The UC High wrestling team has worked hard all year and is ready to see the payoff in the postseason. Featuring 13 seniors, the team is hoping their incredible depth can lead to great success.

   Senior Captain Dusty Carr said, “This year is huge for us because of how stacked our Senior Class is. We have worked really hard and are ready to show everyone what we’ve been working so hard on.” Typically, having so many seniors can be seen as a curse because they may perform poorly in the coming years, but this team has proved it may be the opposite. “Our seniors have performed extremely well this season. They’ve stepped up and set a great example for our younger team members,” continued Carr.

   The team has put in hard work at practice to compete at their maximum potential, especially when they are faced with difficult matches. Senior Andres Miera stated, “My hardest matches this season were when I would go up against people who were bigger than I am. Especially if they were taller and wider than I am. Trying to control them becomes very difficult.” Carr added, “My hardest match of this season was going against Scripps Ranch High. I was really tired; he was beating me 4-0. But with 15 seconds left to spare, I got him on his back and got five points, beating him by one point.”

   There were many matches that challenged the team; however, team members were able to highlight their favorite matches and fondest memories. Carr said, “My favorite match of this season was when I beat a kid who had previously beat me in the finals two weeks earlier. I beat him by ‘Escaping,’ [moving from the bottom position to a neutral position] which in turn gave me one point with two seconds left, so I beat him by one point.” Miera stated, “My favorite match this season was when I took my first third place medal at a tournament in Los Angeles. I was very proud of that.”

   The UC High Wrestling Team is fortunate to have multiple girls on the team. Senior Victoria Urquiza was the first female wrestler to make it to the California State Championships in UC High history. “My favorite match this season was when I went up against Calexico High. The girl I wrestled had qualified sixth at state. It was an honor just to wrestle against her. I lost, but I wound up taking second place at that tournament,” explained Urquiza.

      Miera explained the importance of wrestling and how it has impacted the person he is today. “Wrestling has been a huge part of my life and has made a huge impact on my high school career. I’m really glad that I joined the sport, because I got to meet a lot of new people, and I learned to work harder, and achieve goals that I set for myself,” he said.

   Carr expanded that this season has been coming along very well. “The program has really started to come together as a whole. We aren’t facing many of the issues which we faced without younger kids last year. We turned the corner and that’s something we’re all really proud of,” said Carr.