The expectations are high for Camp Verde’s high school wrestlers.
The school has become known for the sport and a much different team will carry on that tradition this year. Though the returning wrestlers have accomplished much, a good roster of freshmen will have to prove they have what it takes after going through the middle school program.
Assistant coach Mario Chagolla Sr. was with the team as they began practice. He said the top two weight classes, as well as the bottom six, should do well. The team’s first meet is a team dual tournament at Embry Riddle on Saturday, Nov. 26. Chagolla said the meet is one of the best representations of local competition, and carries significant bragging rights.
Preparation for this season came as soon as least season ended.
Chagolla said they have tried to get as much high-level competition as possible for the wrestlers. This especially helps given the team’s individualized approach to building technique.
The style is what Chagolla described as a 36-hand technique. By using elbows, the neck and more as leverage, wrestlers can, in essence, have 36 “hands.”
In addition, wrestlers learn school-to-school what to look for in an opponent and react to their offense.
For instance, a certain school may emphasize the use of a single leg takedown, which the wrestlers would then try to anticipate.
“Most schools use the same technique, year after year,” Chagolla said.
Contrary to that, Camp Verde coaches try to tailor styles to each persons body type, as heavyweights often grapple much differently than 106-pound wrestlers. Chagolla said he’s had a few coaches express a kind of exasperated admiration for this challenge.
If this counter-heavy, hands-on style sounds complex, it is. Every part of the body has its proper place to hold an opponent and get the pin.
Watching it, it’s easy to see that the Cowboys are doing something differently. Chagolla said that some have gone so far as to call it silly.
“Those silly moves are what won us seven state championships,” he said.
Conditioning includes plyo workouts, which Chagolla said would help increase not only strength, but speed, all with the big picture goal of peaking physically right at the state championship.
Varsity spots are determined before each meet via a challenge system. At first, all the No. 2 spot has to do is beat the incumbent varsity wrestler in one match, but as the season progresses, that will become the best two out of three.
In addition to preseason competitions, Chagolla said the Weekend Wars program has also kept interest in the sport.
Chagolla said that mentally, wrestling has been a gift for many of the kids he teaches. He credited head coach Tracey Tudor and others for building a program that has not only won state championships, but has allowed students to grow in a positive environment.
“I give all credit to God,” Chagolla said. “I’ve had grandparents tell me … how much this has helped their kid,” he said.
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