The Dos Palos Bronco wrestling squad has come a long way in the last couple of years.
Head Coach Adrian Marrufo is a former Bronco wrestler who also competed in college at West Hills-Lemoore and Simpson University in Redding. He has brought the program back with a deep and talented squad that only a few years ago fielded just a few wrestlers.
Dos Palos finished in second place at the West Sierra League championships held last Wednesday in Firebaugh. Now they will head to Templeton High School on the central coast for the CIF Central Section Divisionals, which will start this Friday.
Leading the way for the Broncos will be three boys who are peaking at the right time, according to their coach. All three are upper weight wrestlers who won championships at Firebaugh.
Senior Theo Steele won the 177 lb. title with an exciting victory over Firebaugh’s Alex Rosa by way of pin. According to his coach, the win avenged two losses to Rosa that occurred this season.
Although a senior, this is only Steele’s second year on the mat. His coach recruited him out of a PE class to take up the sport.
“Theo is a great kid who works hard and has battled through some injuries,” Marrufo explained. “The win (over Rosa) was a good thing for him because he has been working hard all season. He’s only been wrestling for two years and it has helped him come out of his shell. He is now more outspoken. It has been fun watching him grow as a person and as an athlete.”
The future is bright for Justin Hurd. Only a sophomore and a multi-sport athlete, he won the 192 lb. title at Firebaugh with a 12-2 victory over Bairon Cruz of Mendota. It was another case of “vengeance,” as Cruz defeated Hurd in their only previous match last season.
“Justin is full of energy and he raises the energy up in the wrestling room when he walks in,” Marrufo explained.
Junior Gurvinder Singh won the title at 217 lbs., defeating Mario Alcala of Coalinga in a very close match, 5-1.
“Gurvinder is another hard worker. He is a very smart kid who listens to his coaches and makes those mid-match adjustments,” said Marrufo. “The more he is in the wrestling room, the more he will improve. He has the aggression, he just needs to learn technique.”
Second place finishes for Dos Palos include Nate Galindo (128), Carlos Martinez (134), Jesus Tapia (140), Damian Lopez (159) and Esteban Hernandez (287). Placing third were Gio Martinez (108), Eli Ramirez (115), and Josiah Clark (167). Angel Gonzalez (122) and Eduardo Alvarado (146) placed fourth.
As the Dos Palos wrestling season continues at Templeton this Friday and Saturday, Marrufo already has called it a great season.
“We had a lot of adversity and challenges,” he explained. “We have battled injuries, not just physical injuries but also mental challenges. To take second place is good. We have a good number of kids who have the opportunity to move on to the Valley Masters and even State. They can go all the way if they wrestle to their capabilities.”
