Florida to California: wrestler brings in new competition

Getting ready for the match at Bob Bellot Classic on Jan. 24, pacing back and forth, boys wrestling varsity co-captain senior Brady Williams has shown himself with all of the hard work, hours of conditioning and repeating the same techniques like shots, defense and pinning combinations over and over again.

Williams started wrestling at his school in Florida during his freshman year. He grew very fond of the sport, which he decided to pursue in California. His family put a lot of thought and research into moving to California and ultimately decided that Walnut High School had the best wrestling program in the area. Originally from California, he and his family decided to move to Florida when he was 11 years old. He shortly moved back to California in his senior year for several reasons, including better opportunities to compete at a higher level in wrestling. 

“I was excited for the bigger challenge [in California] since [it] is a much harder state [to compete in]. We weren’t in much contact with the coaches, but we have seen many previous wrestlers that were successful in this high school,” Williams said. “[My family and I] looked for a school that was in the area that was also prestigious in wrestling.”

Being top 10 in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for the 190 weight division, Williams has continued to take down multiple highly ranked opponents in the recent tournament Five Counties, which was held on Jan. 15-16. He finished in second place in the recent tournament. He was dominating the tournament until the end, when he lost to the number one ranked wrestler in Arizona. As he learns from his mistake, he continues to keep his head up and tells himself that he did what he could during the last match. 

“Competing at [the tournament] Five Counties, I beat every wrestler that was ranked there in California. The one I lost to was the two-time going on three-time state champion from Arizona. I knew that these are athletes that I should beat, but I am glad to actually do it,” Williams said. “I was actually dominant in the match [when I went against the state champion from Arizona], but you just have to move on and improve from your mistakes.” what does this last sent mean?

When Williams talks to his friends and teammates about wrestling, he always shares many of his experiences. He always gives advice on how to improve the little things which makes him different from others. He tries to improve and focus more on the process rather than the wins. 

“Brady is really determined and a good leader. He’s really motivational and I really admire his dedication for the sport,” girls wrestling team-captain senior Nicole Chavez said. “Outside of wrestling he’s really supportive and he’s always giving [people] advice on how to improve because he’s a really good wrestler.”

After his hard work paid off in this tournament, he has gained a lot of confidence. He’s been training for the recent tournament, Five Counties, for a long time whether it’s at his club, Pounders Wrestling or at wrestling practice. He has competed in Hamada invitation (7th), Ed Springs Classic (1st), Super Champs (1st) and he’s undefeated in league duels. He has learned and gained experience from multiple tournaments in order to help him achieve this journey.

“I try to get away from people and clear my head. I’ll do a couple of sprints to get my blood pumping, and then just pace around until it’s time for the show,” Williams said. “I remind [myself] how long and how hard I’ve worked for this. I’ve outdone people who have done this for their whole life.”

During matches, coaches Camilo Ramirez, Cecil Sebastain, Duy Tran and Mark Tafoya will give Williams and other wrestlers a pep-talk to support them and give them confidence when they compete. Through Williams’s hard work of training and wrestling every day of the week, which includes three hours of training every day, repeating techniques and heavy conditioning, he gives credit to the coaches at Walnut for all the tips and tricks on winning each match.

“When I first coached Brady, he was out of shape, but over the season, he has gotten in great shape and has grown in our system,” Coach Ramirez said. “He has believed in our system and trusted it, he is very smart, mature and polite. Brady is a great kid, a team leader and very hard working.”

Brady gives guidance to his teammates and he has been fond of his friends who are always cheering him on and spectating his matches. He has proven to his wrestling team that he can be there for them while also competing against other schools. 

“Brady is a hard worker and he’s always giving me comments on some things I could do better in my wrestling career,” boys wrestling varsity co-captain senior Jason Paganos said. “He’s kind, helpful and he tells me things I don’t want to hear, but it’s something that would help me.” 

When Williams gets ready for a competition, he hypes himself up, becoming more confident and ready to compete in his match. He thinks about how this opportunity was given to him and how he could be strategic in beating his opponent.

“I have been flying under the radar before [Five Counties] because CIF operates differently from the rest of the US,” Williams said. “Five Counties is one of the hardest tournaments that runs in California. Throughout the course of the tournament, I had to face the challenge, be smart and not be reckless.”