On Feb. 17, Bonita Vista High (BVH) 120 pound wrestler, team captain and junior Josue Garcia was the only BVH wrestler to place first at the San Diego Section boys’ CIF Division II tournament. He moved on to place fourth at the San Diego boys’ and girls’ masters tournament. With his wins in this tournament, he was able to qualify for the 2024 boys’ CIF state wrestling championship.
This was Garcia’s first year competing with the BVH boys’ wrestling team. Garcia has been a part of the wrestling team for two years. However, due to him transferring from Eastlake High School as a sophomore, he had to sit out from any competitions and tournaments for the 2022-2023 season. Boys’ wrestling Assistant Coach Phil Davis expresses how Garcia’s dedication stands out among others on the team even with the setbacks.
“Last year he had to sit out because he transferred. Normally that would put someone in a place where they’re just in a bad mind space. It would have been great to have him wrestle last year, but he sat out and didn’t miss practice and he was here every day and working hard. I think that kind of speaks to what it takes to keep a good attitude in all circumstances,” Davis said.
As one of the assistant coaches, Davis has worked closely with Garcia throughout the season and observed the hard work he puts into improving as a wrestler. He hopes that Garcia will continue to work hard and be the state place winner in the future. Additionally, he mentions how Garcia worked towards his role as captain as a junior.
“He came right in, he was already a good wrestler, but he still worked hard to become a team leader and a team captain. Those positions are not really given, they are earned. He really earned his keep and all the guys respect him,” Davis said.
Sports captains are commonly senior students, as they have experience. However, for this year’s wrestling team, that was not the case. Garcia believes that since he and his co-captain Edwin Flores Jr. are not seniors, the other team members look up to them for who they are rather than for seniority. He expresses that working hard is not putting in the expected amount of effort, but rather putting in extra in order to stand out and challenge himself.
“I would say that my work ethic has affected the other guys and it has pushed them to try and become the best version of themselves. It’s [also] a lot about doing it on your own and not just doing what everyone else does. Even if it’s just an extra mile or extra pull ups. It’s the little extra that you can do,” Garcia said.
Apart from Davis, many of Garcia’s team members have observed the work he dedicates to wrestling. On top of being co-captain, Flores is also Garcia’s drill partner, and through this they have grown closer and worked together as team leaders. Flores describes what stands out to him about Garcia as a wrestler.
“He is willing to put in more work than most people want to. He goes there when he doesn’t want to. He’s dedicated because he knows his goal is to make it to state. His work ethic is what sticks out to me,” Flores said.
The bond between Flores and Garcia has only grown bigger while working together. They hope that their connection can help motivate others on the team to work hard towards being the best they can be. Davis explains how he saw Garcia work towards being the only wrestler to make it to the state tournament.
“There’s a lot of times when it comes to morning practices, post season practices, or out of season practices, and there’s a small group of athletes that are here. He’s always one of them and that’s going to be one of the things that propels you to the top,” Davis said.
Garcia is known by the people he works with for his dedication to the time he puts into wrestling even outside of practices. With this, Garcia is able to bring energy to the team that many other people may not be able to do and motivates them.
“I would describe him as one of the role models on the team. He performs well in the classroom, which is the most important, but also, he’s at practice every day and he works hard every time,” Davis said.
Garcia had worked with the BVH wrestling team during the off season before he had transferred. He mentions that the team was the reason he transferred. Without his coaches and teammates, his progression in wrestling would not be the same. Moreover, as leaders Garcia and Flores needed to work harder even if there were doubts from the team, since they are not seniors.
“Being doubted by other coaches [was a challenge]. They don’t think that we are as good as we are, [but] showing up to practice, working as hard as we can together, struggling hard and working hard towards our goals [helps us overcome that],” Flores said.
Garcia describes being a part of the wrestling team is like being a part of a family. Although he has faced challenges while motivating himself to push through in hard times, he makes sure to keep a strong and positive mindset that pushes him further.
“All of us do the same thing at practice and a lot of us put the work after, but it’s the mentality to go out there and just score more points and wrestle for yourself and have fun,” Garcia said.
Garcia adds how his dedication for the sport stems from his want for self improvement and bettering himself. Davis and Flores have seen this reflected throughout his time on the team—apart from becoming better for himself. Garcia expresses how competing with people he is close with is motivation in and of itself.
“I love the feeling of just being able to go out there and not worry about winning or losing. Just knowing that I put in the work and it’ll reflect on the mat,” Garcia said.
