Eaglecrest Boys wrestling has been on the rise in recent years.

Under direction from Head Coach and EHS English teacher, Javier Quintana, they’ve been able to wrestle to new heights.

Coach Quintana took over Eaglecrest wrestling three years ago. From then to now he has been able to see the program grow exponentially.

Quintana spoke on what the numbers were like coming into his first year to now, “We’re carrying about forty guys on the team now. The first year I was here we only had about twelve or fourteen.”

The growth for Eaglecrest Boys wrestling has been very important in solidifying the program around the school.

There’s been not only growth in the number of wrestlers in the program but also in the success rate.

In Quintana’s first year they had matches against CTHS that they didn’t win and they won one match against Grandview. This season the tides have changed. Quintana stated, “This year we’ve gone four matches against Grandview, and Grandview is one of the best teams in the state. We were also within one match of beating Cherokee Trail.”

Those little victories have also shaped Coach Quintana’s perception. “As a coach, I’m starting to learn that you have to take a step back and look at how far you’ve come instead of focusing on what’s going on right in front on your face. You have to look at the whole picture.” He’s understanding that better and he sees it in his wrestlers.

To him, it’s about how you take something no matter how little and see how it can benefit you down the road. It’s how the person is as an individual outside of athletics. “It’s the development of an athlete not as an athlete, but as an individual. The easy part is the athlete because I know what a kid has to do to be successful at sports, sometimes it’s about how the kid is dealing with things at home, how we’re dealing with things in the classroom, and we’re really building a community of kids and adults that are willing to work together to make sure that the kids can be successful academically and athletically.”

Wrestling is also one of the toughest sports physically. Coach Quintana attested, “The work ethic in wrestling, there’s nothing that is similar. It’s a very hard two hours every single day.”

With wrestling being a tough physical sport, it has also helped other multi-sport athletes with their craft.

Eaglecrest Senior Kyante Christian started wrestling this year. Christian was a part of the Eaglecrest defensive football core who led EHS to the state championship this season and an undefeated regular season over the past two years.