Sotomayor one motivated senior

Rick Devereux

The amount of growth that happens in the senior year of high school

has almost nothing to do with height or weight and almost everything

with heart and mind.

The realization that high school is coming to an end and college,

career or “life” lies ahead can jump-start motivation for seniors.

For Estancia High wrestler Alex Sotomayor, the talent was always

there. Converting that talent into results was an other thing.

“From last year to this year he has improved his motivation and

his work ethic,” second-year Estancia Coach Brian Burgess said. “He

didn’t have the same mentality he has as a senior. That’s how seniors

are, though. They start to realize this is their last year in high

school.”

Sotomayor, who finished third in the Golden West League as a

junior, took home the league championship Feb. 10 in the 160-pound

weight class to earn Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week honors and an

automatic berth into the CIF Southern Section tournament.

“I’m trying harder because this is my last year,” Sotomayor said.

That’s not to say he was lazy before. He just didn’t have the

sense of urgency being a senior brings.

He also didn’t have the confidence he could dominate on the

wrestling mat.

During a tournament at Edison High this year, Sotomayor beat an

Esperanza opponent that was one of the top wrestlers in the weight

class.

“After I won, coach was like, ‘What was that about? That guy

placed fourth in CIF last year, but you lost to someone who didn’t

even qualify for CIF before,’ ” Sotomayor said. “Coach keeps on

telling me I can go as far as I want to, I just have to want it.”

Sotomayor wanted to win the league title and he wants to place in

the top three in CIF.

“Last year took he third [in league] and being league champ [this

year] was one of his goals,” Burgess said. “At the end of the season

last year, I was trying to get him to believe that he is a good

enough wrestler to belong at CIF with the elite.”

Sotomayor’s style is more reactionary than what Burgess would

like, but the results have been outstanding.

“He is really methodical,” Burgess said. “He has really picked up

on learning to go after people and wrestle offensively. He takes his

time but when he takes his shot, he hits it hard.”

Burgess said he wants Sotomayor to be more aggressive in order to

get the opponent thinking defensively.

“Alex is used to waiting for other guy to make mistake,” Burgess

said.

Sotomayor has always been a defensive-type of athlete. He was an

outside linebacker on the varsity football team his sophomore year

and the starting middle linebacker his senior year. He did not play

football his junior year because he injured his finger.

“The doctor told me I couldn’t play football,” he said. “I really

missed being out there and being around the guys.”

It is ironic Burgess is pushing Sotomayor to become more

aggressive and the senior is still somewhat passive on the wrestling

mat.