Life Is No. 1; Then Comes Wrestling : Marco Quinones Is Father, Husband, Student, Athlete

After a full day of classes, wrestling practice and a part-time job laying cement for his uncle, Marco Quinones went home at 8 p.m.

After supper and homework, Quinones--who had begun his day at 6 a.m.--finally made it to bed . . . until the baby started crying. Quinones got 2-month-old Marco quieted, then he was able to get 5 hours of sleep before starting the routine all over again.

Quinones, a 17-year-old La Jolla High School senior, married Veronica, a junior, eight months ago. The couple and their son live with Quinones’ parents.

The pressures of being a student, athlete, worker, husband and father have had a toll on La Jolla’s 112-pound wrestler. One would think Quinones, normally quiet and reserved, would take out his frustrations on the mat. But he actually has lost some aggressiveness as his responsibilities at home have multiplied.

“He can’t devote 100% of his time and energy to wrestling. His life is pretty divided with wife, job, school and family. It’s been real hard on him,” La Jolla Coach Terry McPherson said. “The normal high school kid can really focus; his folks are feeding him and taking care of the bills, so he can concentrate on what he needs to do. It’s been a lot different with Marco.”

Quinones will take a 25-5 record into the Masters tournament Saturday at Mt. Carmel High School but thinks it could have been even better if he hadn’t lost some of the aggressiveness he has taken to the mat for the three previous years.

Quinones used to be the attacker. He was a “take-them-to-their-back-and-pin-them kind of kid,” McPherson said, but somewhere Quinones lost his meanness.

“He’s been letting people attack him, and that’s not his style. He’s always attacked people so much that they’ve finally yielded,” McPherson said. “He’s a much better wrestler than he’s been wrestling. He used to be a lot tougher, meaner. Now, he’s a lot mellower.”

Quinones came into La Jolla’s wrestling program as a freshman. He was a tough kid from a tough neighborhood, but the coaching staff could tell he had talent. As a sophomore, Quinones had to transfer to San Diego High after taking an ill-advised dare from friends.

McPherson recalls the day he was standing in his office talking with the school’s two vice principals when suddenly the glass office door shattered. The door had just been adjusted that day, so McPherson thought it might have been adjusted too tight.

“Marco had thrown a ball bearing through the door on a bet from his homeboys that he wouldn’t do it,” McPherson said. “He was gone the next day.”

Quinones had to petition to get back to La Jolla, staying clean and proving respectable grades and good citizenship. The next year, Quinones was back in La Jolla’s lineup at 112 pounds and took seventh at Masters.

This year, Quinones’ biggest competition will be El Camino’s Mike Grubbs, who is undefeated at 112 and the defending state champion at 105. Quinones hopes he will get some of his aggressiveness back if the two meet in the semifinals. The top four go to the state meet March 4 and 5 in Stockton.

Each time he approaches the mat, Quinones tries to forget for 9 minutes all the pressures, focusing on goals and trying to accomplish them. Quinones’ responsibilities often pull him away from wrestling practice; he has had to miss a few to take Veronica and the baby to the doctor.

Quinones said that living with his parents and two younger brothers has helped through this transition.

“They have helped me out and supported me,” Quinones said. “My mom helps out a lot. When Veronica is tired of carrying the baby or when Veronica is eating, mom is there to hold it.”

Says Veronica: “When the baby is grouchy, his mom will take him and quiet him and bring him back sometimes at 4 o’clock in the morning if he is hungry. She helps to feed him or takes him for drives when I need a rest.”

Quinones’ busy schedule keeps him away from his family, but Veronica is excited about her husband’s wrestling goals and supports him.

“I’m excited for him, what he needs to do to go to state. I try to help him any way I can, and I help him catch up with his homework,” Veronica said. “I try to get the baby to sleep early so Marco can get to sleep early.”

Veronica, who is completing her junior year through home studies, will return to school next year and graduate.

Quinones has his future planned after he graduates in June. He plans to attend a welding school in San Diego, then apply those skills in the Marine Corps. He has always wanted make the Marines his career.

Quinones is looking toward the future and an easier journey ahead.

“When you’re young it’s hard. It’s hard,” Quinones said. “Maybe in the future, people have told me, it’s good being a father. When you’re older, it’s good getting to know your son and watching him grow.”