He’s Taking Direct Route to Success : Rancho Santiago’s Padgett Pins Hopes on Education

Matt Padgett is still “the Buffalo,” even if most of his teammates on the Rancho Santiago wrestling team are unaware of his old nickname.

He still charges ahead, not so much out of control, but out to inflict damage. Aggressive remains the only way to describe his wrestling style. Game plan? Padgett picks ‘em up and throws ‘em down.

Simple, brutal and effective.

When he was a senior at Canyon High, Padgett overwhelmed most of his opponents, always looking like one of the state’s best, most intimidating wrestlers. But when he failed to win the 160-pound title at the 1992 State championships, finishing third, the expected scholarship offers failed to materialize.

He took the next season off, helped coach his younger brother, Barney, while chomping at the bit for another chance.

Now, in the midst of his second wildly successful season at Rancho Santiago, Padgett is stampeding toward another shot at a Division I scholarship.

This time, it seems he really can’t miss. He is the defending State community college champion at 167 pounds, the reigning State tournament MVP and perhaps the state’s best, regardless of weight division.

Rancho Santiago named him the school’s male athlete of the year for 1993-94. He was chosen over baseball, basketball and football players, runners and swimmers.

“I don’t know what that’s all about,” Padgett said with a chuckle.

Others certainly do.

“He’s not only one of the most impressive wrestlers I’ve coached, he’s one of the best all-around citizens,” Rancho Santiago Coach Gary deBeaubien said. “All of his professors like him.”

Padgett is honored to be sure, but as always, there is the question of the future to be considered.

The State meet is coming up quickly, Dec. 2-3 at Rio Hondo College. And soon after, he will try again to secure a full ride to a Division I school.

“If I don’t get it, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Padgett said.

Money is tight and Padgett doubts he could afford to walk on at Oklahoma State, his school of choice, or any other top-notch Division I program.

He is confident a scholarship will come his way, but tries not to dwell on the subject for too long. It’s best to concentrate simply on wrestling well and winning. He remembers what happened in high school.

“Basically, I didn’t win at State so I didn’t get a scholarship,” Padgett said.

It sounds simplistic, but he really needed a State title to attract the needed attention. In the end, he accomplished everything but that.

As a senior, he had a 54-1 record with 44 pins. When he pinned Neil Jackson of San Jose Oak Grove in the third-place match at the State meet, he pushed his career total to 114, a national record.

Impressive credentials certainly, but in an age of shrinking collegiate athletic budgets and attempts to bring about gender equity on campus, Padgett needed more. With fewer wrestling scholarships available because so many division I and II programs are being disbanded, he needed State titles.

“The colleges are looking for the blue chippers, the guys who are two- and three-time State champs,” deBeaubien said. “In high school, he fell short.”

When Padgett’s family moved to Hemet, he went to Mt. San Jacinto College instead of a Division I wrestling power. He didn’t compete on the team, choosing instead to help coach at Hemet High. When the season was over, one thought kept running through his head:

“I gotta compete.”

He enrolled at Rancho Santiago the following fall and began pummeling opponents.

Really, there appeared to be little difference from his matches in high school. Padgett attacked relentlessly, taking advantage of mistakes while learning to be less reckless than in the past.

“The aggressive style is still there,” deBeaubien said. “He’s cleaned a few things up. He was a little daring in high school, going on his back. His philosophy is the same. He wants to pin his opponent.”

Said Padgett: “Everyone says I make wrestling ugly look good.”

At last year’s State meet, he pinned all-comers in winning the 167-pound title. No one had ever done that.

It wasn’t as easy as all that, however. Padgett noticed a difference in the competition, in the intensity of even the most lopsided matches.

Plus, there was the question of rustiness from a year off.

“I came back and wrestled, and it was fine for a while,” Padgett said. “Then one day in practice, it wasn’t working. I couldn’t do anything right. I was mad, throwing things around. I said ‘Coach, I can’t do this.’ ”

Soon enough, Padgett regained his form and hasn’t stopped pinning his challengers. So far this season, he is undefeated with pins in 17 of his past 24 matches.

Can he be stopped?

DeBeaubien doesn’t think so. He ranks Padgett as one of the best he’s seen at the community college level. He also believes Padgett’s reward is finally at hand.

“I definitely feel scholarship opportunities will be there for him,” deBeaubien said.

All Padgett needs to do is keep charging.