BOYS’ WRESTLING: 1995-1996 WRESTLING PREVIEW : Glabb Alters Course of Lives, a Program at Santa Ana

It was only a fleeting moment, but it turned out to be Scott Glabb’s day of reckoning.

“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” Glabb said. “I was standing outside the wrestling room, waiting for the kids to come in. I was thinking about the program and where I was in life. It was at that moment I made up my mind that winning wasn’t the most important thing, and that if I wanted to turn things around, I had to invest my time in these kids.”

That was nearly five years ago. Today, Glabb, Santa Ana wrestling coach, has one of the top programs in the state.

Glabb, 33, is starting his sixth season at Santa Ana and the Saints are ranked second behind Calvary Chapel in the Orange County coaches’ preseason poll. Last season, Santa Ana finished second at the Southern Section Division III dual championships, sixth at the section’s individual tournament and sent two wrestlers to the state finals.

“We have a lot of good wrestlers. I think we have a good chance of winning the Division III title and we should get at least three of our wrestlers to state,” Glabb said.

Not bad, considering that Santa Ana was considered a pariah in the wrestling community when he arrived.

“When I got here, the first thing I noticed was that we hardly wrestled anyone,” Glabb said. “We had some league duals but not much more.”

Glabb discovered the Saints had a bad reputation, with charges of vandalism and locker-room theft.

“Nobody wanted us. We were seen as a bunch of trouble makers,” Glabb said.

He saw that the rules he learned to live by as a wrestler and coach didn’t necessarily apply to his athletes.

“I like my teams to wrestle every weekend. But there was such a lack of discipline in the way they handled themselves, it was really bad,” Glabb said. “And you couldn’t crack the whip because they would just quit. They [wrestlers] had low self esteem and very few expectations.”

The things Glabb took for granted, such as practice and competition, were becoming secondary. Brawls would start at practice for no apparent reason.

“I would have to stop coaching and go break up a fight,” he said, recalling his first year. “Kids would miss practice and they would tell me they couldn’t come because they had to go home and vacuum or pay an electric bill. And when we would have two-day tournaments, some kids would wrestle on Friday but not come back for Saturday’s competition.”

Glabb coached at Marina for two years, where he was 19-12, before accepting the job at Santa Ana.

“Things are different these days,” Glabb said. “There are so many things happening outside the wrestling room that have an impact on these kids. I mean, two of my kids were jumped last week. But to them it’s no big deal. These things happen in this neighborhood. I know the district doesn’t like me saying these things. But this is Santa Ana, and things like that happen.”

As Glabb changed his approach to coaching, he found himself growing closer to his wrestlers and becoming more a part of their lives.

“We’re not just a wrestling team, we’re a family,” Glabb said. “For some, I’m a friend or a brother; for others, I’m like a father to them.”

Wrestler Fernando Serratos, who in his freshman year was arrested for tagging and sentenced to 200 hours of community service, credits his turnaround to Glabb.

“If it wasn’t for him, I know I would be in a gang,” Serratos said. “He taught me how to wrestle, but he’s shown me other things. He’s always there for you.”

Now in his junior year, Serratos, who will be wrestling at 112 and 119 pounds, has gone from a 1.98 grade-point average to a 3.0, and college has become a reality.

“I want to go to college, and I would like to wrestle,” he said. “And I know Scott is the reason I feel this way.”

Serratos’ feelings were echoed by senior Ignacio Bahena, who, along with Sadie Morales, qualified for the state finals last season. Bahena started his wrestling career as a freshman after Glabb asked him to join the team.

“I don’t have a dad, but coach has been like a dad to me,” Bahena said. “He has been helping me since the beginning--not just in wrestling, but with my life. He’s made me believe that I can go on to college, that I can wrestle at a Division I school. He will always be in my heart, wherever I go.”

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Wrestling at a Glance

O.C. Wrestling Coaches Assn. 1995-96 preseason individual rankings: 103--1. Tai Nguyen, Troy; 2. Tony Perez, Santa Ana; 3. Robert Rios, Garden Grove; 4. Ryan Kadoi, Fountain Valley. 112--1. Tino Archuletta, Calvary Chapel; 2. Estavan Bonilla, Mission Viejo; 3. Fernando Serratos, Santa Ana; 4. Thanh Nguyen, Laguna Hills. 119--1. Matt Azevedo, Calvary Chapel; 2. Ignacio Bahena, Santa Ana; 3. Peter Hamilton, Irvine; 4. Scott Elliott, Capistrano Valley. 125--1. Sadie Morales, Santa Ana; 2. Burt Pierson, Calvary Chapel; 3. Andrew Pena, Irvine; 4. Tony Nguyen, Canyon. 130--1. Brent Morita, Fountain Valley; 2. Bruno Martinez, Katella; 3. Alex Coria, Anaheim; 4. Chris Sayer, San Clemente. 135--1. Joe Calavitta, Calvary Chapel; 2. Joe Reilly, Buena Park; 3. Jose Morales, Santa Ana; 4. Luis Renteria, Los Amigos. 140--1. Jimmie Alvarez, University; 2. Noah Culp, Esperanza; 3. Abel Bratton, Laguna Hills; 4. Chris Tana, Edison. 145--1. Richard Meza, Loara; 2. Phil Wozniak, Calvary Chapel; 3. Alan Rush, Irvine; 4. Tyler Monson, Esperanza. 152--1. Ty Wilcox, Calvary Chapel; 2. Jose Sagrero, Santa Ana; 3. Alec Thompson, Santa Margarita; 4. Brett Shainfeld. 160--1. Adam Miller, San Clemente; 2. Nick Long, El Modena; 3. Carlos Garcia, Santiago; 4. Jeremy Jarrett, El Toro. 171--1. Jeff Tibbitts, Mission Viejo; 2. Richard O’Conner, Canyon; 3. Aaron Santana, El Modena; 4. Robert Droughns, Anaheim. 189--1. Reuben Droughns, Anaheim; 2. Andrew Tuzzolino, Capistrano Valley; 3. Dan Kingman, El Modena; 4. Sean Mahoney, Villa Park. 215--1. Damian de Beaubien, El Toro; 2. Mateo Headrick, San Clemente. HEAVYWEIGHT--1. Jason Deere, Newport Harbor; 2. David Harris, Edison; 3. Matt Karich, Mater Dei; 4. James Parker, Huntington Beach.

League favorites: Century: El Modena; Empire: Katella; Freeway: Buena Park; Garden Grove: Santiago; Golden West: Santa Ana; Olympic: Calvary Chapel; Orange: Anaheim; Pacific Coast: Laguna Hills; Sea View: Irvine; South Coast: Capistrano Valley; Sunset: Esperanza.

1994-95 final poll: 1. Calvary Chapel; 2. Laguna Hills; 3. Irvine; 4. Anaheim; 5. Santa Ana; 6. El Modena; 7. Capistrano Valley; 8. Loara; 9. Esperanza; 10T. Mission Viejo; 10T. Los Alamitos.

1995-96 preseason poll: 1. Calvary Chapel; 2. Santa Ana; 3. Anaheim; 4. Irvine; 5. El Modena; 6. Esperanza; 7. Capistrano Valley; 8. Mission Viejo; 9. San Clemente; 10. Laguna Hills.

Key dates: Silverado (Las Vegas) tournament, Dec. 15-16; Five Counties Invitational, Jan. 15-16; Southern Section Division finals, Feb. 16-17; Southern Section Dual championships (prelims), Feb. 14, (finals), Feb. 22; Masters tournament, Feb. 24; State Championships, March 1-2.