‘Church Boyz’ Have Become Champions

Just how far has the Calvary Chapel wrestling program come since the high school opened in 1989?

Far enough that The Church Boyz, as they are known, have become one of the dominant programs in the state.

Far enough that Calvary Chapel, gunning for its third consecutive state championship, was loudly booed at last spring’s finals in Stockton. Two years ago, when the Eagles were underdogs, they were the fans’ favorites.

Far enough that “when other schools beat us, it’s a big deal,” said Chris Meineke, a senior who is 23-8 this season. “If they are jealous, they won’t come to our faces and tell us. They’re just always out to beat us.”

It doesn’t happen often.

In their seventh season of competition, the Eagles have won five Olympic League titles, five consecutive Southern Section titles, and reached the state finals championship round three times, winning in 1993 and ’94. Calvary Chapel has been nationally ranked the last three years; this season, they are No. 5 in the country.

Their match and tournament record, to date, is 86-14.

The architect of this irresistible force is Coach John Azevedo, 36, one of the best wrestlers the United States has produced in the last 20 years.

Growing up in Modesto, he was a two-time high school state champion at 106 and 115 pounds. After a short, unhappy stint at Oklahoma State, he transferred to Cal State Bakersfield, where he was an NCAA champion at 126 pounds.

Azevedo made the 1980 U.S. Olympic team (which missed the Moscow Games because of the boycott), and was ranked as high as fourth in the world in freestyle wrestling.

After an injury ended his hopes of making the 1984 Olympic team, Azevedo turned his attention to coaching. He spent eight years as an assistant at Arizona State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Bakersfield.

Married and the father of two daughters, Azevedo worked to become a head coach and thought it might happen at Wisconsin. Instead, Calvary Chapel offered him the chance.

“My goal was to be a head coach in college, but at Wisconsin I didn’t like my situation, so I quit,” Azevedo said. “I was looking for a college job as a coach or assistant, but then I heard about the high school here starting.

“I had gone to a Calvary Chapel church when I lived in Bakersfield and had some connections with one of my wrestlers at Wisconsin. His father had just been hired as a pastor here. I came here in 1989, when the school opened.”

Starting from scratch was a new experience. “It was tough at first,” Azevedo said. “I had come out of the college wrestling scene, and now I’m with some kids who don’t know how to put the headgear on.” But his methods caught on fast. In their initial season (1989-90) the Eagles were 5-2. By their second season, they had won a section title.

The Church Boyz moniker was hung on them at a tournament a few years ago.

“One of the dads was looking at the wall charts and asking his son, ‘Who do you wrestle?’ ” Azevedo said. “The son replied, ‘I wrestle one of them church boys.’ They knew we were from Calvary Chapel. And it just kind of stuck, but we liked it.”

So much so the 1994-95 team posed for a poster with that nickname instead of Eagles.

Azevedo’s teams are a lot like him: small but strong and quick, and very good at takedowns, which was Azevedo’s signature move when he competed in college and on the U.S. team.

You wouldn’t know of Azevedo’s accomplishments unless you asked. He’d rather talk about the importance of faith than having been a world-class athlete.

But he is also a dedicated student of wrestling. His willingness to learn and master a multitude of techniques turned him into the competitor he was and coach he is.

“I don’t know what you would call my ‘edge,’ ” Azevedo said. “I have been at the highest levels of wrestling--national champion and Olympian--so it gives me credibility and the kids listen. And the technique I teach day after day I feel is the best technique. It’s what the best people in the world are using.”

Calvary Chapel has never had a losing season. The closest it came was an 11-10 record in 1991-92. Three times the Eagles have posted undefeated seasons.

That kind of success, however, is bound to breed contempt.

Because Calvary Chapel is a private school, whenever Azevedo is seen talking to another school’s wrestler, he is immediately suspected of trying to recruit him.

It doesn’t help that at least five wrestlers on this season’s team are transfers, including Azevedo’s nephew, Matt Azevedo, who was a Nevada state champion before coming to Calvary Chapel.

“You do hear that talk in [wrestling] circles,” said Ray Rodi, coach at Moreno Valley Canyon Springs. The Cougars, who had won four consecutive section titles, finished runner-up to Calvary Chapel last season in Division I. It was the first year the Eagles competed at the large-school level.

“I’ve not witnessed anything wrong at a tournament or match,” Rodi said of Azevedo’s actions. “And without proof, I won’t say he’s done anything wrong. He is a very successful coach and outstanding wrestler who took that program from nothing and made it what it is, so people will say things. We heard some of the same things about us when we were winning.”

Azevedo has supporters, too. One is Alan Clinton, who coaches El Modena High.

“All private schools have an advantage in being private,” Clinton said. “It’s much easier for a public school kid to [transfer] to a private school than to another public school, even with open enrollment.

“But also, when you’re No. 1, everybody wants a piece of you. You can compare them in wrestling to what Mater Dei and Los Alamitos are in football. If people know you have a good program, they gravitate toward it. John has his way of doing things, but he is not unethical.”

Said Azevedo: “When people claim you recruit, what can you say? You go about your business. I let the Lord be my defense.

“We don’t recruit, we don’t break the rules. But, obviously, kids know about our program. We’ve had kids come here as eighth-graders instead of going to their public schools, and we’ve had kids leave other schools to come here.

“I believe the success of the program is its biggest selling point. Other kids see our kids going on to get scholarships and think, ‘I want to do that.’ Obviously it’s not for everybody; we’ve had kids look at our school and not come because of the Christian aspect and because it costs $3,500 a year and we’re not giving scholarships.”

Azevedo said he has never turned away a student who has wanted to wrestle, no matter what skill level.

Such was the case of Meineke, who was a self-described “short and fat” 171-pound freshman when he was spotted by then-assistant coach John Randle and encouraged to come out for the team.

Meineke, who had never wrestled, was pinned in every freshman match he entered. But he stayed with it, and now, as a solid 178-pound senior, he expects to place in the upcoming league, section and state meets.

“I had thought of quitting, but the coaches never said I couldn’t develop,” Meineke said. “I’m proud that I stayed with it. Wrestling has made me more disciplined. And John is cool; he makes sure we work hard, and that no matter if we win or lose, we still thank God. We learn to do things for the right reasons.”

Azevedo said he still wants to be a college head coach “given the right situation of support,” but it would have to be a terrific deal to lure him away from Calvary Chapel. “It’s enjoyable to see them be successful and help them become better people,” he said.