Calavitta Has Kept His Eye on His Goals

When Joe Calavitta enrolled at Calvary Chapel as a freshman, he weighed only 103 pounds. But even then, Coach John Azevedo knew Calavitta would be one to make his mark in wrestling.

Now a 135-pound junior, Calavitta won his first state title at Stockton earlier this month. He is ranked first in California and is among the top five high school wrestlers in the nation.

“Since he was a freshman, Joe was incredibly focused,” Azevedo said. “He has so much potential. And since he won at state, I think he has broken through that side that separates the good wrestlers from the great ones.”

Recalling his matchup with defending state champion Adam Coffing in the finals at Stockton, Calavitta said he still can’t get over his accomplishment.

“I had wrestled him before, so it wasn’t anything new,” Calavitta said. “But I listened to my coach, remained focused and left it up to God.”

A month earlier, Coffing, from Elk Grove, had defeated Calavitta, 7-0, at the UC Davis tournament. Coffing appeared invincible in his matches leading up to the state final as Calavitta was struggling in some of his matches.

“All I did was go over strategy with Joe, telling him to keep the pressure on,” Azevedo said. “But he knew that already. And he did what needed to be done.”

Said Calavitta: “I can’t explain the feeling I had when I won that [state] match. It was like a dream. People were cheering. It was the most important match in my wrestling career.”

Wrestling since he was 5 growing up in Victorville, Calavitta moved to Yorba Linda before his freshman year. He lives with his brother, Sam, who is an assistant coach at Calvary Chapel.

Next year, it will be Calavitta’s turn to defend a state title. “That would be cool,” he said. “But if I keep focused and work hard, I think I have a good chance at it.”