Aparicio Wise Beyond His Years

It didn’t take long for Loara’s Tony Aparicio to show he might be the county’s best freshman on the mat.

Aparicio, who recently turned 15, already has had some impressive victories at the El Modena, Magnolia and Brea Olinda tournaments. At Brea, he was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler in the lower weights.

“He could be the best in the county,” said Loara’s first-year Coach Larry Hadley. “He’s still a young kid, and I don’t want to put any pressure on him. But when you watch Tony wrestle, you can’t believe he has three more years after this season.”

With a record of 24-2, including 16 pins, Aparicio is ranked second in the county at 112 pounds behind Matthew Denne of Marina.

“He’s a hard worker, and he knows what he wants from wrestling,” Hadley said. “He and his brother, Luis, work out together on the mat, and they both want to succeed. If he keeps doing what he’s doing, he could have a good chance at Division [II] finals and maybe placing at Masters.”

Aparicio started wrestling three years ago after his father, who is a football coach, suggested he try the sport. After joining the Terminators, a wrestling club in Norwalk, Aparicio finds he likes the sport.

“So I joined this club and I started to wrestle. I thought to myself, ‘I really like this.’ And the more I do it, the more I like it.”

With Luis, a sophomore who wrestles at 119 pounds, Aparicio’s club practice sessions often continue on the living room rug or in the bedroom as impromptu bouts between the brothers became everyday occurrences.

“He’s [Luis] my workout partner at school, and sometimes we get into fights because of what happens on the mat,” Aparicio said. “We’re both fierce competitors and he doesn’t like it when I take him down and I don’t like it when he takes me down.”

Luis Aparicio’s record this season is 17-5, with 10 pins. He won at the Magnolia tournament and finished third at El Modena.

After about a year with the Terminators, Tony Aparicio said he started to work out at a summer camp sponsored by Calvary Chapel High, which is run by Coach John Azevedo.

It was there Aparicio grew as a wrestler. It was also there he was taken under the wing of state champions Josh Holiday and Ed Mosley, who at the time were seniors at Calvary Chapel.

“I learned so much while I was there,” Aparicio said. “I remember Josh would spend so much time with me. He taught me a lot. Ed [Mosley] would also take me aside and teach me stuff. I was wrestling Tino Archuleta [ranked second in the state at 125 pounds] when I was there, so I was getting all kinds of experience.”

Because of his positive experience at Calvary Chapel, Aparicio considered attending the school, which has one of the strongest wrestling programs in the United States. However, even though Aparicio knew Calvary Chapel has the best program, he decided on Loara, where his brother and friends were going.

Either way, it’s clear wrestling has grabbed his attention.

Recalling his first impressions of wrestling, Aparicio said it was the sport’s individuality that pulled him deeper into its grasp.

“Football used to be my favorite sport,” Aparicio said, “but the more I did wrestling, the more I started to change my mind. Football is a team sport. You have a group of guys trying to win. In wrestling, it’s you and the other guy. No excuses.”

Aparicio has been playing football since he was 8, and this fall he started for Loara’s freshman team as a running back and linebacker. However, while he still loves football, he said he will not play next season so he can concentrate on wrestling.

That dedication should also help this season, but Aparicio doesn’t have an easy path.

Last summer, he had a chance to face some of his competition at freestyle matches. He wrestled Santa Ana’s Fernando Serratos, who is ranked first in the county at 119 pounds and plans to drop to 112 for the Southern Section and Masters meets.

“Serratos beat me at the USA tournament,” Aparicio said, “but it was a close match. If I make it to the Masters, I might get a chance to wrestle him again.”

Aparicio’s two losses this season were to Jay Roberts of Valhalla, the runner-up at state last season, and junior Aaron Gharst from Poway.

“Against Roberts, I was ahead after the first period, but I made a stupid mistake and he pinned me in the second,” Aparicio said. “The other against the Poway guy was close and I lost, 6-4.”

Hadley said Aparicio has incredible speed and has a great low single-leg takedown, which is something Luis Aparicio can attest to.

“Tony has the best single,” Luis said. “And he gets me every time. He’s so quick, that before you know it, he has your leg.”

Aparicio said he never thinks about his age and he’s not afraid of anyone.

“I don’t care how buff or skinny my opponent is,” Aparicio said. “I just go out there and wrestle my best. And I always try to remember what Josh Holiday told me. ‘Just keep moving. Don’t stop moving.’ ”