Moreno Put Pressure on Hold

Brian Moreno came on the wrestling scene in camouflage, an unknown wrestler who surprised just about everyone when he won a state title as a sophomore in 2003.

This year, he might as well have been wearing a fluorescent orange vest. Moreno was a marked man, with two state titles to his credit, and the Santa Ana Foothill senior became a target for every wrestler in his weight class.

He rose to every occasion. He won titles at the Reno Tournament of Champions and Five Counties Invitational, both among the most prestigious tournaments in the nation, and capped an undefeated season by winning his third consecutive state title.

Moreno, the only Southland wrestler to win a state title this year, is The Times’ wrestler of the year.

“Once you’re No. 1, everyone wants a piece of you,” Foothill Coach Russ Caldwell said. “Some guys will lay down or run from you, but most think they can beat this guy and be the best. Brian stood up to them every time this year, and I think it was his most impressive season because of that.”

After he won his third title, Moreno said trying to rank them would be impossible, though the third might have been a little more satisfying because of the additional pressure of trying to join an elite group of three-time state champions.

Only 12 others had accomplished the feat before him, and only two other Southland wrestlers -- Lawrence Jackson of Santa Monica from 1984 to ’86 and Scott Chapman of Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World from 1991 to ’93.

After his 112-pound title match this year, Moreno acknowledged the march toward the record book had taken its toll, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“A lot of things were going through my head,” he said. “But the first thing was, ‘It’s over. I won.’ It was kind of a relief.”

Moreno’s success came by way of technical superiority. A reflection of his introverted personality, there isn’t much flair to his style. He wins by decision far more often than by pin, but he wins nonetheless. He finished his career with a 190-18 record, was 114-1 over the last two years and 56-0 this season.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Moreno’s journey is that he had no wrestling experience before high school. Caldwell said Moreno wandered into the wrestling room one day on the advice of a teacher, and Caldwell noticed his talent almost instantly.

“He rolled around with a couple of guys and he had this uncanny ability to stay off his back,” Caldwell said.

Moreno made the varsity as a freshman, then began to dominate as a sophomore.

“He really came out of nowhere,” Caldwell said. “To win a state title with only two years’ experience in this state is basically unheard of.”

The achievement even caught Moreno off guard but served as motivation for the next two years.

“I surprised myself,” he said. “But then I thought if I can do it as a sophomore, then why not as a junior and senior?”

The pressure of trying to win a third bothered Moreno at first, but after winning Five Counties this year, he said he had grown accustomed to it.

“It’s hard to be on top because everybody’s after you,” he said at the time. “But I like it. It forces me to find new ways to push myself.”