Dad says wrestling coaches beat his son up

Authorities are investigating reports of battery against two Riverside County high school wrestling coaches after a parent said they beat his son up because he wouldn’t name classmates who were involved in a fight.

Mike Gonzalez, whose son is a freshman at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, said the encounter began Nov. 20 after the teen witnessed an altercation, according to reporting by the Mercury News. The boy refused to tell to his assistant coach — identified by the newspaper as Stephanie Cataline — the names of the students who were involved.

Gonzalez said Cataline grabbed his son by the ear, pinched his chest and demanded he apologize for being disrespectful.

The next day, Gonzalez said, he kept his son out of wrestling practice. When the boy returned, the assistant coaches used wrestling practice to get back at him, Gonzalez told the news outlet.

The father said that another assistant coach — Nikko Cataline, Stephanie Cataline’s son — covered his son’s nose and mouth and punched him. Mother and son then watched while the boy’s teammates “went harder than any normal match,” Gonzalez said.

“My son’s been wrestling his whole life, but they literally beat the crap out of him that day,” he said.

Head coach Mike Cataline, who is Nikko Cataline’s father, also taunted his son, Gonzalez said, sarcastically asking “What happened?” after practice.

The two assistant coaches are now on leave while the Corona-Norco Unified School District investigates, the newspaper reported.

Sheriff’s officials received a report about the incident Dec. 7, according to Deputy Robyn Flores, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Although no arrests have been made, investigators are looking into the allegations and will submit the case to the Riverside County district attorney’s office for review, Flores said. Potential charges include battery and child endangerment.

Flores said the investigation is ongoing and she couldn’t release additional information. Officials with the Corona-Norco Unified School District could not immediately be reached for comment Monday as schools are closed for winter break.