Wrestling shapes its athletes

CVHS hosted an all-day Bay Area regional varsity wrestling meet on Dec. 13, welcoming teams from across the region such as James Logan, Amador Valley, Central Catholic, and many others. By the end of the meet, CVHS took a strong fourth-place finish, an encouraging result that reflects the team’s growth and rising confidence early in the season.

With many meets still ahead, the Trojans are building momentum under new leadership and a renewed sense of passion. Junior Sean Tran and senior Caleb Giannecchini, both varsity wrestlers, shared their experiences on the mat and reflected on how wrestling has shaped them both as athletes and individuals.

Tran, who has been wrestling for just over three years, was first introduced to the sport during middle school after a friend encouraged him to attend a practice. “I didn’t have anything going on, so I showed up, and I just kept showing up after that,” Tran said. What began as a casual tryout quickly turned into a long-term commitment.

Despite currently dealing with an arm injury, Tran remains deeply invested in the sport and his team. “I miss it right now,” he said. Tran says he plans on continuing the sport through high school, though mentions that competing at the collegiate level is considerably difficult. Still, he hopes to stay involved in combat sports in the future, whether through wrestling or martial arts such as jiu-jitsu or judo.

Over the past three years, Tran has seen significant growth, both physically and mentally. “So the fact is that physically, a lot has changed,” he said, noting improvements in strength, endurance, speed, and flexibility. “And then mentally, also. We get put in tough situations where you got to fight. Those are the times where I love the sport the most. It’s when it’s hard, if I’m being honest. It’s when it’s a fight.” 

Balancing wrestling with academics has been one of Tran’s biggest challenges, especially as a junior taking more rigorous classes. “It’s hard, I’m not gonna lie,” he said. “There’s going to be times where you’ve got to stay up to the a.m. just to get that work done so you can keep wrestling.” Still, he believes the discipline he’s gained from the sport has helped him improve as a student. “I think as a student, I feel sharper in my classes now more than last year.”

Tran also credits the team’s new head coach, coach Huy Nguyen, with helping transform the team. After several years of coaching changes, he says the current coach has brought stability and motivation. “He’s everything we needed,” Tran said. “He pushes us to be better wrestlers, better students, and better people.”

That mindset has reshaped the team’s outlook. Goals that once seemed unrealistic, such as beating ranked teams or competing at NCS and state, now feel attainable. 

“Before, you know, the ideas of going to these tournaments or beating other teams that were ranked seemed so distant, like something that was almost out of reach, “ Tran said. “But now it’s more visible, we’re like yeah we can beat that team, we can place at state. That’s so much more of an eye opener.”

Giannecchini shares that same confidence. A three-year wrestler who began during his sophomore year, Giannecchini originally joined the team as part of a fitness journey and a desire to return to competitive sports. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in a sport, and I just had a lot of friends doing it, so I thought I should join.”

Since joining the team, Giannecchini says the sport has helped him become more disciplined and confident. “Individually, I’ve seen a lot of progress over these last couple of years. And I’m pretty proud of myself and how far I’ve come,” he said. “I think I’ve grown to be more confident in myself and more disciplined because you have to be disciplined with the wrestling lifestyle, and it teaches you life lessons, too, like how to just get through the hard stuff and be successful through it all.”

Having previously played baseball, Giannecchini believes wrestling stands apart in terms of physical demands.”It’s just the conditioning that really changes the game,” he explained. “You’re constantly going, you’re basically out of breath the entire practice, it’s a lot harder, a lot more hands-on, and it’s overall just a bigger workout.”

Like Tran, Giannecchini credits the new coach for helping the team improve. “The first couple of months we’ve seen more progress than we did last year. And I’m just really happy he’s here because I’ve also seen myself make a lot of progress.”

What truly sets the team apart, according to Giannecchini, is its sense of unity. “No one’s a stranger in that room. We all know each other and we’re all like family.”

Looking ahead, Giannecchini hopes to wrestle in college and has set his sights on making state this season. More than individual success, though, he’s excited about how far the team can go together. “This team is going to go super far,” he said. “We’re going to have a lot of guys competing in states, sections, and regionals.”

Both wrestlers offered similar advice to students considering joining the sport: work hard, commit fully, and don’t quit when things get tough. “It’s going to hurt,” Tran said. “But when it gets hard, fight.” Giannecchini echoed that message, encouraging others to “go 100% and fight for what you want.” 

As the season continues, the CVHS wrestling team is proving that progress is built through perseverance, discipline, and a belief in both oneself and the team.