Only a junior, Korey Windham is already a three-time state champion on a St. Michael's squad that features five championship wrestlers.
Courtesy photo
Most high school wrestling coaches would count their blessings to have one returning individual state champion on their team.
St. Michael's (Santa Fe) head coach Joaquin Garcia has five — count ‘em, five — returning state champs on this year's powerhouse squad. Talk about an embarrassment of grappling riches.
"Well, we're pretty fortunate to have some great talent back for another season," Garcia said. "This is my seventh year here (third as head coach), and St. Michael's has always been strong in wrestling. As coaches, it's our job to put the kids in the best position to win. But you can only do so much in the sport of wrestling. Ultimately, it's up to the kids. We have them practice as hard as they can for 90 minutes, with no rest except for water. It seems to be working."
No kidding. The Horsemen are the two-time defending New Mexico 3A state champions and a strong favorite to win a third-consecutive title.
It's easy to see why.
St. Michael's, which is coming off a convincing victory in its own Al Salazar Invitational Saturday, has returning state champions in Mario Olivas (120 pounds), Jose Ocampo (126), Korey Windham (160), Lucas Sanchez (171) and Andres Blea (heavyweight). Windham, Sanchez and Blea are a combined 38-0 this season.
Windham is the most decorated of the fantastic five, as the junior is a three-time state champ and has a chance to become the school's first five-time state champion when it's all said and done.
Korey Windham, St. Michael's
Courtesy photo
"Korey has everything a wrestler needs to be successful," Garcia said. "He's got all the skills, but more importantly, he comes to practice every day wanting to outwork everyone. Just when things get tough, Korey challenges everyone to keep on going hard. We've been successful because guys like Korey lead by example."
Windham, who was also a starting linebacker on this year's St. Michael's state championship-winning football team, has never finished a season undefeated.
"It's another goal to keep you motivated," said Windham, who finished 36-3 last season.
Windham's first two individual state championship matches went to double overtime. As an eighth-grader, Windham scored on an escape to capture the title in thrilling fashion. The first person he went looking for was his grandmother, Gertrude Lucero, who has always been Windham's No. 1 fan.
"I went up to her after the match, and she was going crazy," Windham said. "I noticed my grandma in the crowd during the entire match because she was screaming, cheering and was very loud. She's always been a great motivation for me to do my best. It was a great moment because I was just happy to be there in the final. I was pretty shocked after I won."
St. Michael's has a propensity to beat up on 3A competition, so Garcia always schedules dual meets against tougher competition from the larger schools in the 4A and 5A divisions. The Horsemen suffered a 55-18 loss in the season opener against Piedra Vista (Farmington), the top-ranked team in 4A.
On Wednesday, St. Michael's has a match against Cleveland (Rio Rancho), the top-ranked team in 5A. Even though St. Michael's was missing a couple starters from the lineup against Piedra Vista, Garcia said the defeat served a purpose.
"I schedule the larger schools to help us improve," Garcia said. "I don't want our kids to think they're invincible. Every now and then it's good to have a wakeup call."
When asked to explain the team's success, both Garcia and Windham said it came down to one thing: good old-fashioned hard work. From the moment practice starts, all of the wrestlers go through a series of organized drills and strategic situations that toughens them both physically and mentally. Case in point: At the end of each practice, Windham climbs up a suspended 20-foot rope.
"It kind of sucks, but it helps with your grip strength, and that's going to help us in our matches," Windham said. "We take practice seriously. There's no slacking off around here."
It wouldn't be a stretch to say the Horsemen probably get more out of their practices than in some of their matches. With tremendous talent in nearly every weight class, there are always wrestlers challenging each other to get into the lineup. Some of the best up-and-comers on this year's team include sophomores Clayton Montoya (106) and Kevin Trujillo (126) and eighth-grader Xavier Vigil (152).
"The young guys come in knowing they better be at their best or they're not going to cut it," Windham said. "We've got some serious competition going on in our practices. Having so many guys who have won state keeps the room interesting. Everyone wants to be the top dog in the room."
