Last season, Angelinah De Leon finished her junior season wrestling for the Santa Clara Bruins as a CCS Champion and second-place finisher at the CIF State Wrestling meet.
The one opponent who defeated her has since graduated, leaving De Leon as the highest-ranked returning wrestler at the high school level. Those facts, combined with the fact that De Leon’s friends all call her by the nickname “Sky” make it all the more fitting (and accurate) to say that the sky just may be the limit for De Leon’s wrestling ambitions.
The senior’s confidence level comes off strong and without even a hint of cockiness. While she acknowledges the critical importance of focusing on the day-to-day preparations and practice, she is unafraid to admit her goal is to win the entire state of California.
“I know my goal is first in state,” chimed De Leon without hesitation. “Every match will come one at time of course, but I’m still looking forward to that opportunity.”
Having had such a successful junior season, De Leon is also well aware that she won’t sneak up on anyone this time around.
“I know there is a target on my back now,” confirmed De Leon when asked about her opponents circling her name on their match schedule. “But my dad has always been there to remind me that every time I skip a day or don’t put all my effort in, my opponent will. So that’s how I train. I try to train every day with full effort so I don’t fall behind. In my mind, all my opponents are right behind me.”
Santa Clara Bruins Wrestling Coach Nicholas Garcia is confident that his star pupil won’t rest on her laurels, given the tough talent that De Leon will face throughout the league season leading up to the postseason matches.
“It’s definitely beneficial to have a tough opposing schedule. You’ll hear us on the mat at practice that ‘iron sharpens iron,’ so it’s good to have those opponents,” noted Garcia. “There is the No. 4 ranked girl from Gunn who Sky beat in the finals of CCS, and there is also a girl over at Wilcox who qualified for state as well. She’s ranked either seventh or eighth in state.”
With that level of competition, what is the focus at practice as the season gets underway?
“I do want her to take it one match at a time, focus on the next match,” responded Garcia. “More so with her, it’s just to focus on the moves, to just have fun and flow with it. She’s been enjoying putting in the work every day. With us coaches now, actually, when we wrestle her, we are like, ‘ok, we need to start picking it up a little bit more’ because she’s actually starting to get us, taking us down; it’s actually pretty fun to watch it happen.”
Safe to say that the sky’s the limit for Sky?
“Yes,” chuckled coach Garcia.
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