WRESTLING: Kentwood’s ‘Incredible Shrinking Man’ — SPSL sub-district glance

He was a self-proclaimed chunky kid.

And as a 5-foot-4, 182-pound sophomore last winter, Jose Hernandez appeared displaced on the high school wrestling mat, where he typically got wiped clean by taller, stronger and more conditioned upperclassmen.

In a sport such as wrestling, it’s not uncommon for heavier underclassmen to take multiple beatings by their older peers. Most wrestlers simply wait it out and, eventually, their day comes.

But for Kentwood High’s Hernandez, it was more than that. It was about the image staring back at him in the mirror.

“I was a little chunky kid at a higher weight,” admitted the 17-year-old Hernandez, who competed at 171 pounds last year. “I wanted to wrestle at a lower weight, so that way, I could be good. I would be better and stronger.”

Better and stronger is one thing. What Hernandez accomplished in less than a year’s time, however, is quite another. The Kentwood wrestler didn’t just shed a few pounds — he shed entire weight classes.

Seven weight classes, to be precise.

Instead of dropping from the 171-pound category to 160 or 152 – something that would be fathomable, but still difficult – the Conqueror standout plummeted to 125. Yes, seven weight classes in a single year – and a total of 57 pounds.

“We now call him The Incredible Shrinking Man,” joked Kentwood coach Ken Sroka. “I knew that he was trying to lose some weight in the offseason, but holy cow!”

In a sport where participants are known for cutting unhealthy amounts, Hernandez’s weight loss proved more healthy than otherwise.

“I don’t try and get anybody to lose weight. If they want to, they have to self-motivate,” Sroka said. “He did that all on his own. He just decided one day he wanted to lose weight and he’s been doing it ever since.”

To no surprise, Hernandez’s tremendous weight loss has come hand-in-hand with a new level of mat success. He enters the South Puget Sound League tournament on Saturday (Feb. 6) at Kent-Meridian High among the top-seeded wrestlers at 125 pounds. The top four wrestlers advance to next weekend’s regional tournament, which will take place at Auburn High.

Hernandez hopes to be one of those top four and steadfastly believes he has put in the time and effort that would enable him to advance.

“This year, I am not going to say I am going to take state, but my main goal is to get there,” he said with a smile. “(Eventually), I see myself No. 1 on the podium for state. That’s all I see right now.”

Which is a far cry from what Hernandez and his teammates saw last year at the same time.

“When we were younger, I was a lot skinnier than he was and I used to make fun of him a little bit,” said teammate Raymond Paz, Hernandez’s half brother. “He was weak and chubby when he was younger and I did pick on him.”

Paz, 15, doesn’t pick on his older brother any longer. Instead all he has for Hernandez is praise.

“He just doesn’t give up. He has that mindset that he’s never going to give up,” Paz said. “He went on a rampage with working out and running a lot.”

That rampage began on the first day of summer. Hernandez would wake up and hit the local streets for a daily jog of three to four miles. He sprinkled in weight training two to three times a week, but continued to eat just as much as he did before.

By the time wrestling season rolled around, Hernandez was all the way down to the 130-pound weight class.

“He put his mind to it and committed,” said Sroka, who added that he has never seen a wrestler go through such a drastic life transformation. “(When wrestling practice began in November) he looked like a totally different person.”

Indeed. Gone was the baby fat that weighed down Hernandez a year ago. Instead, it was replaced by a lean physique that looked at home on the wrestling mat.

As Hernandez lost pounds, he added victories. The Kentwood junior reached a new level three weeks ago, when he brought home the 125-pound title from the Jaguar Invitational at Emerald Ridge High in Puyallup.

That tournament marked the lowest weight of Hernandez’s season, and the highest point of his success thus far. He pulled off three narrow wins, including a 7-4 decision over Decatur’s Tyler Phelps for the crown.

Hernandez said the title validated all of the hard work.

“It felt great. I felt like I had achieved my goal and that I can go even further,” he said.

On an average day, Hernandez now tips the scale at 128 pounds, a number he estimates he last weighed as a 9-year-old.

That self-proclaimed chunky kid is now gone, having been replaced with a confident and athletic 125-pounder ready to ascend to a new level.

“Most people on the wrestling team and teachers couldn’t believe how much weight I lost,” he said. “But I told them (last year) that I would come back smaller, stronger and better. Most people didn’t think I could do it.

“But I dedicated myself. I did it.”

SPSL SUB-DISTRICT: AT A GLANCE

• WHAT: South Puget Sound League North Division sub-district wrestling tournament.

• WHERE: Kent-Meridian High School (10020 SE 256th St.)

• WHEN: Friday (Feb. 5) and Saturday (Feb. 6).

• TIMES: Matches begin Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m.

• CHAMPIONSHIPS: Slated to run from 4:30-8 p.m.

• AT STAKE: Berths to the regional tournament, which is slated for next weekend at Auburn High. The top four wrestlers in each of the 14 weight brackets advance.

• ADMISSION: Half-day pass – Adults, $7; Students with an ASB, $4; Elementary School Students; $2; Senior Citizens, $2. Full-day pass – Adults, $11; Students with an ASB, $6; Elementary School Students, $3; Senior Citizens, $2; Two-day pass – Adults, $14; Students with an ASB, $8; Elementary School Students, $4; Senior Citizens, $4.