Jesus Valdez is a quick learner \u2014 partly because he has to be, but also because he wants to be.<\/p>\n
When it comes to Kent-Meridian\u2019s 103-pound wrestling standout, speed and quickness is the name of the game, whether it be in the fall on the cross country trails, in the winter on the mat or in the spring on the track oval.<\/p>\n
Pick a season and Valdez will be there. And he\u2019ll be moving at a fast rate, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere aren\u2019t too many (three-sport athletes) around,\u201d said Valdez, a junior who excels in all three. \u201cI like to stay busy. I can\u2019t sit still. I come home early at the end of spring and I don\u2019t have anything to do. I really like all sports.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this day of athletic specialization, Valdez has become a bit of an anomaly. And he excels in the classroom as much as he does on the trails, mat and track.<\/p>\n
Go to any area school, and three-sport athletes are about as extraordinary as mid-November afternoons without rain.<\/p>\n
Then again, Valdez is extraordinary in lots of ways. He sports a nifty 3.5 grade-point average, has a strong desire to be a coach someday, and wants to earn a degree in history.<\/p>\n
He also has a soft spot for movies such as \u201cTitanic\u201d and \u201cFever Pitch,\u201d which he refers to as being \u201csentimental.\u201d<\/p>\n
Extraordinary is something Valdez will have to be this weekend during the South Puget Sound League North Division sub-district wrestling tournament in his home gym at Kent-Meridian. For if there\u2019s one weight class that has the potential to stand out above the rest, it\u2019s Valdez\u2019 103-pound bracket. It\u2019s filled with state quality talent, and only the top five advance to next week\u2019s regionals, which will be at Auburn High.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty deep this year,\u201d Tahoma coach Chris Feist said of the bevy of talent at 103. \u201cWe have (Kentwood\u2019s Ruben) Navejas … Colton Marlowe (of Kentlake) … Steve Chacko (of Auburn). We\u2019re seeing some experience and skill at that weight class.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Valdez?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just tough as hell,\u201d Feist continued. \u201cIt\u2019s rare that you have that much depth, strength and talent at the lighter group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five of the state\u2019s top Class 4A 103-pounders call the SPSL North their home. It makes today\u2019s sub-district that much more of a gauntlet to traverse.<\/p>\n
But for Valdez, today\u2019s tournament is about more than just getting through to regionals. It\u2019s about taking stock of where he stacks up with the local competition, and preparing for the road ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely really tough just within our league,\u201d admitted the lightning-quick Valdez, who also has a passion for baseball and played football growing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s good to get ready and see good competition early on. I think all those guys are really tough guys. We can all place at state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which is precisely one of Valdez\u2019 primary goals in two weeks at the Tacoma Dome. But getting there won\u2019t be easy despite the fact that the K-M standout took eighth at the state a year ago and is a two-time Mat Classic qualifier.<\/p>\n
Standing in his way this weekend will be Kentwood\u2019s Navejas, who enters the tournament with a 29-2 record and who took fifth at state in 2008. Valdez was one of the few wrestlers in the league to challenge Navejas last year, dropping a 6-2 decision at sub-district.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Navejas) is really tough and fundamentally sound,\u201d said Valdez, who took up cross country as a freshman two years ago and has had nearly the same success in that sport, earning a district berth this past fall.<\/p>\n
But he has other goals as well, like becoming K-M\u2019s first state champion since Chris Smith bagged the 130-pound title in 2001.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since I was a freshman, (a state title) has been a goal,\u201d Valdez said.<\/p>\n
As quick of learner as Valdez has become, the possibility is real. For now, however, it\u2019s all a matter of getting through this weekend.<\/p>\n
Not just because he has to.<\/p>\n
Because he wants to.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
SPSL NORTH WRESTLING<\/p>\n
\u2022 WHAT: Sub-regional wrestling tournament.<\/p>\n
\u2022 WHEN: The championship round is slated for 4:30 p.m. today.<\/p>\n
\u2022 WHERE: Kent-Meridian High.<\/p>\n
\u2022 ADMISSION: Students with ASB, $4 for half day (Friday), $6 for full day, $8 for tournament pass; Adults $7 for half day (Friday), $11 for full day, $14 for tournament pass; Elementary school students $2 for half day (Friday), $3 for full day (Saturday), $4 for tournament pass; Senior citizens $2 for half day (Friday), $3 for full day (Saturday), $4 for tournament pass.<\/p>\n
\u2022 AT STAKE: Regional berths. The top five wrestlers in each weight class advance to the regional tournament, slated for next Saturday at Auburn High.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Erick Walker\/The Reporter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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