by Jennifer Turcios

Wrestling is sometimes considered a dangerous sport – people sigh in amazement and awe whenever someone tells them that they’re on the wrestling team. They are dubbed brave and strong.  Oceanside’s wrestling team, coached by Julio Florez and Brian Schoenfelder, has lived up to those expectations. The OHS wrestling team fought hard this season and the results were impressive.

The Oceanside wrestling team has some impressive athletes on it. Some students have been wrestling for a long time while others are relatively new to the sport. The amount of training that wrestlers need to undergo to achieve success is quite grueling. I had the opportunity to be on the team and got to know the wrestlers. The boys are always encouraged to work hard by parents, teachers and coaches.

2020 was a difficult year for wrestlers due to Covid because wrestling is a full contact sport. During the peak of Covid-19, wrestling was obviously a major hazard and worried parents. For the 2020 wrestling season, wrestlers all over were affected due to new regulations and precautions. Masks were being required for wrestlers in practices and in matches. However, the coaches and wrestlers did not give up. In the 2021-2022 season, the Oceanside wrestling team was able to win the conference allowing them to move on to the playoffs. “It felt great to be a part of the team who won the conference for the first time in 18 years!” said wrestler Ronny Medrano. Teammate Leander Fucci added, “Winning conference was a big boost for the team and for the parents, friends, alumni, and sponsors who support the team.” The Playoffs weren’t as promising as we thought they would be, yet the boys decided to work even harder after their playoff loss. 

Coaches Florez and Schoenfelder are extremely proud, to say the least, of their wrestlers. “We are proud of how hard everyone has worked and how far everyone has come.  Now we gotta’ put in the work even harder,” said Coach Florez.

We congratulate Oceanside’s wrestling team for their strength and sustained training. We also congratulate this year’s seniors: Matthew Maldonado, Zachary Weicher, Hugh Bittenbender and Johantan Beitzinger. We also would like to congratulate all the boys who made it to the county. Next year, we can’t wait to see the new team in action and cannot wait to see what coaches Florez and Schofelder have in store.