South Tahoe High sends record 7 athletes to 3A State Wrestling Championships

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Seven local wrestlers are on their way to Southern Nevada for the state wrestling tournament Saturday, February 19, the most ever representing South Tahoe High School (STHS).

As the 2022 Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Class 3A tournament gets underway at Boulder City High School, Coach Ryan Wallace will have wrestlers Kash Hendrick, Jesus “Chuy” Chavarin, Zach Briggs, Patrick Webster, Garrett Friederici, Andrew Singelyn, and Cristian Arce on the mats Saturday.

"This is the most resilient, determined, and exceptional team I have ever been a part of as a competitor or coach," said Wallace, himself an STHS graduate and life-long wrestler. "I love each one of the 'Magnificent Seven' to a degree that is typically reserved only for immediate family. This year has been stressful but out of that has come inspiring evidence that 'kids these days' are much tougher than they get credit for. I am in complete awe of what they were able to accomplish under the circumstances. Without their shared strength I believe the burden would have been too heavy to bear."

The wrestling season has been anything but normal.

"The story of this season reads like a tale of insurmountable odds, the sheer volume of obstacles we encountered and overcame this year is almost comical," said Wallace. "From starting the year off with an evacuation, to new administrators learning the ropes, to Covid testing requirements, to record snowfall, to Covid outbreaks, to tragedy [Wallace recently lost his younger brother], the list goes on and on. These studs never wavered and kept their focus on being ready for League Duals in February."

Wallace has been coaching at STHS in some capacity since 2004, and the head coach for 4 years.

Wallace said this about the "Magnificent Seven:"

Freshman Kash Hendrick - 132 - 2nd Place 3A Northern Regionals. Incredible watching him make the finals at Regionals as a freshman, I see so much of my young self in him, our connection is as deep as any I’ve ever had with an athlete, he motivates me to be and do better every day. His drive is unmatched by anyone his age.

Jesus “Chuy” Chavarin - 285 - He puts in extra work after every single practice, he is a Senior who knows what it was like to have a season in which there were high hopes taken away. Now he has shown how spectacular it can be to watch a kid devote all their resources to a single goal.

Zach Briggs - 113 - He was in 8th grade when I had to tell him that the season was shut down due to Covid, days before our championships, it was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do because he pours 100 percent of himself into the sport. I couldn’t be happier that it paid off for him in this way.

Patrick Webster - 138 - Anytime a kid is acting too silly or getting too emotional I point to Patrick and say copy him, his stoicism is legendary, I believe he has the best shot of any of our kids to pin his way to the State Finals

Garrett Friederici - 145 - There isn’t a team or group in the world that wouldn’t be better off if Garrett joined, he is possibly the best “leader by example” that has ever been in our wrestling room.

Andrew Singelyn - 160 - You can absolutely, always count on Andrew to show up, be himself, and get to the positions in a match that he likes. His steadfastness keeps our entire team on an even keel, his value goes well beyond his contributions to our win totals.

Cristian Arce - 220 - He disarms you with kindness, then when you tie up with him, his brute strength alarms you. I don’t think I have ever seen a kid who’s had more opponents immediately become friends with and admire his power.

"We have a team mindset of every result generating the same reaction, a win or a loss is always our reason to work harder," said Wallace. "This week coming off of the success we stuck to that same formula, I put it on them more than I ever have, it was incredibly fun to watch them take control, they pushed themselves and each other with almost no prodding on my part."

There is a Go Fund Me fundraising account set up to help the students with the expenses of traveling and preparing for State. Visit HERE for more information.

"The most beautiful thing about a wrestling season is that it starts out as a big block of stone and adversity acting as the artist gradually chips away at everything that isn’t tough until all that’s left is the statue of a champion," said Wallace. "We said it from day one our goal was to have as many kids in the room on the last day of the season as possible, ideally that’s everyone, but the reality is the demanding nature of the sport combined with the fickleness of youth means that only a selection of the toughest kids makes it to Regionals. Once those kids make it there, they must be uniquely durable and mentally tough to earn a State Championship birth, extremely tough kids are left out of the tournament at almost every weight."

The tournament gets underway at 7:00 a.m. Saturday with weigh-ins.