Yovan Soberanis had a quick rise to glory as a student-athlete. In his first and only year competing in high school sports, he vaulted into the spotlight by becoming Weston Ranch’s first wrestler to capture a league championship in over ten years.

Soberanis played on the football team and looked for a way to stay in shape once the football season concluded. And it turned out to be one of his best decisions.

“I’ve always enjoyed wrestling but never thought about going out for our team until this year,” Soberanis said. “I was doing it to stay and shape and for fun. I never thought I would go on and win the league championship.”

Wrestling in the 152-pound division, Soberanis picked up the sport quickly and began making a name for himself. In his first match, he pinned his first opponent. He then proceeded to post an 18-4 overall record, 5-2 in SJAA matches, and finished as the SJAA Champion at 152. It was quite a ride for the senior.

“Since the first moment I started wrestling this year, I set my goals high,” Soberanis said. “I set my sights on winning matches, winning my weight class in the SJAAs, and being the best wrestler I could be. Of course, I could have been better at sports, but wrestling was a great way to prove myself. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to show my skills in football because I had a toe injury. But wrestling is just my opponent and me, so it’s entirely up to me. I’m the only one who can help myself win or lose.”

Being a wrestler takes a lot of hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. Soberanis made the commitment knowing it would be a challenge going from football to wrestling, but taking risks makes people great, so he took on the challenge.

“It was challenging and fun simultaneously because coming from football to wrestling. Of course, there are similarities between football and wrestling, but wrestling requires and demands much more of your mind and body.”

One of those demands on the mind and body was losing weight. Because wrestlers have to compete in specified weight classes, Soberanis had to drop some pounds to get to the weight class he wanted to compete in. As a result, Yovan had an extreme diet along his journey. In one week, he had to go from 164 lbs. to 153 lbs. to maintain his weight category to be able to wrestle. That can take a toll on the mind and the body.

“Conditioning for wrestling was brutal because we would work out in the wrestling room (a small room located outside WR’s weight room) with the heat on to make us sweat more,” Yovan said. “It takes a lot of willpower and determination just to make weight so you can wrestle for six minutes.”

Soberanis had plenty of help as he made his way to the podium. His teammates, coaches, and parents were by his side, which helped him achieve his goals.

“I’m grateful for my parents for encouraging me to try out for wrestling, coming out to my meets, and always cheering me on,” Soberanis said. “I am also grateful for my teammates and coach. But, finally, I am really thankful for my wrestling partner Jason Chavez and coach Guardiola who pushed me to my limits and made me give it my all every day.”

His historic run sadly ended last Saturday at the CIF Division 4 meet. Soberanis placed 5th in the tournament and will now be an alternate for Masters this Friday at the Stockton Arena. But what a run it was.