Birmingham City Champion Wrestling Teams Offseason Training and Preview

Georgina Mendez, Sports Editor

“I got third at trials, I placed at state my freshman year, I won city’s, and I’m a double all-American”-Avy Perez (10th grade)

Avy Perez (10) performing a wrestling move on Savannah Sequeira (10) (Photo: Georgina Mendez)

At Birmingham, we have an incredible wrestling team that has helped many athletes accomplish their goals. One great example of this is current sophomore Avy Perez.

Perez has been wrestling for eight years but believes that after she transferred to Birmingham, her wrestling technique greatly improved. She is very appreciative of BCCHS head coach Jimmy Medeiros who has helped students get ready for tournaments both in and out of school.

Perez works extremely hard on and off the mat as her routine includes lifting weights at 4 a.m., wrestling during her periods 4 and 8, training at International Sports Union (ISU), and boxing training. She has continued to show tremendous improvement and plans on getting a state title before she graduates from Birmingham. Perez is one of the many successful wrestlers on the wrestling team.

Throughout the past several years, the Birmingham wrestling team has continued to train hard and win a variety of championships. Starting with our boy’s wrestling team, which has accomplished so much throughout the years, the boys won their fourth individual city championship in a row and fifth dual championship in a row during their 2022 season.

As for the girls, they were able to defeat San Fernando High School for the first time in five years making them both individual and dual champions for the L.A. City Section along with placing third at state.

The championships will not stop here as many wrestlers train year-round. It is one of the few sports where tournaments happen throughout the entire year rather than in a specific, seasonal time frame. This allows wrestlers to gain experience, technique, and a stronger wrestling mindset. 

Nikita Smatov(10) on the left and Ethan Grubach(12) on the right in their stance (Photo: Georgina Mendez)

 

Senior Ethan Grubach appreciates the process here at Birmingham.  “It has been a very crazy journey being on our varsity team since I was in the 8th grade..lots of self-improvement,” he stated. Grubach has wrestled for five years and has shown a ton of self-improvement. “Ethan is talented. Sometimes he would make mental mistakes and I see him making a lot less of those, which is gonna benefit him this season for sure,” said Coach Medeiros. Grubach’s journey on the team has been a roller coaster, but he continues to show great improvement which helped the team win a city championship in 2022. 

Grubach has trained year-round to help with his contributions to the wrestling team this season. Both Grubach and Medeiros believe the varsity line-ups are very strong this season.

Many have faith in the team and look forward to seeing current junior Draven Lukata wrestle as he is a bit newer to the team. The 2021-2022 season was his first official season wrestling, and he won a city championship for himself as a sophomore. “This year he is focused on the little things that have stopped him in the past from beating the best,” explained Medeiros.

This upcoming season is looking bright with an amazing line-up of male and female wrestlers. Birmingham plans on bringing home another championship and both teams will work extremely hard so it all pays off. Will they be successful in bringing home four city championships this season?