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Sports

Pirates Wrestler Abel Robles Wins State Championship

San Leandro High School junior Abel Robles continues the legacy of the Pirates wrestling program by capturing a state title in Greco-Roman.

The tradition of crowning state champions in Greco-Roman wrestling continued for the Pirates Wrestling Club when junior Abel Robles won the 145-lb. division at the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman State Championships on June 4.

Greco-Roman is the style of wrestling that only allows for the use maneuvers using the upper body. 

This isn’t the first time Robles has made waves at the state level. He’s placed fourth at the freestyle state championships two years in a row. But Robles said winning a state championship has always been his ultimate goal.

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“This was my first championship. It felt really good to win it,” he said.

Several Pirates wrestlers have shared this same accomplishment. Ben Shapiro and David Jagoda won their own Amateur Athletic Union titles in 2002. Mark Jay Acosta became a USA Wrestling champion in 2007.

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And now, in 2011, Abel Robles adds his name to the list of dominant Greco-Roman grapplers from San Leandro.

Robles, who also placed fifth at the North Coast Wrestling championships last February, won four straight matches en route to his title. At the event, held at Selland Arena in Fresno, the state champion in each weight class received a golden statue of a grizzly bear. Robles said this coveted statue is what motivated him in the weeks leading up to the state championships, and he often thought about it while training.

“I wanted that bear,” he said.

One of the reasons for Robles’s success on the mat is David Jagoda, SLHS and Pirates Wrestling Club head coach. Jagoda, who was also a standout in Greco-Roman, takes a hands-on approach with Robles, wrestling with him in practice routinely to make sure his skills are up to snuff.

Nevertheless, Jagoda is quick to cite Robles’s self-motivation and work ethic as the real reasons for his success.

“No matter where he’s at, he always wants to wrestle the best person in the room. He gets mad at me if I’m not wrestling with him at practice,” Jagoda joked.

He says Robles is always looking to improve and is constantly learning new techniques and skills by watching videos on the Internet. Jagoda says Robles travels to the Community Youth Center in Concord a few times a week to train with the best local wrestlers.

Jagoda also makes note of Robles’s intensity and conditioning, which often prove too much for his opponents. “He takes [his opponents] into deep water and then drowns them,” Jagoda said.

Robles’s championship automatically qualifies him for the prestigious Asics/Vaughan Junior National Championships held in Fargo, ND, in July. The best high school wrestlers in the country make the trip to Fargo every summer. Robles also competed at the event last summer.

He is also considering the possibility of attending a wrestling camp to help him prepare for the upcoming high school season. But outside training doesn't come cheap.

“If I had the money, I would go [to nationals or a camp],” said Robles.

Robles says his biggest goal is to wrestle in college. Coach Jagoda said Robles has the talent and desire to succeed at the collegiate level, but his financial situation is currently holding him back from achieving his goal of getting there.

The wrestling program at San Leandro High School has produced wrestlers who have gone on to compete at Chabot College, Skyline College, Menlo College, Lassen Junior College, San Jose State, UC Davis, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Robles is eager to follow in these wrestler’s footsteps.

If you or someone you know would be interested in donating to Robles to help him travel to camps and competitions this summer, contact David Jagoda at 510-508-4467 or ddjagoda@gmail.com. The Pirates Wrestling Club is also accepting members of all ages throughout the summer.

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