Wrestling head coach invites her past teammates to help team improve techniques

Photo by William Cao

Freshman Quinn Bossow works a kneebar ankle technique on Coach Paola Ramirez as Hayley Aguilar, sophomore Jayden Kwon and David Baek observe.

Juniors Rebecca Bossow and Keion Ashjaee-Marshall emerged as the high finishers at the wrestling team’s debut match on Dec. 1 at Overfelt High School. The competition pitted 21 teams against each other. Bossow and Ashjaee-Marshall both placed sixth out of 20 wrestlers in the 120-pound weight class division and 190-pound weight class division, respectively. 

Before the competition — for nearly five weeks — the 10-member team practiced various wrestling techniques, including picking two entries and two takedowns to specialize in. Entries are where wrestlers manipulate their opponent’s neck or wrist to create an opening for a takedown. Once an opportunity is created, the wrestler uses takedown techniques like the double leg, single leg or ankle pick to score.

Under the guidance of new head coach Bianca Adams, members practice every weekday in the wrestling room from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, her husband, assistant coach and campus supervisor Darrell Adams, also hosts weight training sessions after regular wrestling technique practice to build the athletes’ strength.

Additionally, to “bring a wealth of skills and perspectives to the team,” Adams regularly invites former wrestling partners from her high school, friends from college and those she has wrestled against before to help train the athletes and teach them specific wrestling techniques. 

Among those invited are coaches Julian Garza and Hayley Aguilar, who are volunteers, and coach Paola Ramirez, who is a paid assistant. Each guest coach specializes in a different technique. Adams’s strengths lie in shooting, which means taking down an opponent by controlling their legs on the ground to establish dominance. Ramirez’s strengths lie in pinning an opponent from the top position while Aguilar shows the team how to stand up and escape an opponent. 

“It’s invaluable to have this collaborative coaching approach,” Adams said. “It fosters a well-rounded skill set among our athletes.”

The team looks forward to competing in their next competition against Lawson High on Dec. 22. Looking further ahead, they are also excited about a home dual match on Jan. 3 where they will have the opportunity to wrestle against two other schools which have yet to be announced.

Though the team is preparing with these competitions in mind, Adams’s main goal “extends beyond the mat.” While keeping a competitive spirit in practice and competitions, she aims to simultaneously mold them into well-rounded student-athletes, ensuring they keep up with their various academic pursuits and school finals while maintaining wrestling as a priority.

“I aspire to shift perspectives about wrestling – it’s not just about aggression but a mental sport rooted in technique, strategy, and individual growth,” Adams said. “Wrestling goes beyond muscles; it’s a journey of self-discovery and personal development.”