No escape on the mat – Velasquez wants to be the best

Adam Velasquez stood on the championship podium, fifth from the top, and liked the view. Sort of.

The CIF State Wrestling Championhip had just ended in Bakersfield, not long after the 14 title matches – one for each weight class – had been completed. But for Velasquez, the goal-minded junior from Pitman High, his day had ended about eight hours earlier.

“I was thankful to be up there. I had trained almost my whole life,” said Velasquez, who placed fifth in the 120-pound class. “But I want to be on top next year.”

There is no ambiguity, no wriggle room for Velasquez’s senior year. He will be shooting for first place, the gold medal, the best of the best. He knows he’s close, but the difference between fifth and first at Bakersfield – not far on the podium – can be a galaxy apart on the mat.

“If I can perform at my best, I can win a state title,” he said.

That’s the game plan for Velasquez, The Bee’s selection as Wrestler of the Year.

Velasquez will remember his junior year as the season he pushed his name into the state’s elite class. He went 45-6 and won five tournaments, none more important than his Sac-Joaquin Section Masters title.

The climb was pleasing, given what happened his first two seasons. As a Modesto High freshman, he suffered a broken hand in physical education class the day before the state championship.

“I was playing soccer, where you can use only your legs, and I break my hand,” he mused.

As a sophomore at Pitman, Velasquez finished sixth at the Masters and was 2-2 at state. He didn’t reach the second day at Bakersfield.

Most wrestling watchers penciled in Velasquez for more progress as a junior, and he did just that. He displayed his promise during a summer tournament by beating Clovis star Justin Mejia, who won his third straight state title last month.

Mejia will shoot for history next year as a senior. Velasquez knows he belongs in the same conversation.

How he gets to first place, however, can be complicated, let alone ultra-difficult. Velasquez pushed his workout regimen to new levels this year. More of everything will be needed next season – stamina, strength, commitment, experience.

The campaign actually started when he was introduced to wrestling at age 4 by his father and uncle. He practiced for many years with older brother Angel (fourth at state last year and a freshman at Northern Illinois) and former state champions Emilio and Israel Saavedra. Velasquez’s pedigree almost mandates success.

“Next year, I have to be able to dominate,” he said. “No more close matches.”

Velasquez’s comfort level with tight, low-scoring matches can be a blessing and a curse. Confident on his feet, he often concedes escape points just so he can pile on more takedowns. Pitman coach Adam Vasconcellos thinks his prized wrestler can pull away to easier wins by picking up the pace.

“Sometimes, he allows people to stay too close,” Vasconcellos said. “Adam is so confident. He thinks he can beat anybody.”

Incredibly, Velasquez was taken down only twice all season, both at state – during a frustrating 3-2 loss to Robert Garcia of Selma (he finished third) in the quarterfinals and during a 3-1 loss in the consolation semifinals to Isaiah Perez of Dinuba (he finished fourth).

Even more startling, Velasquez was involved in 10 overtime matches during the season and won eight. The record shows that he collided with the state’s best and more than held his own.

“He changes his mentality in overtimes. That tells me he can build bigger leads if he just adjusts his approach,” Vasconcellos said.

Velasquez appears to agree. He promises a maximum effort as a senior.

“I’m not going to give up escapes or caution points,” he said. “Last year wasn’t good enough.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 4:24 PM with the headline "No escape on the mat – Velasquez wants to be the best."