Ethan Lopez was pinned by an opponent 12 seconds into his very first wrestling match 12 years ago.
The Hagerty High senior was an energetic 6-year-old with a budding passion for the sport on that disappointing day.
“I’ll never forget that match,” Lopez said with a laugh. “The kid took me down, cradled me up, and it was done. I was crying.”
But Lopez never wavered. He stuck with the sport after also latching on to football during his early years as a kid growing up in Georgia. He’s realized the benefits of wrestling while playing running back and working to keep his balance as tacklers team up against him on the football field.
“I’m so glad I stuck with it because the number of things I learned about techniques and skills and leadership through wrestling have helped me,” Lopez said.
Lopez, who led Hagerty in rushing last season with 781 yards and 13 touchdowns, is one of several Orlando area football players highly ranked entering the FHSAA wrestling state championships this weekend at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
Lopez (13-1), ranked No. 1 in Class 3A’s 182-pound weight class, scored a 3-2 decision vs. defending state champion Tylynn Lukens (50-1) of Bradenton Manatee earlier this season.
Osceola senior Nolin Eaddy (18-1) ranks No. 2 at 195 pounds in 3A on the heels of a state runner-up football season as the Kowboys’ leading tackler at linebacker.
Ocoee junior Jordan Phillips (22-3), Winter Park senior Hayden Clem (23-5) and Dr. Phillips senior Gerald Greaves (16-3) each rank inside the Top 10 of 3A’s 285-pound division after being among the top offensive and defensive linemen for their respective football teams.
In Class 2A, senior Juan Gomez (19-4) enters the state tournament ranked No. 3 at 195 pounds, while Marvin Collins (23-1) ranks No. 1 as a smaller heavyweight in the 285-pound division. Gomez was the leading tackler at Harmony and Collins was the leading rusher at Winter Springs in 2020.
Collins typically weighs in at around 240 pounds. He said he’s benefitted both mentally and physically since taking a liking to wrestling, which came at the urging of Winter Springs’ athletic director Scott Gomrad during his sophomore year. Gomrad was previously the Bears wrestling coach.
That first season for Collins was spent learning as much as he could and getting used to the rigorous demands of the sport. He later realized the payoff upon returning to football workouts.
“I definitely noticed the difference,” Collins said. “I had horrible stamina, and I’ve seen that improve from two years ago to now. It’s a lot different.”
That improvement has helped Collins approach heavyweight matches against bigger opponents with a unique perspective.
“I do pretty well with weathering the storm with these big guys that come in and just want to lean in and try to slow me down,” Collins said. “I have the stamina now, so I just try to get them tired, and that’s when I attack.”
Unlike Collins, Lopez had to end his senior football season by implementing weight-cutting measures to maintain eligibility in the 182 weight class. That’s the division he started wrestling at as an undersized freshman four years ago while tipping the scale at just 152 pounds.
“During the football season, I just try to get big,” Lopez said. “The most I’ve weighed is probably 190-195 or close to 200, then once football season started coming to an end I started running around with long sleeves, and by the time wrestling season kicked in I was down to around 185 pounds.”
Such discipline and dedication has Lopez in position for final weigh-ins this weekend alongside the state’s best wrestlers.
“I love wrestling because you can improve on yourself and you can train as hard as you want for as long as you want,” Lopez said. “I learned that it’s not about muscle, it’s about having a heart and loving what you’re doing and being patient. It’s all on you with how much you want to push and go get it.”
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.
