Julian Zamora hasn’t always wrestled. But he definitely caught on fast. The senior joined the wrestling team his junior year because he was getting bored and wanted to try something new. “I thought it was different,” he said. “so I thought I’d try it out.” He said he enjoyed the individualistic aspect more than team sports.

Fast forward a year and now he’s the heavyweight captain for the varsity squad. The sport has pushed him to do better in school and in everything he does. “It’s taught me to be more dedicated to school and outside of it. My work ethic has really increased since joining the team.”

He even kept himself busy over the summer vacation by joining the other captains and his coach to a mixed martial arts gym. He said one of his big inspirations is his fellow teammate and captain Kevin Culp, junior. The two wrestled together for a little in their junior year, but Zamora stopped mid-season. It was the following year where they both pushed each other. “That guy is crazy,” Zamora said. “He’s a great inspiration to me when he wrestles.”

He came a long way from quitting sophomore year, and can proudly say he is the heavyweight captain for the varsity squad. He’s learned dedication to school and other hobbies through the sport and has made friends and memories along the way. “I started because I had nothing to do but I just ended up loving it.”