The ultimate showdown: two bodies wrapped and sprawled on the floor mat. As the competitors use all their might to take each other down, there can only be one winner.
Pinning his opponent in a headlock, senior captain Ismael Hamza of the Diamond Bar High School boys wrestling team successfully defeats his adversary with brute strength and tactics.
“Before getting on the mat, I tell myself, ‘If this win is good for me, God will give it to me. If I lose, he has something better in mind for me,’” Hamza said. “[The other] guy is also preparing for a war. I need to go six minutes as hard as I can.”
Hamza began his wrestling career as a freshman after seeing his brother thrive in the school’s program.
“I wanted to be better than him,” Hamza said. “But I stayed in the sport because people like my old captains always believed in me and told me I could do great things, which gave me that feeling of brotherhood. And it was just that great environment that pushed me to stay.”
In the summer, he participated in a week-long West Coast Wrestler camp, which helped him prepare for the season. He also competed and gained several podium spots in tournaments sanctioned by USA Wrestling.
“A very underrated part of training was probably mental training and documenting a bunch of moves I had learned and my feelings and emotions during matches,” Hamza said.
After placing second at the Ed Springs Classic, Hamza went 2-2 at the Sonora TOC, one of the most difficult tournaments in the state. He is also on track to being top 10 in points in the school’s history. He credits his teammates for a lot of his success. Receiving a medal in every school tournament this year, Hamza is currently the Hacienda League Champion with a record of 21-6.
“I think my favorite part [of wrestling] is that feeling of brotherhood rather than just teammates. We go out there and compete with the same goal, so we all respect each other not only as teammates but as competitors,” Hamza said.
As the team captain, Hamza has many responsibilities, such as motivating his teammates during tournaments and in the locker room.
“Talking to other captains and my coaches definitely helped shape me into someone everyone can respect and look up to in times of need,” Hamza said. “As long as you have that one person consistently performing, everyone can get a little boost from that.”
Hamza has also had his fair share of obstacles as he suffered a grade 1 ACL tear towards the beginning of the season. To gain motivation, he looks up to collegiate wrestling legend Spencer Lee, who had a successful career.
“I thought to myself, if he [Lee] can win a national title on no ACL [tears], I can win a regular tournament with one,” Hamza said. “Just watching how dominant of a wrestler he is, it’s just inspirational.”
Hamza plans to attend Mt. San Antonio College to kickstart his college wrestling career and will continue his training with their coaches.