Perhaps the only thing rosier than sunrise over Johnstown is the awakening thoughts of wrestler Quinten Fuentes.
“Every morning I get up and the first thing I think about is winning a state title,” said Fuentes, a standout senior at Class 3A Roosevelt who is riding a 56-match winning streak and has committed to attend powerhouse Oklahoma State.
“Mental preparation is everything,” Fuentes said. “I’d say it is 75 percent, and physical is 25.”
Fuentes is 18-0 this season, dominating the 135-pound weight class after winning a state title at 130 last season to cap a 38-0 junior year. He is a well-rounded wrestler known to rumble the entire six minutes if he hasn’t already subdued an opponent with his penchant for lethal takedowns.
But all of Fuentes’ recent success was born out of his most bitter defeat. In what he calls the most memorable match of his prep career, Fuentes lost a 3-2 decision in the 119-pound state final as a sophomore after giving up the decisive points in the last two seconds to Pagosa Springs’ Michael Martinez. The loss was just the second of Fuentes’ sophomore season.
Fuentes, who has not lost since, said that defeat taught him to never let anyone train harder.
“I remember shot after shot after shot, I just wore myself out,” said Fuentes. “Even though I didn’t win, I took it like a man and prepared myself for next year.”
Veteran Roughriders coach Mike Pallotto said Fuentes’ ability to rebound from such a crushing defeat speaks volumes.
“Anybody that wants to be on top, they take that and work from that. They don’t look at that so much as a negative, they turn it into a positive,” Pallotto said. “I think when a good athlete gets beat it just makes them better. Some kids, it tears them down, but other kids, it just turns that switch and makes them want it more.”
Fuentes rolled through the 130-pound bracket at the state tournament last season, using two pins and a 16-5 major decision over Valley’s Corey O’Donnell to set up an appearance in the final with Erie junior John Zahn. Fuentes pinned Zahn in the second period.
“He was great on his feet,” said Cedaredge coach Dan Toothaker, who watched Fuentes pin Bruins junior Drew Eyre in 1 minute, 42 seconds in the second round at state last year. “We were all impressed by him. In fact, we were kind of wishing we were on the other side of the bracket.”
In addition to preparation, pedigree has a lot to do with Fuentes’ success.
Quinten’s father, Victor, won a state title in 1985 as a senior at neighboring Eaton under the guidance of longtime Reds coach Richard Urano.
Urano, who is in his 37th year coaching the Reds, agrees that Quinten is one of the top 135-pounders in the state, regardless of classification.
“He’s tough,” Urano said. “I guess that’s the bottom line. He’s been brought up a wrestler. He’s been brought up in the wrestling tradition.”
Fuentes’ decision to wrestle next season at Oklahoma State is akin to a prep hoopster being recruited by Duke. The Cowboys are after their fourth consecutive national championship this season and had their dual winning streak snapped at 30 after a loss Sunday to No. 2 Minnesota.
Fuentes said what attracted him to Stillwater, Okla., was the camaraderie he felt with his future teammates – the same feelings that have bonded him with his fellow Roughriders.
“We’re beating each other up, and at the end you’re best friends,” he said.
Fuentes, 18, wants to double- major in construction and business management and run his own construction company like his father. Quinten has maintained two jobs since he was 15 simply because “he loves to work,” and to pay for the 1982 Pontiac Firebird he brought back from the dead, complete with a new engine, transmission and paint job.
“She runs real well,” he said of his pet project.
And so does Fuentes, 7 to 8 miles every Sunday, in addition to extra time in the weight room after school where he lifts so much he wants to throw up halfway through his workout.
“I like pushing myself to the limit,” Fuentes said. “I like hitting a brick wall and going through it.”
And then waking up and thinking about winning another state title.
