Aggressive Wildcat seeks second title

On the doors of the wrestling room at Las Vegas High are two pieces of white paper with a phrase that serves as the foundation for the Wildcats' program.

"Learn to take everyone down."

No one personifies that philosophy more than sophomore Antonio Saldate.

Saldate altered his style on the mat after arriving at Las Vegas, and he used the aggressive approach preached by fourth-year Wildcats coach Zach Hocker to capture the Division I Sunrise Region and state titles at 106 pounds last season.

Saldate will go for his second straight region title when the 113-pounder competes in the Sunrise tournament beginning Friday at Green Valley.

The Sunset Region and Division I-A Southern Region tournaments also start Friday at Shadow Ridge and Spring Valley, respectively, with the championship matches for all three tournaments scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

"His work ethic, his character and his integrity, those are all staples of our program," Hocker said. "Antonio, personally, is everything we want at Las Vegas High School. He's the whole package. He's a great wrestler, but beyond that, he's a great teammate, he's a great wrestling partner and he leads by example."

Saldate arrived at Las Vegas as a decorated youth wrestler, but he favored a counterattacking style that went contrary to Hocker's teachings.

After watching Saldate work out for the first time, Hocker immediately set out to make him more active on the mat.

"I watched him wrestle and he was very — I don't know if weak is the right word — but defensive and timid," Hocker recalled. "And that's something that together we talked about, and not being such a defensive wrestler. ... As we started to shoot and he started to get successful at his takedowns, it was a new wrestler. It was really neat to watch him evolve."

Saldate said it took him until midway through last season to acclimate to the changes. He edged Foothill's Wyatt English 6-5 to win the Sunrise Region title and avenged an early-season loss to Centennial's Nico Antuna in the opening round of the state tournament.

Saldate then defeated English 4-2 in overtime in the final to become the first freshman from Las Vegas High to win a state title since Alex Aniciete in 2010.

"Before, I worked off what other kids did, so I'd wait for them to do something and then I'd do something," Saldate said. "When I got on the team, Coach Hocker taught me that I need to do moves first before they do something.

"I'm more comfortable with it now. It took a lot of work, a lot of practices. I'm taking more shots, more setups, and being able to finish my shots, too."

This season, Saldate is undefeated against in-state opponents and has compiled a record of 45-3 with 28 pins and four technical falls.

He won the Pine View Casperson Invitational in St. George, Utah, and took seventh at the prestigious Five Counties Tournament in Fountain Valley, California, last month. Saldate also was third at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic in December.

Saldate is the favorite at 113 pounds entering the Sunrise Region tournament and is expected to be challenged by Green Valley senior Daniel Brathor and Liberty senior Adam Knopow. Saldate pinned Brathor when the two met in November at the Charger Duals.

"Last year, I wasn't going in expecting to take first," Saldate said. "And this year, I feel more confident about it."

The top three wrestlers in each weight class advance to the Division I state tournament Feb. 20 at Primm. Saldate is in position to become the school's first four-time state champion after winning as a freshman, but as Hocker said, "you've got to be a two-timer before you're a four-timer."

"I'm just focusing on now and not looking to that yet," Saldate said. "I have to keep going hard at practice and have perfect matches. Keep wrestling the style that I wrestle and don't let the other kid control the match."

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ