State title for Serra wrestler

Three months after finishing 12th at the Central Coast Section championships, Thodos, an incoming senior and wrestling with the Peninsula Wrestling Club, won the USA Wrestling California Greco-Roman Cadet 182-pound state championship in Fresno last weekend. Thodos went 4-1, winning all four of his matches by pin.

"I had a disappointing high school season. I was expecting a lot and this just shows how much hard work and dedication pays off,” Thodos said. "After having a disappointing turnout in CCS, it really gave me the motivation and drive. Doing well this summer would ultimately set me up for next year.”

Not only did Thodos win the Greco-Roman title — a discipline that allows only upper-body holds and throws — he finished fifth in the freestyle portion of the championships. Freestyle is similar to the folkstyle used in high school and college, but more dynamic.

Mike Klobuchar, head coach for Peninsula Wrestling Club and the assistant varsity coach at Serra, said he wasn’t that surprised to see Thodos win the championship.

"Once the high school season ended for him, he said, ‘My next goal is to win the Greco state championship,’” Klobuchar said.

Finishing in the top three earns a spot of the state team that will then wrestle in the national championships next month in North Dakota. Obviously, winning the Greco title earned him a spot on that team, but the people responsible for putting the teams together were so impressed with his freestyle performance, they asked Thodos to be on that team as well.

"It felt pretty good to get invited for freestyle,” Thodos said.

And while he will get to wrestle against the best in the country, Thodos is looking forward to the training opportunity he will get during his two-week stay in North Dakota.

"I get to wrestle with the best and learn from the best,” Thodos said. "It just gives me confidence for the (high school) season coming up.”

Unlike a lot of high school wrestlers, the transition from the high school game to the styles used internationally have not been a problem for Thodos. He loves the Greco-Roman style — especially the throws he gets to employ, ones that would get him penalized on the high school mat.

In fact, he was dubbed "The Launching Pad” by another wrestling team for Thodos’ penchant for throwing people around.

"Riordan High School gave me that name,” Thodos said. "In one of my matches, I threw one of their guys all over the place. It was ‘Senior Night’ (for the opponent) and I was only a sophomore.

"I win a lot of my matches in high school with Greco moves. A lot of guys don’t know how to defend it.”

Said Klobuchar: "He’s more calculating that aggressive, but when [Thodos] gets ahold you, you know you’re going to get thrown.

"This year in the high school season, he went away from throws because a lot of people pegged him as a thrower. This year, he worked on his takedowns. He’s gotten a lot better over the season.”

Thodos wasn’t the only member of the team to have a strong showing at the state championships. Joey D’Agostino (heavyweight) and Greg Skelley (120), who will both be sophomores at Serra next school year, finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in the Cadet Greco-Roman championships, while incoming senior Jimmy Millington (170) finished seventh in the junior division.