Preparing for the 2024-2025 wrestling season is the wrestling team with a new head coach and determined athletes. New head coach Roy Bravo is a West High School alumnus himself who has history with the wrestling team as he went on to qualify for CIF State Championships during his high school years. Bravo is confident with this season’s group as he says, “It feels like a solid team, we have a strong group of returning wrestlers from the past year and have a lot of hungry athletes that want to succeed.” Bravo is set on bringing the winning culture back to the wrestling team as he claims this will be a new era. “It feels like this will be a great opportunity. It’s going to be a new era of West High wrestlers and we’re going to get back to a team winning culture,” Bravo said. “I’m excited to see the wrestlers we will be working with.” 

Returning wrestler Emilio Rodriquez, who is in his senior year, feels good about the changes with this years coaching staff. Rodriguez claims that a few major differences are being held to a higher standard, as in training and accountability. “He teaches us how to live like a champion before we are crowned a champion. He is big on integrity, accountability and punctuality,” Rodriguez said when asked to describe Bravo.  

Another returning wrestler Phoenix Lopez, a junior this year, claims he is expecting this year to go well and to have grit engraved into the team. Lopez is also expecting the team to take home the league title as new Head Coach Bravo will lead the team to victory. “I know my expectations are high, but I know they are achievable if everyone does their best.”