The Los Altos High wrestling team is off to an undefeated start this season, with the Eagles claiming a fourth league win 36-34 over Cupertino Jan. 17.
If the Eagles defeat Milpitas Tuesday, the team will be league champions of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division for the first time since 2016, according to Los Altos wrestling coach Steven Vaughan.
“We have a good shot,” Vaughan said.
The team has massively improved since last season, when it finished 4-3 in the league. Illia Borschenko, a senior and transfer student from Ukraine who was on the team last year, is currently undefeated in the league as of the first four meets. Borschenko, who wrestles at 175 pounds, has a background in Greco-Roman wrestling, one of the three major wrestling styles, which includes folkstyle and freestyle. Folkstyle is used in high school and college in the United States, and Vaughan had to teach Borschenko a whole new style to compete, which he has picked up well. Vaughan said Borschenko’s hatred of losing and desire to be the best drives him forward and makes him stand out.
“He has the most dedication out of anybody on the team in both seasons,” Vaughan said. “There is no one with more drive and hunger for the sport than Illia.”
Eric Dogan, a former soccer player who wrestled for the Eagles last year for the first time, has also made significant improvements and was undefeated in the league for the first three meets. Vaughan praised Dogan (150 pounds) for his determination and fight in painful matches to come out with wins.
“Eric’s biggest strength is heart,” Vaughan said. “He doesn’t back down from any challenge. He can go up with the best and put up a fight.”
The team has 15 newcomers this year, with just six returning wrestlers. There are 13 varsity wrestlers and eight on junior varsity, with five seniors on the varsity team. Many of the freshmen have stepped up to the plate, like Arnoldo Cabrera (120 pounds). Cabrera moved up to varsity after an injury to another wrestler and earned his varsity letter honors in a meet against Saratoga early in the year. While Vaughan is surprised at the undefeated start, he had no doubts the Eagles would be successful this season.
“There are actually more than a few students who have done really well and have shown up and really dedicated themselves, and the results are starting to show,” Vaughan said of the team.
Vaughan is in his second year at Los Altos after spending several years as a high school assistant coach in Los Banos. His return is a positive for the program’s continuity, as the previous six coaches only stayed for one season.
“When I start something, I like to finish, and I already have an establishment with my students,” Vaughan said. “Once I get them going, I would hate to leave them hanging, in a sense.”
He is excited about continuing to build the program and train the Eagles to reach new levels. In addition to more training, he has had Olympians,
wrestling All-Americans and national champions come to Los Altos high to help practice, while Stanford University let the Eagles have a free practice at the Palo Alto campus. The biggest change he has made since last year is instilling a stricter approach to everything the team does in practice, ensuring everything is to his standard. He noted he was more lax in his first year as coach.
“Since I’m the head coach, it’s easier to stay because this is the first time I am able to have things my way, not another coach’s way, which is why it’s worked out, and the results speak for themselves,” Vaughan said.
