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The 2025-26 wrestling season opens with Hollister High as a team in transition, having lost eight wrestlers to graduation. But Baler coach Steven Salcedo still has a talent pool that includes Central Coast Section and state finalists, accomplished freshmen and a promising wildcard: 30 girls are on the team, the most in the school’s history.
Last year, both the boys and girls teams finished sixth at the CCS finals, and Salcedo said he hopes to repeat or improve on that success. He said he has particularly high hopes for the Lady Balers and their roster, which blends reliable veterans and promising newcomers in what has become the fastest-growing collegiate sport.
“The girls,” he said, “are trying out wrestling and discovering how challenging, fulfilling, and downright enjoyable the sport can be. They are starting to realize that there are other sports out there besides the typical girl sports.”
Salcedo said that some of the girls who were already on the team were actively recruiting friends from other sports such as field hockey and water polo. But while the team has expanded substantially, there are still not enough girls to fill every weight class.
“We have some weight classes where we have more than one girl or two girls,” he said. “We are hoping to have a full lineup soon, and we do have quite a few girls that are really involved now.”
The girls have competed at a few pre-season events so far, including the Lady Royal at Overfelt High School, a dual tournament in which each entrant had five matches. Salcedo said the girls “got some mat time and some valuable experience.”
“We are looking forward to seeing some of the new kids compete,” he said, “and see what they’re like under some pressure. All we can do is teach them, and then they’re going to have to get out there and go for it.”
The senior member of the team is Gisselle Ruiz Boytes, a 17-year-old who joined the team in her freshman year. Saying she was “at my worst physical state ever” at the time, she drew support from her teammates and coaches to find the determination to continue.
Last year, Boytes placed sixth at CCS, a tournament she found incredibly stressful until her final opponent and the pin that gave her a victory.
“I was really scared of not doing well,” she said, “and as soon as I pinned and I got the last win, it all came out. I just started crying, sobbing. The emotions were really surreal.”
Looking back as she starts her senior year, Boytes said that what attracted her to the sport was how she felt like it dominated all the other sports at school.
“It’s the toughest sport,” she said. “It takes dedication, hard work, and you just have to love being uncomfortable. You have to do things others are not willing to do. But I just wanted to do something that I could be really proud of.”
Junior Mia Fausto, 16, said she took up wrestling after her parents required her to join a sport. She was under the mistaken belief that it involved no running, and quickly discovered the intense conditioning that wrestling demands.
After what she describes as a “bad” freshman year, Fausto began to take wrestling more seriously, “prioritizing it over my friends and even school, sometimes.” It worked: at last year’s CCS finals, she took fifth place.
“I was competing with the top girls in my weight class,” she said, “and I never thought I would be wrestling at that level so soon. My biggest goal now is to go to state this year, and I feel like I have a really good chance if I keep up what I’m doing.”
Salcedo’s not-so-secret weapon this year might be his own daughter, 14-year-old freshman Eliana Salcedo, who said she has been wrestling under his guidance since she was four years old.
Eliana has already racked up an impressive resume of championships, including taking second place in the 2023 state tournament when she was 11, and is looking forward to more.
“I hope to place at CCS this year,” she said. “That’s one of my biggest goals. I would like to place at state as a freshman, but I have to be realistic with myself. So, my biggest goal is just to improve.”
Besides the goals she has set for herself in high school, Eliana is already looking forward to wrestling in college, where she believes she will make an even bigger name for herself. “I think I can go somewhere with this,” she said.
“I like the mindset that you get into when you wrestle,” she said, “and you have to have thick skin. You’ve got to be able to take some losses, take some wins, and, you know, you’ve got to be tough.”
The coach is also holding out high hopes for the boys’ team, with 16-year-old junior Stephen Seymour, formerly known as Cole, who qualified for the state meet last year after placing fourth at CCS. This result follows his fifth-place finish at CCS as a freshman.
Seymour says that attending the state meet, where he went 1-2, “just made me more hungry for this year.” Over the summer, he attended tournaments in Utah, where he went 5-3, and Fargo, North Dakota, where he had a less successful 1-2 record after tweaking his back before the final match.
Seymour said he holds high expectations for himself and plans to improve on his record this year. But he is also aware that his ranking in the state makes him an attractive target for his competition.
“It’s scary,” he said, “because people are hungry to beat me. I mean, they want to be up there, too. Pressure makes diamonds, but it also bursts the pipes. I just have to keep a level head and wrestle the way I do.”
Returning after an injury that sidelined him for half the season last year, before qualifying for the CCS finals, 18-year-old Leo Lucatero is hoping to finish his senior year with a trip to the state tournament as well.
He dedicated his summer to recovery, with a regimen that included one-on-one training with a former Oklahoma State wrestler.
“The secret is just hard work,” he said. “Honestly, you could have talent, but if you’re not hungry for it, anyone could outwork you. I’m really excited this year to go out there and show what I’ve worked for.”
Girls Wrestling Schedule
12/19-20 – Women’s West Coast TOC, Roseville, CA, 9 a.m.
12/20 – Clash Before Christmas, Pacheco, CA, 9 a.m.
12/27 – Trojan Wrath, Alisal High, 9 a.m.
12/29-30 – Sierra Nevada Classic, Reno, NV, 9 a.m.
1/7 – Monterey vs. Hollister, 6:30 p.m.
1/8 – La Manzanita Classic, Watsonville, 9 a.m.
1/9-10 – Napa Valley Classic Vintage, 9 a.m.
1/13 – Alisal vs. Hollister, 6:30 p.m.
1/17 – Lady Coast Classic, Santa Cruz, 9 a.m.
1/21 – Rancho San Juan, 6:30 p.m.
1/23-24 – Mid Cals, Gilroy, 3 p.m.
1/24 – Lynbrook Tournament, Lynbrook, 9 a.m.
1/29 – King City vs. Hollister 6:30 p.m.
1/31 – Judy Rider Memorial, Hollister High, 9 a.m.
2/4 – Salinas, 6:30 p.m.
2/6 – PCAL JV Girls Finals, Watsonville, 2 p.m.
2/7 – PCAL Varsity Girls Finals, Watsonville, TBD
2/14 – CCS Regionals, Watsonville, All Day
2/21 – CCS Masters Championships, Watsonville, All Day
2/26-28 – CIF State Championships, Bakersfield, CA, All Day
Boys Wrestling Schedule
12/19-20 – Zinkin Classic, Buchanon, 10 a.m.
12/20 – Morning Star Invitational, Los Banos, CA, 9 a.m.
12/20 – Clash Before Christmas, Pacheco, CA, 9 a.m.
12/29-30 – Sierra Nevada Classic Reno, NV, 9 a.m.
1/2-3 – Pat Lovell Coast Classic, Aptos, 9 a.m.
1/7 – Monterey vs. Hollister, 5:30 p.m.
1/10 – Apple Cider Invitational, Watsonville, 9 a.m.
1/10 – Los Gatos F/S, Los Gatos, 9 a.m.
1/13 – Alisal vs. Hollister 5:30 p.m.
1/16 – Firebaugh JV Invite, Firebaugh, CA, 3:30 p.m.
1/17 – Westside Invitational, Firebaugh, CA, 9 a.m.
1/21 – Rancho San Juan, 5:30 p.m.
1/23-24 – Mid Cals, Gilroy, 9 a.m.
1/24 – Lynbrook JV Tournament, Lynbrook, 9 a.m.
1/29 – Palma vs. Hollister 5:30 p.m.
2/4 – Salinas, 5:30 p.m.
2/6 – PCAL Boys JV Finals, Greenfield, 2 p.m.
2/7 – PCAL Varsity Boys Finals, Watsonville, TBD
2/14 – CCS Regionals, Watsonville, All Day
2/21 – CCS Masters Championships, Watsonville, All Day
2/26-28 – CIF State Championships, Bakersfield, CA, All Day
Senior Parent Night is Jan. 29.
Home meets at Mattson Gym, 1220 Monterey St., Hollister, shown above in bold.
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BenitoLink thanks our underwriter, Hollister Rotary, for helping expand the sports coverage around San Benito County. Rotary is a nonprofit organization that conducts humanitarian projects, encourages high ethical standards, and works toward world understanding. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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