Emily Carvalho Places Second At State Wrestling Tournament

On February 28th, Emily Carvalho ‘27 found herself in the finals of the state finals in the 190 weight class, though she took home second, her hard work contributed to her getting to this point.

By: Fabian Anguiano & Jake Villarreal

From being one match away from placing at state last year to claiming second is a huge improvement. 

To get to this point, Emily Carvalho, ’27, started working out right after state. She set her goals for the following season to work hard and never give herself a break, which in turn has paid off.

To improve in the off-season, Carvalho worked on technique and did her best to build muscle, though wrestling is more about technique than strength. She says, “It’s more technique than muscle, as you can see, when guys wrestle, they’re both strong, but it’s whoever has the best technique. So I worked on my technique with Jacob Wright. He was one of the coaches I worked with.”

The main technique she worked on was setting up her shots, as you have to get angles to move your opponents around and set them up.

Before getting to state, Carvalho was doing great during the regular season. Having only one loss on the entire season, finishing the season with a 42-2 record, losing to only the number one-ranked wrestler in her weight class both of those times. 38 of those wins came by pin.

What Carvalho felt she did best at state was, “Controlling my opponents on the mat. I was able to get to my shots, and I put them where I wanted, instead of letting them control me. I didn’t really let anybody score on me the entire tournament, which was good. I pinned all of them,” says Carvalho.

What separated Carvalho from winning state was being more offensive than defensive. She says, “I was letting her score on me, and I didn’t lose by like a pin or anything. I lost my points. It was definitely something that wasn’t as bad, but I feel like if I got to my moves first, I definitely would have won the match.”

What Carvalho is going to do in the off-season to get back to the finals is to grind out and not take any breaks.

Carvalho’s father, Anthony Harrison, has been through the process at Redwood and El Diamante before she arrived at Redwood.

Carvalho is one of the hardest workers Mr. Harrison knows. “From working out in our private home gym with mats and rolling around, or going to CrossFit every day, plus practice. She would wake up at 5:30 am, work out, go to school, and practice.”

Carvalho started wrestling in her 8th grade year, at La Joya Middle School, and tackle football was her main sport and goal.

Carvalho found her talent when she qualified for state her freshman year at El Diamante.

Mr. Harrison believes Carvalho has grown a ton from last year, saying, “This year, the intensity has gone up. Her maturity and knowledge of the sport from different perspectives have helped tremendously. Her off-season consists of March through July with spurts of intense weight cuts and preparation for big national events.”

On April 19th, Carvalho will travel to Spokane, Washington, to compete in the Pan Americans and Team USA. She has been asked once again to represent California.

Carvalho is currently 2nd second in the state, and 13th nationally in the 190 weight class.

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