The Last Shot: Senior Wrestlers Reflect On Dominant 54-12 Win On Senior Night

On Wednesday, January 28th, The Rangers dominated Mission Oak in what would be the last home duel for five senior wrestlers. The wrestlers and Coach Michael Wright look back at their time at Redwood.

By: Fabian Anguiano and Jake Villarreal

Brody Preisendorf, ‘26, dominated at the duel with a 16-2 decision win.

“We prepared very well. We had great mindsets going into it. We knew that this was something we wanted to win and get good at, especially coming back from the last school that we [went against]. We mentally prepared by staying focused on our goal and what we wanted to do,” said Preisendorf.

In the moment of being in his last duel, Preisendorf said the feeling felt memorable, taking every chance he got to remember it. Though at the end of the day, it’s just another match, and he had to go out and win.

To get the win on senior night, Preisendorf said that it felt really good; the team needed it, especially for rankings this postseason.

There is always room to improve, as Preisendorf shares that there are a lot of things to work on, even with the dominant win.  

The thing Preisendorf will miss most about home duels is “all of the team stuff. Being able to stand up with the whole team and yell at three or at the rafts and just cheer on our teammates. That’s probably the big thing, being with the team.”

Preisendorf’s goal for the rest of the season is to place in State.

Coach Michael Wright believes that Preisendorf has grown immensely since his freshman year. “Brody’s a guy that’s been through a lot as well. Four years of high school wrestling is hard, and he’s battled every year.”

“He’s found ways to be in the lineup every year and he continues to get better. I think my favorite thing about Brody is he knows what he’s good at, and he always gets what he’s good at. So I hope he continues.”

Coach Michael Wright

What Wright hopes for Preisendorf to accomplish in the future is to “ Make the choice that’s best for him.”

Luke Villarreal, ‘26, says that the team prepared for the duel by focusing on mistakes that had happened in previous tournaments.

Villarreal prepared himself by looking over any matches he had recently, because he had previously wrestled the opponent he battled with at the duel.

On how it felt being at his last home duel, Villarreal says it “felt pretty good. You know, all my teammates were there, and my whole family was there supporting me. That was pretty cool.”

A team is more than a team; it’s a family. “Being there with the whole team and supporting your team as you guys all wrestle together, because you know, in the end, right there, you’re a team, and you’re all trying to support each other to win.”

Villarreal’s goal for the rest of the season is to win EYL and to place high at divisionals, state, and masters.

Coach Michael Wright says, “Luke’s grown a lot. Luke has been in our program for all four years and has had a lot of really good guys around him.”

Hard work truly pays off, “He’s worked really hard to be the best version that he can be. And I think you saw that a lot this year. He’s ranked in the state as a backup right now, and that’s really impressive to see. And I love his love for the sport. [It is] inspiring to everyone who cares”.

Drew Gonzales, ‘26, commented on wrestling in front of his friends, family, and coaches at home for the final time: “It felt great and was extremely fun for me.”

Gonzales says he would miss the van rides the most.

Coach Wright had seen clear improvement from Drew since his freshman year, “ He hasn’t been a starter for his first three years and is now. I think it shows that sticking with it and not getting discouraged or down on yourself in general, and continuing to battle and improve every day, even when sometimes the end result isn’t there for you, sticking with it pays off, and I think it’s showing for him this year.”

What Wright wishes for Gonzales to accomplish in his future is, “I just hope he continues to be the good person that he is. He’s a really kind soul, and I think he really thinks about others. Hopefully, he goes on and has a good college education and career. I hope he’s a guy that gives back to the sport like all these guys.”

Enrique Segura, ‘26, says, “It was so fun, people don´t get these moments often, so I just soaked it all in.”  The senior also comments on “We just got to keep our attitude on. At this point of the season, a lot of people just want to quit, and for us it’s just the mindset that we want it more.” 

Coach Wright believes Segura has improved since his freshman year by saying, “Enrique has gone through a lot. [He] qualified for state his freshman year, had injuries his sophomore and junior year, and now is growing into a new weight class in that style.”

Enrique has made his impact during his time at Redwood. “I think Enrique is a really important person to look at as a cornerstone of where the program is and where it’s going, because he’s improved every year. He’s fought through adversity, and hopefully at the end of this year, we’ll see that going through adversity [pays off],” says Coach Wright.

Coach Wright has been preparing Enrique for the next level saying, “We know Enrique is gonna wrestle, we just don’t know where yet. I hope he continues to improve and understand that all of the challenges that he’s faced, and the things we have prepared him for what college wrestling will look like and how to manage that.”

Jonathan Jasso, ‘26, transferred from Tulare Union, though he did not spend all his time at Redwood and even though he didn’t wrestle at the duel, Wright still believes he will accomplish great things.

Wright and the other coaches are, “Really excited for him. I think he’ll do a great job, and he’s got a really bright future, especially in the sport of wrestling, ahead of him. So I know everybody didn’t get to see him, but he’s really good, and I think he’s gonna have a really good college career as well.”

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