On Feb. 17, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s wrestling team will send five members to compete at the prestigious Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championship. To qualify for the championship wrestlers had to place top eight in their weight classes across all 21 high schools in the SJS division.

The five wrestlers that qualified for the Masters Championship are Grant Anderson ’24 who placed third, Oliver Uniza ’25 who placed fourth, Jayden Weathersbee ’23 who placed sixth, Logan Nguyen ’25 who placed seventh, and Joey Matella ’23 who placed eighth overall. 

Joey feels the wrestling team has been doing great this season and has improved tremendously since they began this season.

“[The state of the team is] really good,” Joey said. “One thing that was amazing, we didn’t win any dual meets for like the last eight years and then all of a sudden, we won three so we went 0.5; it’s just been nice to get some wins [and] do well in tournaments.”

Jayden, one of the captains on the team, credits the new coaching staff and overall mindset of the team as the cause of their success.

“Our technique has all gotten way better,” Jayden said. “[Our guys] came at it with a positive can-do attitude, and I think that their work ethic and mindset, combined with the coaches, has definitely made something special.”

The change in coaching staff also led to a change in facilities. Joey appreciates being able to train with Team Alpha Male, a martial arts gym based in Sacramento, in their facilities.

“It’s been really nice,” Joey said. “I mean we started off in a cramped little room like a classroom sized room and now we have this huge hall, like a huge gym to work out in so, yeah, it’s been very nice.”

The wrestling team has thrived in this new environment and Jayden reflects back on the progress and growth that he’s seen from the team this year.

“I think that our growth as a team this year has been the most growth that I’ve ever seen by far in a season during my time here; it’s truly something special,” Jayden said. 

With the Masters Championship rapidly approaching, Joey gives some insight on the general feeling going into the tournament.

“It’s exciting; [I’m] a little nervous, but I’m confident with my team [and] with me,” said Joey. “It’ll be a good time and I’m excited; I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”