Herrera is one of a kind

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers TAKEDOWN ARTIST—Thousand Oaks High senior John Herrera has a 25-8 record while wrestling in the 171-pound division. Like a classic car, John Herrera continues to get better with age.

By the time Herrera was in the seventh grade, he'd become bored with playing football, so he decided to give up the gridiron sport and try wrestling.

It was a perfect fit.

"Football just wasn't for me," Herrera said. "The whole pads thing I just wasn't into. I needed something that challenged me mentally and physically. Wrestling was it."

Now a senior at Thousand Oaks High, Herrera has become one of the Lancers' top grapplersCompeting in the 171pound division, Herrera has a record of 25-8, a major improvement from his 22-20 record as a junior.

TOHS head coach Kerry Lyne has been impressed with Herrera's progress over the years"He's what we call a 'mat rat,'" Lyne said. "His love for wrestling is huge, and he's always staying late after practice and working on his moves."

Although Herrera has tasted success, it didn't come easy. He entered Thousand Oaks bearing hardly any resemblance to what he looks like now.

"When I was a freshman, I was quite the chubster," Herrera said with a laugh. "At 5-foot-4 and 200 pounds, I was a little butterball.

"It was a hard test for me to get used to the physical and mental endurance you deal with dailyI wasn't used to running as many laps or doing as many push-ups, but in the end it all worked out. I lost 27 pounds that year."

During the grappler's first season at TOHS, Herrera also earned the nickname "Bear."

"One of the seniors, Brandon Eaten, came up to me and said, 'Dude, all you do is bear-hug people until you have them pinned to the ground,'" Herrera said. "When he told me 'Bear' was my nickname, I was cool with it because it fit my personality."

To this day, Herrera considers Eaten one of his biggest influences. Herrera's mom, Arlene, has also played a major role in his development, he said.

Near the end of Herrera's freshman year, he was competing at the varsity level in dual meets. By the time Herrera was a sophomore, he'd become obsessed with wrestling, and spent hours learning the trade.

"Everything started to click for me as a sophomore," Herrera said. "I became more methodical and more of a technical wrestler. I always wanted to learn more. My catch phrase became 'one question' because I was always raising my hand and asking Coach Lyne one question."

Over time, other Lancers took notice of Herrera's rigorous workout routine.

"He's a very good leader, and he does a great job of hyping up the rest of the squad," Lyne said. "You don't necessarily have to be very vocal to be a good leader, but every once in a while you need someone like him to get the team in shape.

"The 171pound weight division is very tough in the Marmonte League with Royal having a good wrestler in Matt Rulon, but Herrera has just as good a chance as anyone to win league," the coach said.

Wrestling isn't the only thing the 17-year-old takes pride in.

Aside from spending countless hours on the mat, Herrera also spends a lot of time on his car—a 1964 Chevrolet El Camino.

"I'm still working on Lola (the name of his car) to this day," Herrera said. "Like my grandfather, I love working on cars. I'm thinking about being a mechanic when I grow up."

Herrera may soon be working in the garage, but currently there is nothing he enjoys more than wrestling.

"Earlier in my career at Thousand Oaks I was in a car ride to a match, and I said out loud, 'Man, what could be better than this,' Herrera said "We get to skip school once a week to wrestle. Who could ask for more?'"

Lyne, a teacher at TOHS, chuckled at Herrera's statement.

"Well, being a teacher, I'm a little stressed he doesn't want to be in class," Lyne said. "But I guess I understand what he's saying from a wrestling point of view.

Lyne has a special place in his heart for Herrera.

"I'm going to miss it when he's gone," the coach said. "I'm going to miss his smiling face with a gap in his teeth, and I'm going to miss his enthusiasm he has for this team."