BHS Wrestling: Silva finishes fourth at freestyle Nationals

Sean Silva’s wrestling season finally came to an end Friday, although not in the way he wanted to.

The Barstow High School wrestler finished the Cadet and Junior National Championships at the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D. in fourth place in the Cadet freestyle 112-pound division after losing to Edwin Cooper of Illinois.

“It didn’t go as well as I expected it to,” Silva said. “I just got to regroup and get better.
“I know I’m right there.”

Silva hardly came away from Fargo empty handed. The top four placers at Fargo earn the right to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. whenever they want. Silva didn’t know when he will make his first trip to Colorado Springs but said he was excited for the opportunity.

“It’s a great advantage,” Silva said. “Anytime I want, I can go there to get better. I think it’s great, and it’s going to make me a better wrestler.”

By finishing in the top eight, he became an All-American for the second time since March when he earned the same status with a sixth-place finish at the High School Sophomore Nationals Wrestling Championship.

Silva, who was bounced from the Greco Roman portion of the tournament after five matches, went 7-2 during the freestyle tournament in Fargo. His only losses came to the second and third place finishers.

In Friday’s match, Silva led offensively, but Cooper was able to counter defensively.

“That kid won the match defensively off Sean’s offense,” Barstow wrestling coach Adam Hopkins said. Hopkins
attended the tournament as a coach for Team California.

Silva went up on Cooper 4-1 in the first period, but problems began late in that initial period.
Attempting to drive, Cooper caught Silva with his head down and headbutted the Barstow wrestler Silva was forced to take a timeout to regroup.

“It kinded of bother me for a little while,” Silva said.

Silva said the paced slowed from there. In the second and third periods, Cooper managed to counter Silva, winning 4-0, 5-1.

“I kind of freaked out there,” Silva said. “I went into panic mode.”

Cooper was awarded three points in the second period for a move that Hopkins thought he pulled off out of bounds. Hopkins argued the call to no avail.

“I didn’t win that call so Sean went down 3-0,” Hopkins said.

With the national tournament completed, Silva and Hopkins’ wrestling seasons are officially done. Silva, who will be a junior in September, began his high school season in November 2007 and finished it at sophomore nationals in Virginia Beach, Va. in March. Then he switched to freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions, competing in several tournaments throughout the spring and summer.
For now Silva is just anxious to get back to Barstow and relax with friends and family.

“That sounds good to me right now,” Silva said. “It’s going to be good to take a break. It’s going to give me that drive once I get back.”

Hopkins, who has followed Silva to every tournament, said he’s spent just nine days in Barstow since school ended. He said he’s ready to begin reflecting on a long wrestling season.

“Not bad long, just long as in not sleeping in my own bed,” Hopkins said.

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