Wrestling: Injuries won't stop Bojorquez

ATWATER -- If Luis Bojorquez could wrap his body in bubble wrap he would do it -- if it meant it would guarantee he would remain healthy the rest of the season.

The Buhach Colony senior isn't exactly the Cal Ripken of wrestling.

So when the pain shot through his shoulder during the Mid Cals Tournament in Gilroy a few weeks ago, Bojorquez and Buhach Colony coach Eric Osmer feared the worst.

"As a coach, you just shake your head and think what's next? What else can happen? We didn't know how severe it was," Osmer said. "We didn't know if it would be something stopping him from achieving his goals or if it was something he could get over."

As it turned out, a couple days of rest was all that Bojorquez needed.

Osmer took advantage of the three-day weekend prior to the Central California Conference Tournament, giving Bojorquez three days off.

The 215-pounder came back strong to win his first CCC title, and he's healthy heading into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I South Tournament, which gets under way today at 11 a.m. at Gregori High in Modesto.

At stake: The top five in each weight class advance to next week's Masters Tournament. The rest ... go home.

Bojorquez is a good bet to advance if his body allows. That's been his biggest obstacle.

"My body doesn't hold up a whole season," Bojorquez said. "It never has. I'm more cautious at practice. When I'm out of the wrestling room I just try not to do any dumb stuff."

Bojorquez's list of injuries during his career is as painful as it is long.

He partially tore his ACL in his left knee as a freshman. He tore his meniscus in his right knee as a sophomore. At the Masters Tournament last year his clavicle was displaced during his quarterfinal match.

While he was recovering from the clavicle injury he broke his ankle after stepping in a pothole during a jog.

Through all the injuries Bojorquez has been successful on the mat. He's compiled a 30-7 record this year and is 103-40 during his time at Buhach Colony, and he finally has his elusive CCC title.

"That meant a lot," Bojorquez said. "I made the finals the last two years, but it was against very good wrestlers.

"This year I had to beat two guys, who beat me earlier this year. It felt really good to win it my senior year."

The question becomes: How can you tell a kid not to get hurt?

"You can't," Osmer said. "If you tell a kid to take it easy or not go hard, that's when they get hurt."

Despite the clavicle injury, Bojorquez still made the trip to the CIF State Wrestling Championships last year and wrestled.

"I felt last year I was there and I wrestled, but it wasn't me. I wasn't physically able to wrestle to my potential," he said.

"I want to go back healthy. If not, I want to put it all out there. I don't want an injury to stop me."