Temecula Valley's perennially powerful wrestling program is built largely on family connections

TEMECULA -- Aaron Navarette remembers watching his older brother, David, wrestle in a national meet a few years ago and longing to do the same. Now, when the older sibling comes home from college, the two brothers work out together, and Aaron admits that "he beats me up."

For Navarette, a 112-pound wrestler at Temecula Valley, the scenario is not unlike what so many other Golden Bears wrestlers experience. Competing for the Valley's strongest program has become something passed down from sibling to sibling like an outgrown sweater, and the Bears' family tradition is part of what has made the program so successful.

"Wrestling attracts families," Temecula Valley co-coach Arnold Alpert said. "If it's good for the older brother, the younger brother wants to do it. Our tradition is a big thing. Kids want to grow up to be a part of it."

Temecula, which has won 16 straight league titles, captured 10 CIF-Southern Section championships during that time and sent 12 wrestlers to the CIF-State Championships in the last three years, has a roster than reads like a family tree.

In this year's starting lineup alone, 11 of the 14 wrestlers either have brothers who have competed for Temecula or have younger siblings currently in the program. They even have brothers -- 103-pounder Mario Decaro and 135-pounder Art Decaro -- among the 14 who start.

Many of the older brothers were state or Masters place-winners and have passed along their knowledge and experience to the current class.

"Since (David) started wrestling, everyone asked me if I wanted to do it," Navarette said. "I thought it'd be pretty fun and tried it. He started getting better, so it pushed me and made me want to do what he was doing."

Grant Weeks, who wrestles at 125 pounds, started attending Temecula's meets as a youngster tagging along with his father, who coached the program until 1992. He and older brother Garrett were always mesmerized watching the wrestlers entering the gym through a fog-filled tunnel and wrestling under a spotlight with their trademark bleached-blond hair.

Both ended up being a part of it.

"It was like, 'Someday, that will be me,'" Weeks said, "because Temecula's such a great program here. It's like (playing in) the NFL for other kids. It's every kid's dream coming up in the sport."

Weeks said Temecula's winning tradition does a lot to attract students to the program. Watching the town get behind the team, and seeing the success their brothers have, makes younger siblings want to be a part of it even more.

Cory Beeson is making that happen for his younger brothers. A 152-pound senior who is a two-time state qualifier, he has mentored brothers Chad, a sophomore, and Cody, a freshman.

All the Beesons have wrestled since they were in elementary school, and when Cory entered the ninth grade, it was as if his entire family did, too.

"They've come ever since I was a freshman, even to some practices," Beeson said. "They've always been a part of it. They've always been around, so it's nothing new now."


