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| Wednesday, July 16 |
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| Coach of the Week By Matthew Oliveira SchoolSports.com | ||||||
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John Azevedo -- Calvary Chapel High (Calif.), Wrestling
Calvary Chapel High (Santa Ana, Calif.) wrestling coach John Azevedo is no stranger to success. The 44-year-old mentor, who entered his 12th season at the helm of the Eagles' successful program this winter, has been involved with the sport for more than half of his life.
Since starting the program at Calvary Chapel in 1989, Azevedo has racked up an impressive resume. His overall coaching record stands at an astonishing 168-17 -- 139-5 since 1993, a stretch that included a 106-match winning streak from 1993-97. Last year's Calvary Chapel team finished 21-1 and captured its sixth state title in the last eight seasons (1993, '94, '96, '97, '98 and 2000), tying Clovis High for the most team state wrestling championships in state history. The Eagles have also earned 10 Olympic League titles and nine CIF Southern Section Division I crowns in the last 11 years. And this season, Calvary Chapel is 10-1 and ranked No. 5 in the nation by SchoolSports.com. "Besides teaching them the X's and O's, I'm also teaching them how to be good, Christian young men," says Azevedo, who is a physical education teacher and leads a Bible class at Calvary Chapel. "I'm a student of the sport. I enjoy teaching it, and I enjoy working with the kids. I've got a group of committed kids, a group of committed coaches and some committed parents, too. And I've got high goals and expectations for them." Azevedo was a two-time California state champion himself -- he won the 106-pound title in 1974 and the 115-pound crown in '75 -- while attending Grace Davis High (Modesto, Calif.). At Cal State Bakersfield, where he earned a degree in physical education, Azevedo won three NCAA Division II national titles (1978-80), one NCAA Division I title in 1980 -- at the time, wrestlers who won DII crowns were allowed to go on and compete in the DI tournament as well -- and was a key member of two Division II NCAA team championships (1979 and '80). He was also selected as a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic wrestling team but didn't get to compete due to the United States' boycott of the Games in Moscow. -- Matthew Oliveira
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
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