As he took to the mat for his first practice in preparation for the upcoming Ohio Division III district wrestling tournament, Gibsonburg High School senior 170-pounder Brad Mendoza donned a T-shirt bearing the Superman “S” logo.
In some circles, this might seem like a bit of a boast.
But for Mendoza, at Gibsonburg, it is not so much of a stretch.
A four-sport athlete during his prep career, Mendoza will graduate in three months having earned 12 varsity letters while also being tied for No. 1 academically in his class with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.
And, Mendoza has not just participated in sports for the Golden Bears, but he has excelled.
On the mats, he will take a career record of 161-19 to the D-III tourney at Lakota Friday and Saturday, seeking a third straight district title in his weight class.
“What makes Brad a good wrestler is he’s really good on his feet,” Gibsonburg coach Greg Spoores said. “He’s confident in his takedowns and, if he has trouble turning a guy, he has 100-percent confidence he can kick him out and take him down again.
“He’s very aggressive on his feet, and he is also confident on the bottom.”
As a sophomore, Mendoza posted a 47-5 record and placed fifth at the state tournament at 170. Last year, he was third at state, ending with a record of 49-2.
“Brad loves the competition of the sport,” Spoores said. “His work ethic is outstanding. A lot of kids model it and look up to him. He’s always in the weight room, and in the practice room, he goes hard all the time.
“He’s always pushing the kids around him, and he brings other kids up. They see the success. You don’t get 160 wins without putting the work in to do it.”
This year, at 37-1 entering districts, Mendoza’s goal is to wind up at 45-1 with a state championship. Having recorded 24 pins this season, he needs two more for 100 in his career.
“I’ve been at this for 13 years now,” Mendoza said. “I started in kindergarten, and we’re winding down to the last two weeks. We have districts coming up, and we’re hitting the weight room tough, and we’re coming in [to wrestling room] and going pretty hard.
“Hopefully I can punch my ticket and make it back to state. I placed fifth my sophomore year, and third my junior year, so I’m aiming for a state championship.”
Although he has had great success on the mat, the winning has not come easy.
“I have a love-hate relationship with this sport,” Mendoza said of wrestling. “I don’t like the losing-weight part. I like to stay bulky. I like to muscle up and put some weight on, and I have a tough time losing weight.”
Although he has been wrestling since he was in kindergarten, football is actually Mendoza’s favorite sport.
He has played on four league championship teams at Gibsonburg, winning three Toledo Area Athletic Conference titles (2015-17), and adding a Sandusky Bay Conference River Division crown in the Golden Bears’ first season in that league this past fall.
In each of those seasons, Gibsonburg reached the Division VI playoffs and was 36-8 overall during this stretch.
Mendoza started at linebacker his first two years, then doubled at running back and linebacker as a junior and senior, winning first team all-league honors both seasons.
He rushed for over 1,200 yards and scored 22 touchdowns in 2017, and this past season rushed for 1,106 yards, scored 13 TDs, and had 56 tackles on defense.
In his freshman year, Mendoza lettered in baseball team, and as a sophomore started at third base and also played catcher.
Last spring, he switched to track and was a sprinter for the Golden Bears.
“Being a three-sport athlete is definitely difficult, and combining that with [getting good] grades, you’ve got to have good time management,” Mendoza said. “That’s definitely a key.
“Having a 4.0 [GPA] is not an easy task. I take pride in how far I’ve come with my academics. I’m looking to further my education in college for the next four years.”
If he is at all sentimental over the next three months, it might be because his athletic career may conclude upon high school graduation. Mendoza will begin college in the fall, most likely at the University of Toledo. Although he does not rule out participating in club wrestling at UT, or perhaps joining the Rockets’ football program as a walk-on, he fully intends to focus most of his attention on academics.
Mendoza plans to major in biology and undertake a pre-med curriculum.
First Published February 28, 2019, 2:38 p.m.