Off to one side of the sunken, dimly lit Mountain View wrestling room is a periodic table of names in black paint written in script onto a whitewashed brick wall.
From the left end stretching all the way across are the names of Mountain Lions who have placed at the state tournament, and Trey Waltz, a 132-pound junior, is one of the most recent additions.
He isn’t alone.
Just a few bricks over are Tanner and Ty Waltz, Trey’s two older brothers. Tanner was a 138-pound state runner-up in 2012, and Ty placed third at 126 pounds a year later.
And over on the opposite end of that wall listed under the 1994-95 season is the name Mike Hensley, who is Trey’s uncle and an assistant coach at Cholla.
“You’ve got a group of boys, and if one wrestles, they all will, too,” coach P.J. Ponce said. “It’s great to see the family all involved in the sport.”
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Trey, the youngest Waltz, is aiming for another individual title at the 16-team Mountain View Duals, which start today and run through Saturday afternoon. Last December, Waltz won his weight class and was named one of the tournament’s most outstanding wrestlers.
Here are three things to know about the junior heading into this weekend:
Fueling the fire
The end result last season left a bittersweet taste in Waltz’s mouth. On top of his second-place finish, the Mountain Lions tied Cienega for second place in the team race.
“I was proud, of the team for just pushing through to the end because every point counts,” said Waltz, who is 16-1 this season. “I knew what it felt like to take second, and I was proud of myself, but I knew I could still do better.”
After the loss, Ponce gave Waltz a piece of advice to hang on to: Remember how it feels to get so close to a title, and use the loss in the championship match as motivation for this year and next.
“He has taken that and always has that match in the back of his head,” Ponce said.
Gravitational pull
For years, it has been Waltz looking up to others for guidance or direction. As a freshman during the 2012-13 season, he turned to Bailey Janis, who went 51-0 on his way to winning the 113-pound championship that year.
But now, the tables have turned, and Waltz is the one doling out advice and leading the next generation of Mountain View wrestlers.
“He’s a mentor to these kids, not only to the younger guys, but to the upperclassmen,” Ponce said. “They know his drive and determination, and they want to be right there with him.
“They gravitate to him; in practice, at tournaments, they gravitate to him.”
Top-notch
Waltz fine-tuned his technique and improved his chances of winning a state title this summer by wrestling with the Arizona National team. With it, he traveled around the country to compete against some of the best in the nation. On top of that, he’s hoping to use this weekend as an early dress rehearsal for the state tournament.
“You get to see some of your competition you’ll see at state,” Waltz said. “You can kind of compare yourself to some of those guys.”
Beyond his skill, the dedication is something Ponce has seen since he first met Waltz roughly five years ago.
“He comes in each and every day prepared,” Ponce said. “He’s a kid that you have to kick out of the wrestling room after practice because he’s trying to get better.”
