Carlsbad High School graduate earns All-American junior college wrestling honors
Fabian Padilla credits a tenacious work ethic established at Carlsbad High School for helping him become an All-American wrestler at Iowa Western Community College.
A 2019 graduate, Padilla was a two-time state runner up and a state champion and was selected as an All-American high school wrestler by the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA).
“We had good coaches back in high school. We knew we’d face the best in the country at a young age. We went to many different camps. They prepared us well coming into college wrestling,” he said.
More:Carlsbad's Fabian Padilla earns collegiate wrestling All-American status
Padilla’s mom, Jessica Casares, said he persevered during his high school years.
“I’m extremely proud of the work he he’s done. It’s a lot of dedication (and) a lot of tears and a lot of wins,” she said.
Padilla’s good fortunes carried over to the junior college ranks as he gained more recognition during his time at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Iowa Western Sports Information Director Travis Jacobson said Padilla is a three-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. Last year he was a national runner up and this year won a national championship in the 157-pound division.
Padilla said he sought any college or university willing to give him the chance to continue wrestling beyond high school.
He said Iowa Western reached out to him thorough social media.
“They just started talking to me and I took a virtual tour. I was talking with the coaches more and more everyday and it sounded like a fit for me. The coaches are straight to the point and they’re nice. They don’t sugar coat anything,” Padilla said.
Jacobson said Padilla was one of six NJCAA national champions from Iowa Western.
More:Carlsbad's Fabian Padilla to wrestle for Iowa Western CC
He was the No. 1 wrestler in his weight class and defeated all competitors at the NJCAA national championships earlier this month.
He faced Benjamen Mitchell from Northern Idaho College in the championship round and won via a 5-4 decision.
Iowa Western finished third as team behind Pratt Community College and the champions from Western Wyoming Community College.
Jacobson said Iowa Western produced 40 All Americans and 113 national wrestling qualifiers in the 12-year history of the program.
Padilla said there are differences between high school wrestling and junior college wrestling, including maturity and workout times.
Before the season started he said one of his goals was getting better as the season moved along.
“And win a national title, that was the last thing I needed to do,” Padilla said.
Iowa Western head coach Josh Watts said Padilla was a champion without a national title when he entered the campus after graduating from high school in Carlsbad.
More:Carlsbad's Fabian Padilla is first Caveman in 21 seasons to become 'All-American' wrestler
“(Padilla) just made it apparent to everyone else. He is one of the hardest working most dedicated wrestlers to ever come through Iowa Western. I will truly miss having him around, if I could like him forever I would,” he said.
Padilla said once classes end at Iowa Western in May he would like to continue wrestling at the major college level.
“I love him, I’m his No. 1 fan and will be cheering him on the next stage he takes,” Casares said.
Padilla said the memories of wrestling at Iowa Western will be with him forever.
“It was great, a lot of good times with my teammates and a lot of great memories are made on trips and just spending a lot of times with these guys on the team that I’m with,” he said.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad wrestler Fabian Padilla named juco All-American
