Philip Espinosa CA - Learning Life Through Wrestling
The Easiest Part About Wrestling? Nothing!
Philip Espinosa CA
By Bill X. Barron
A small Christian school in Yorba Linda, California, is making big waves on a national level. “We believe that we can develop tough-minded wrestlers who are God-fearing at the same time,” states Rough House Wrestling Club Head Coach Sal Garcia.
Nine-year-old Philip Espinosa has made that empirical connection; competing with a “high wrestling IQ, he is a thinker who strategically plans his next moves in advance,” Sal relates.
A Bible teacher during the day at K-8 Calvary Christian School in Santa Ana, Coach Sal easily changes his shoes. The setting changes to wrestling practice, but the environment remains the same.
Eighty young wrestlers eagerly transition from the classroom to the wrestling gym. “Our club is like a ministry in that we teach kids and their families to respect the process and embrace the work.”
Philip has been wrestling since the age of five. Though he enjoys winning, he maturely recognizes that “some opponents are really good, which means I have to constantly work harder. Our coaches teach us to direct our energy and to learn the meaning of discipline.”
Recalling the words of his freestyle coach, Chris Arreola: “If you do not continue to get better, the competition will catch up,” Philip has brought his well-honed practice habits and exceptional work ethic to meet new challenges on a national stage.
Just this past year, he has garnered twelve RMN tournament titles, including double championships in the RMN Nationals, Freak Show (no points allowed in eight matches), Smash, and the Bullhead Clash.
In Philips's perception, “What makes RMN challenging as well as rewarding is the great competition, the cool background wall panels, and the neat awards. In my early years, I almost always came away with a loss.”
Dad and coach Phil, a former high school and college wrestler, echoes his son’s remarks. “Through RMN’s awesome production and top-notch marketing, they always attract the best of the best.”
Wrestling was everything I was and still defines who I am,” cites Dad. Recently, Phil competed in a 45+ age bracket to “prove to Philip that wrestling is not only about competition but also who’s in your corner. I will never forget the moments I had Philip in mine.”
To win the 2023 Freak Show, Philip had to learn new techniques and harness his self-discipline in order to beat Utah’s Paxton Pitcher of the Sanderson Wrestling Academy, to whom he had lost two months earlier in the Cosmic Clash.
Philip “took that defeat personally. First, I changed my mindset and set my goals. To me, it was not just another match.
Young Espinosa has the unique honor of a #1 ranking in three weight classes. His 1st-place finishes in 2022-23 earned him RMN’s Triple Crown (3 titles, 9 wins) and Golden Gear (3 titles with 12 wins) awards, which he is again in pursuit of this year in addition to the Ring of Fame (5 titles, 18 wins).
A starter on Cali Red’s national travel team, he’s also a California triple crown state champion, having won folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco in the same year.
Philip asserts that Coach Garcia, along with three assistant coaches who were all NCAA All-Americans, helped him quickly improve through repetition and by “focusing on natural wrestling positions.”
Humbly, Coach Garcia acknowledges that it is not all about the coaching. “As coaches, investing in Philip’s growth is easy because he is so driven. He’s anything but gun-shy and always exciting to watch. He sets out to score, so his matches are more often won at 10-8 than 2-1.”
Philip values being part of Garcia’s extended wrestling family, where “Coach creates a culture where kids train hard yet love one another.” He also benefits from private freestyle sessions with Coach Arreola, and he appreciates all the encouragement and technique training he receives from Coaches Brian Schlueter and Angelo De La Cruz.
Started in 2013 by CCS Pastor Joshua Holiday, the Rough House Wrestling Club ministers to youth and their families the importance of effort and diligence in developing a person with courage and conviction. Rough House derives its name from Pinocchio’s time on Treasure Island.
On the surface, “Pinocchio” is a tale about lying and disobedience to parents, but a deeper look into this Italian classic reveals how politicians had turned children into unskilled labor as “donkeys” instead of providing them with the education to escape their impoverished existence.
While those in the story struggled with the truth, Rough House wrestlers have learned how the truth sets them free through honest self-reflection and committed redirection.
According to its website: “Rough House has and always will start with the fundamentals, concepts, and basic techniques while drilling those basics into the muscle memory of the young wrestler’s arsenal.”
The club has trained a growing number of stand-out wrestlers. In addition to Garcia, 8th-grader Sammy Sanchez won this year’s US Open at 17U. He’ll be a freshman in the fall for Esperanza High in Anaheim, in search of becoming a rare four-time California state champion.
Matteo Centeno earned 2024 All-American status in the US Open’s U15 144-lb. division. And in this summer’s Schoolboy National Duals, 71-pounder Anderson Park was undefeated in Greco and only lost one freestyle bout to finish 13-1 to make the All-Tournament team.
“Not only does RHWC stick to the fundamentals, but it also moves on to more advanced techniques by the time its wrestlers are heading into high school, plus creating habits and a great avenue for their athletes to have opportunities and make their way into the NCAA/College competition level.”
Sal adds, “We teach our wrestlers the importance of consistency in their training. They need to want the practice in order to develop. We also stress that if they focus on technique, the winning will come.
“Becoming a champion is a long-term process. You do not have to be the 7U National Champion. It’s important to learn through your losses.”
In Philip’s dialogue with Dad before each tournament, they recite this wisdom. “What is worse than training? Losing. What is worse than losing? Nothing.”
“It’s not what you already know; it’s what you learn now,” recalls Philip. “The easiest part about wrestling is nothing. I tell my teammates that you will not earn results later if they give up now.”