If you’re a military brat, you’re used to moving.
Eden Hernandez knows the routine — her dad, Matthew, is a Marine. Born in Texas, she moved to North Carolina as a 7-year-old, living there before packing up for the trip West to San Clemente in the eighth grade.
But she had no problem with her latest move last year.
“When I found out we were moving to Poway, I was 100 percent happy about it,” said the 18-year-old senior. “I’d wrestled with the Poway Elite in the eighth grade and knew how good the program was. Plus, I already had friends there. It was very cool.”
Mind you, the Poway High girls wrestling program still has a way to go to achieve the success of the boys, now ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 4 in the nation.
Those highly successful boys have proven to be a major help for Hernandez, as has the Titans girls program, which ballooned from two wrestlers last year to seven this year.
“The girls stress quality over quantity,” said Hernanez, who, along with fellow senior Alejandra Valdiviezo, a fourth-place finisher in the state last year, typify the Titans who, despite giving away points in eight weight classes, managed to finish fourth in the recent 60-school Jungle Lady Jags Tournament at Ontario High.
Coach John Meyers says both Hernandez (11-1 at112 pounds) and Valdiviezo (13-1 at 123) are keys to the future.
“We’re not going to beat the hallways looking for kids to wrestle,” said Meyers, who oversees both programs. “We went from two wrestlers last season to seven this year and they’re all experienced.
“We prefer wrestlers like Eden who have been in it her whole life. We talk about Eden and Alexandra being in on the ground floor of Poway girl’s wrestling.”
Clearly, Hernandez brought a ton of experience, finishing sixth in the state last year at 112 pounds despite competing with a bulging disc. Only the No. 4 placer from last year returns and she’s looking forward to meeting her.
Hernandez has competed for three years at the Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, grabbing a fifth place last summer.
The Titan, who is rated No. 3 nationally, sets her goals high, from competing against the Poway boys wrestlers to intentionally moving up a weight class in a recent tournament so she could face another National No. 1.
“I wanted to see how I compared to her,” said Hernandez, who got her wish as both she and Isabella Marie Gonzalez of Clovis won all their matches, setting up the showdown. “She was dominant and I lost 9-0, but I learned a lot.”
That is her lone loss in 12 matches.
In October, Hernandez had a chance to wrestle against the nation’s No. 1 at 112 in North Carolina and won twice.
“I was number five or six and I beat her,” said Hernandez. “Then I lost, and it just so happened I faced her again in the wrestle-backs. It was easier the second time.”
Meyers said the way she won the first time is a glaring example of how Hernandez is cool under pressure, never out of any match.
“She was behind by two or three points with like 30 seconds to go but wouldn’t give in and she hit a big move to score five points and win,” he said. “She made a major statement.”
Hernandez started wrestling when she was 6, watching her brother, Benjamin, compete. Her dad told her to go beat the boys and she’s been competing ever since.
While she said her time at San Clemente was memorable, she knew going to Poway would be a lot better for someone with a 3.6 GPA looking to land a scholarship at one of the power programs where she plans to major in pre-med to eventually become an anesthesiologist.
“The big difference was the boys and girls at San Clemente practiced at different times, they didn’t intermingle,” she said. “Among the girls, there was no one to push me.
“At Poway there are 15 coaches who help the boys and the girls who are like-minded. Poway is so well known I believe if I do well at state, I can get that scholarship, which will help my family.”
Leading, of course, to another move.
