Damien Suarez didn’t carry the résumé most high school wrestlers have when he walked into the wrestling room at Oglethorpe County High School last season.
He had curiosity.
“I’ve had a lot of friends who wrestled, and I’d seen the sport a lot online,” Suarez said. “It just looked really fun.”
Now a second-year wrestler, Suarez owns a 19-15 record in the 120-pound weight class and a growing sense of belonging on the mat. For him, progress hasn’t come from dominance but from persistence through losses, nerves and the steep learning curve of a sport he picked up later than most.
Coach Steve Mason remembers being stunned when Suarez signed up.
“He’s a kid I taught and saw in the hallways,” Mason said. “He’s not a kid I ever thought would wrestle.”
What stood out quickly was not perfection but coachability.
Mason said Suarez, a junior, grasped concepts early and demonstrated an ability to understand what coaches were asking, even when execution lagged.
Wrestling, Mason said, isn’t just about learning moves.
“There are thousands of situations you can get into,” he said. “Some things aren’t even moves. You just have to learn how to wrestle.”
That education comes the hard way.
Suarez said his first season tested him mentally as much as physically. Losses piled up early, and nerves often followed him onto the mat. One tournament at Jeff Davis High School forced him to confront doubt.
“Jeff Davis was really hard for me,” Suarez said. “It was just getting in the mental headspace, telling myself I belong there. I was very nervous before every match.”
Even while losing, Suarez said he never lost his appetite for the sport.
“Going out there and wrestling is just so fun,” he said. “Even if I’m losing, it encourages me to try harder at practice.”
Mason said that response matters.
“Some people can’t take losing a few matches, and they quit,” he said. “He never let losing affect his preparation or his want to get better. He took it as learning opportunities.”
That mindset has paid off this season.
Suarez said he feels more conditioned, more confident and more certain he belongs on the mat. A close loss to a wrestler, who had placed at state, in Oglethorpe County’s first home meet helped flip his internal switch.
“It was really close,” Suarez said. “It was my first time going against such a good kid.”
Mason saw the leap at the same Jeff Davis tournament that once rattled Suarez. This time, Suarez faced a returning state qualifier from Wayne County and controlled the match.
“We out-wrestled him,” Mason said. “We were tougher mentally and physically.”
Mason said Suarez has been competitive against nearly everyone he has faced, even at tournaments featuring larger, higher-ranked schools. That progress, Mason said, starts long before matches are decided.
“He’s focused. He’s got purpose,” Mason said. “Even when he’s sick or not feeling good, he’s in the room giving effort.”
Mason added he believes wrestling has given Suarez something more than wins.
“I think wrestling has given him a place to belong,” he said.
Suarez hopes his path encourages others who might think they are starting too late.
“If you stick to it and don’t back off, you’re going to end up good,” he said. “Do the little things. Don’t skip reps.”