Hosted by the Ceres Pups Wrestling Club, the California Champ Camp for grapplers aged 4-18 will be held June 22-23 at Ceres High School.

A Beginners Camp will be offered for the first time in the clinic’s three-year history.

“We added it because we wanted to introduce the sport to kids that have never wrestled before,” Camp Coordinator Steve Festa said. “The sooner you start, the bigger advantage you’ll have when you get to the competition level in high school.”

Billy Murphy, a 2006 Hughson High School graduate and two-time CIF State Boys Wrestling Meet 130-pound champion, will serve as the lead instructor of the California Champ Camp.

“Our product is about being a champion on and off the mat,” Murphy said. “That’s our goal.”

“Watching the kids learn is the most gratifying thing I experience,” he added. “That’s my favorite part. I hammer basic foundations until it’s instinctual.”

Murphy had a combined record of 168-3 at the high-school level according to intermatwrestle.com. He finished 55-0 as a junior and 48-0 senior year. 

A three-time, high-school national champion, Murphy won all 15 of his matches while competing unattached at the University of Iowa in 2006-07. 

He took first at 133 pounds at the National Junior College Athletic Association finals during his lone season with the Iowa Central Community College wrestling team in 2009. He was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.

“Fundamentals are the foundation to any good wrestler,” Murphy said. “As long as you have a good foundation, you can build off that.”

Curtis Hulstine, Adam Borges, Lilly Avalos, Alana Ontiveros and Brody Teske will provide assistance.

Hulstine, head coach of Ceres High’s girls wrestling program and Murphy’s younger brother, qualified for the CIF State Meet with the Bulldogs in 2010.

Borges, a former Bulldog grappler, graduated from CHS in 2002. He was promoted to head coach of Ceres High’s boys wrestling team last winter. He coached at Mae Hensley Jr. High for three years and with the Ceres Pups for eight years.

Pitman High grads Avalos and Ontiveros won state titles in 2023 and 2021, respectively.

Avalos and Ontiveros earned wrestling scholarships to Vanguard and Menlo College.

Avalos was an NAIA All-American this past season.

A two-time NCAA Division-I qualifier with Northern Iowa, Teske transferred to the University of Iowa in 2022. He’ll be vying for his second berth to Nationals with the Hawkeyes this winter. 

Teske was a four-time state champion at the high-school level in Iowa. He won 177 of 178 matches.

“Their accolades are incredible,” Festa said while talking about the camp’s stable of instructors.

“Instruction is high-quality,” Murphy added.

Wrestlers aged 4-11 with no experience can sign up for the newly-added Beginners Camp on-site at 3:30 p.m. on June 22.

The first day of the camp consists of one session and runs from 4-5 p.m.

Cost is $25.

The second day of the camp consists of two sessions and runs from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. Cost is $75.

Wrestlers aged 4-18 with experience can sign up for the Third Annual California Champ Camp on-site at 9 a.m. on June 22.

The clinic will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Cost is $150 per camper or $1,450 per team (maximum of 14 wrestlers).

“We want to help out as many local wrestlers as possible,” Festa said. “There are a lot of good camps out there. We try to separate ourselves. We focus on mental, physical and nutrition. Getting better is our No. 1 priority.”

“You learn discipline,” Murphy said. “It (wrestling) builds character. It can make you tough and more respectful.”

To find out more information about California Champ Camp, contact Hulstine at 661-549-2989 or Festa at 209-918-5606.

VOLLEYBALL

The Lady Sharx Volleyball Club will offer two camps.

The June 24-27 clinic is for boys and girls, ages 4-12.

The July 15-18 clinic is for boys and girls, ages 13-18.

Each daily session will run from 6-7:30 p.m.

Kelly Heese and the Lady Sharx coaching staff will provide instruction.

Emphasis will be placed on serving, passing, setting, hitting, blocking, serve receive, defense, communication and team work. 

Cost is $100 per athlete. Each camper will receive a t-shirt. 

Advanced registration is required no later than June 21. 

To sign up, call or text at 209-568-9253.