Run by the Ceres Pups Wrestling Club with assistance from Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s grappling programs, the fourth annual California Champ Camp drew a record number of participants.

A total of 139 boys and girls signed up for the clinic, which was staged July 26-27 at Central Valley.

The 2024 camp enrollment size was 86.

“It’s the best camp we’ve had to date,” Bulldogs’ coach Curtis Hulstine said. “We’ve put out a good product the last few years so kids want to come back.”

Pups President/CHS coach Steve Festa changed the format of this year’s clinic.

He added more instructors and counselors.

The camp was also geared towards wrestlers with more experience.

KW Recovery Lab sponsored the event.

“We exceeded our expectations of what we wanted to provide for the kids,” Festa added. “It was a lot of work. It was worth every second. We changed lives. That was our goal.”

“Everybody had a good time,” Hulstine stated. 

NCAA Division-I men’s wrestling assistant coaches Ethan Rotondo (Cal Poly) and Anthony Mancini (San Francisco State) served as lead instructors at the camp.

“They brought great technique so the kids could get better,” said Festa.

Rotondo has ties to the city of Ceres as he attended Central Valley High School, Mae Hensley Jr. High and Virginia Park Elementary.

He lived here for 12 years before moving to the state of Washington with his family.

Rotondo wrestled at the University of Wisconsin for four seasons before transferring to Cal Poly for his final year of eligibility.

Rotondo won one of three matches while representing the Mustangs as a 133-pound grappler at the 2023 NCAA Division-I Championships. 

He finished his collegiate career with a 74-52 overall record.

Rotondo had a 168-15 record at the prep level. 

He captured back-to-back state titles with Union High School in Vancouver, Wash. He won all 40 of his matches junior year.

He qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament, placed second at Divisionals and finished first at the Western Athletic Conference Championships freshman year at Central Valley. 

“To have Ethan back in the room is a huge asset,” said Rob Beckhart, who coached Rotondo during his freshman year at Central Valley. “It’s a really cool thing. Everyone around here knows who he is and like him. For them (local wrestlers) to see someone that has had success shows them there are opportunities out there for them if they work hard.”

“It’s really cool to see someone that has had that much success give back to the community he grew up in,” Hulstine said. “It gives local kids a lot of motivation. Hard work prevails.”

“It makes it real and tangible for these kids to say if he can do it, we can do it,” Festa said. “They can dream big and accomplish goals.”

“I’m just happy to share what I’ve learned over the years and give people a path to do the same for themselves,” said Rotondo.

Rotondo had a blast returning to his former high school.

“It was surreal,” he said. “It’s been over a decade since I was last there. It was fun seeing everyone again.

Local female grapplers Lily Avalos (Pitman High School/Vanguard University), Alana Ontiveros (Pitman/Menlo College) and Mikayla Lancaster (Gregori/Menlo College) served as camp counselors.

Avalos captured gold in the 131-pound weight bracket at the 2025 Mt. San Antonio College tournament.

Lancaster was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Women’s Wrestling Freshman of the Year this past season. She claimed the 160-pound MPSF Conference Championship.

Avalos and Ontiveros won CIF State titles with Pitman in 2023 and 2021, respectively.

Lancaster’s highest finish at state was third as a junior (2023).

“We definitely had a lot more female wrestlers here this year,” Hulstine said. “We did a good job of spreading the word.”

The Champ Camp was open to wrestlers, aged 5-18.

Cost was $120 per grappler or $1,000 per high school team (14 wrestlers).

A total of six high school wrestling teams attended this year’s clinic, including Ceres High, Central Valley, Hughson, Modesto High, Pitman and Golden Valley.

A team dual competition was held from 12:30-4:30 p.m. during the second day of the camp.

Rotondo and Mancini each coached a team.

They chose wrestlers from the camp to represent Cal Poly and San Francisco State.

High school referees officiated.

The dual was open to the public. 

Admission was free.

“The vibe was amazing,” commented Festa.