Luis Saucedo's future will include wrestling at the collegiate level.
The Central Valley High School senior earned a partial scholarship to the University of Mary, located more than 1,500 miles away in North Dakota.
"It does feel like a dream come true," Saucedo said. "This is what I worked for. It gives me motivation to keep pushing forward. I'm really excited for this opportunity."
Accompanied by his parents and brother, Saucedo met his future head coach and teammates during a March 25-27 recruiting trip to the NCAA Division-II school.
"We drove up there," he said. "It's a private school. They have smaller classes. The whole campus is really nice. We got to bond with the coach, his family and other wrestlers. That really meant something to me. It was a great experience."
Luis will be remembered as one of Central Valley High School's all-time greatest wrestlers.
Determined to make program history during his final season with the Hawks, Saucedo became just the second male grappler from Central Valley to qualify for the CIF State Meet.
The 113-pound senior posted a 36-17 overall record, took sixth at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships, and won titles at the Division-IV and Western Athletic Conference tournaments.
Saucedo also helped Central Valley accomplish several firsts as a team this past season, including winning titles at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV Championships and Team Duals. The Hawks won their second straight WAC overall championship. Central Valley extended its unbeaten streak against conference-dual competition to 18 matches.
Luis went 33-15 his junior year.
He dropped two of three matches while failing to make it past the first day of the Masters tournament.
Luis also had to settle for runner-up honors at the Division-IV and WAC championships.
Saucedo signed a national letter of intent with the Marauders inside Central Valley Athletic Director Greg Magni's office just after 1 p.m. on April 13.
University of Mary posted a 7-12 record and placed seventh in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings (2-6) this past season.
The Marauders finished 12th overall at the NCAA Super Regional 3 Tournament.
"There is some relief," said Saucedo, who will compete at 125 pounds in college. "I finally know where I'm heading. I plan on challenging for a starting spot as a true freshman. It's going to be tough. But it's something I can accomplish."
