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Hulstine returns to Ceres High to guide girls program
Jazzmin Suarez Angelique Huerta
Ceres High’s varsity girls wrestling team will compete with a new-look lineup this year. The Bulldogs return just three grapplers from a year ago, including Jazzmin Suarez and Angelique Huerta. - photo by Dale Butler

Curtis Hulstine will coach girls wrestling at his alma mater this winter.

The Ceres High School grad was a standout boys grappler with the Bulldogs from 2006-10.

Hulstine had a prep career record of 113-31.

He qualified for the CIF State Championships, collected 45 wins and just six losses, finished third at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament, placed first at the Division-IV Tournament and claimed the 125-pound title at the Valley Oak League Finals during his senior year.

“I’ve wanted to coach here for a very long time. There’s something special about teaching someone a move, having them understand it and seeing them apply it during a match.”
Curtis Hulstine

“I’ve wanted to coach here for a very long time,” said Hulstine, who spent the past 61/2 years in the Army. “There’s something special about teaching someone a move, having them understand it and seeing them apply it during a match.”

“The two (wrestling and military) shaped me into who I am today,” he added. “It prepared me to handle tough situations. When I wrestled, I didn’t dwell on a loss. I learned from it.”

Ceres High’s top returners are AC Lugo (Sr., 137s pounds), Jazzmin Suarez (Jr., 143s) and Angelique Huerta (Jr., 126s).

Lugo placed second in the 143-pound weight class at the Western Athletic Conference Championships as a junior. She won one of three matches at the Sac-Joaquin Section South Regional Tournament.

Suarez (137s) and Huerta (121s) both placed third at the league finals.

Huerta compiled a 1-2 record at South Regionals.

Huerta lost twice.

The Bulldogs’ top newcomers are Mercedez Wood (Jr., 189s), Rosely Ayala (Jr., 189s), Karen Vang (Jr., 160s), Mariana Ramirez (Sr., 150s), Gabriella Soto (Jr., 126s), Andrea Contreras (So., 116s) and Elizabeth Mercado (Jr., 101s).

“We don’t have any egos on this team,” Hulstine said. “The girls work hard and want to learn. They all respect and support each other. It’s a tight-knit group.”

Ceres High had five individual placers and finished fourth overall at the WAC Championships this past winter.

The Bulldogs amassed a 3-4 record during the conference dual season.

“It’s a rebuilding year,” Hulstine said. “We have three returners and every other girl is brand-new. It doesn’t mean we can’t compete and win.”

“I coach them the same way I’d coach boys,” he added. “The expectations are the same. I don’t baby them because they’re girls. They’re wrestlers.”