A Serious Reversal

SANTA ANA — Fernando Serratos has no doubt that if not for wrestling and his coach, he might be in jail.

Serratos, an 18-year-old Santa Ana senior ranked first in the county at 119 pounds, isn’t proud of his past. But he understands that in order to see where he wants to go, he needs to look back.

Three years ago, when he was a freshman, Serratos and a group of his friends spent nights prowling Santa Ana and the nearby freeways, looking for places to tag.

“These guys I used to hang out with were friends of mine from sixth grade,” Serratos said. “We used to go all over and tag. It was something to do. School wasn’t important. I would just slack off all the time and ditch school back then.”

One night after he and three others climbed up on a freeway sign, someone potted them and called the police. They were arrested and charged with vandalizing and defacing public property.

“I was ordered to do 200 hours of community service,” Serratos said. “I had to paint over graffiti in Orange and pick up trash on the side of the freeway.”

Serratos said Santa Ana wrestling Coach Scott Glabb approached him at the end of his freshman season and talked about his future. That talk was one of the turning points in his life.

“Scott told me if I wanted to continue to wrestle, I’d have to get serious about the sport and my school work. He told me I had a future and he would help me all he could. But it was up to me if I wanted to do it.”

Although Serratos remained out of trouble and improved during his sophomore season, Glabb said he still wasn’t 100% committed to the sport.

Because he failed to make weight at Southern Section finals his sophomore year, Serratos was forced to sit out the rest of the season.

“He saw that guys he beat were advancing to the Masters and going on to state,” Glabb said. “I think that had a big impact on him.”

From that point, Serratos seemed determined to fulfill his goals: to win at state and get his grades up.

Glabb said he first met Serratos when his brother David brought him to the wrestling room three years ago. Serratos had little wrestling experience, but Glabb could see a natural talent.

“Fernando’s brother had a lot of potential, but he kind of flaked out his senior year and didn’t finish as well as I thought he could have,” Glabb said. “I didn’t want that to happen to Fernando, so I tried to stay on top of him as much as I could.”

Serratos said Glabb’s concern was a key in keeping him on track.

“Scott was like a second father to me,” Serratos said. “During the off-season last year, he would take me to freestyle tournaments every week. He would pick me and some others up, and he would take us all over. He’s always there.”

Sometimes Serratos’ parents didn’t have enough money to enter him in those tournaments.

“Coach was always ready to pay for the entrance fee whenever I needed it,” Serratos said. “This came out of his own pocket.”

Glabb said his concern is nothing out of the ordinary.

“Most of these kids are good,” Glabb said. “They just need a break and someone who cares.”

Serratos calls his wrestling team his second family: “[Glabb] wants to see us do well and go on to accomplish things in our lives. I love him.”

Last season, Serratos was the Golden West League champion, won the Southern Section Division III title, placed third at the Masters meet and won two matches at the state meet in Stockton.

“His junior season was very impressive considering he had to wrestle at 119 because Ignacio Bahena was our 112-pounder,” Glabb said.

This season, he has had some impressive victories at the El Dorado tournament and the Southern California Challenge at Murietta, where he was 7-0 with 41 takedowns. He’ll be competing today and Saturday at the El Modena tournament.

Serratos plans to drop to 112 for the Southern Section finals.

“I think Fernando has a very good chance of winning the 112-pound title at state,” Glabb said. “He knows it, and I know it.”

As far as college interest, Serratos said he has gotten a letter from San Francisco State.

“I want to go to college and I want to keep on wrestling,” Serratos said. “I think about what my life might have been like. I’d probably be in jail, or maybe dead. One of my [tagging] friends has been in jail. And another got his girlfriend pregnant. I’m just glad I had the chance to turn my life around.”