Over the last weekend, Micah Wegman made Calabasas history. At 126 pounds, Wegman became the first-ever CHS wrestler to win CIF and the second-ever CHS wrestler to qualify for the State Championship.
Wegman’s CIF win is an incredible achievement for head coach Charlie Lind, who took up the position only last year. Lind says that, in the end, his squad is focused on the future.
“It’s a big deal, and it isn’t at the same time. My goal isn’t just to have kids win CIF,” said Lind. “This is just a natural consequence of what happens when you work hard. It’s obviously a big checkpoint for the team, but ultimately, we have higher goals.”
With the dominance of teams like Fountain Valley, Calabasas has never been known as a wrestling powerhouse. However, Lind states that he and his team want to keep that association as long as possible, primarily because being known as the underdog greatly motivates them.
“At the tournament on Saturday, as Micah took the podium, they said, ‘The champion at the 126-pound weight class, Micah Wegman from Calabasas,’ and a guy behind me said, ‘Calabasas?’ as a question,” said Lind. “I don’t think people realize how not a threat we were before, and I think we surprised whoever that man was behind me. I think we have a lot more surprises. I hope for the next couple of years, people start saying ‘Calabasas?’ until they start saying, “Oh, Calabasas.”
Four days ago, Wegman forced a few more people to recognize Calabasas. He placed 4th in the CIF Masters competition, which has allowed him to compete in the California State Championship. Wegman is only the 2nd ever CHS wrestler to do this, following senior Marius Male in 2017. Male was an internationally recognized Greco-Roman champion in his home country of Norway before he transferred to CHS and made State, so Wegman continuing that legacy is quite the accomplishment. However, Wegman will need to compete at the top of his game for his run to continue, as his weight class is one of the best in the country, and many wrestlers he will be competing against are nationally ranked.
“Nine kids in his weight class are ranked top 30 in the nation, and [the State Championship] only takes the top 8,” said Lind. “So at least one nationally ranked kid is not going to place in the state of California at the 126-pound weight class. There’s gonna be one kid who can probably walk through just about any tournament in this nation, and they’re going to lose at California State.”
Of course, Lind has faith in Wegman, touching on the fact that Wegman’s skillset and determination mean that he can beat any wrestler on the right day. More importantly, he says, Wegman’s arrival has marked the start of a new, promising era in Calabasas wrestling.
“He’s obviously broken through, and he’s about to bring a lot of other kids with him,” said Lind. “And if this program is on the same path it’s currently on, we’re going to be top 20 in the state next year, and we’re going to be top 10 in the state the year after that. And hopefully, in four or five years, we’re not only a state powerhouse but a national powerhouse.
The State Championship will be held at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield from February 27th to March 1st.
