Charlie Long, a 162-pounder, has a way of killing you with kindness as he, first, deludes you into thinking you have the advantage, then quickly turns the tables for a pin and six points for his team, the La Jolla Vikings.
Coach Kellen Delaney says the senior, a three-year vet of the wrestling team through the worst times of COVID and beyond, “might be the most respectful and responsible wrestler I’ve ever coached.” Deferential to coaches (and even a sportswriter), the team captain has an unorthodox style, which he acknowledges, that doesn’t follow the book but which is extremely effective to the tune of a 24-8 won/lost record this season.
The way Charlie describes his not-by-the-book approach is, “Sometimes I put myself in difficult situations and try to scramble for the better position instead of using the technique.”
The whole season has seen a coming together of Long’s apparent surrendering, then taking sudden control in matches, along with his personal maturation and leadership abilities. The Vikings, as a squad, partly due to the 18-year-old’s contributions — grounded in experience with jiu-jitsu, which he still plans to continue — swept through their five Eastern League dual meets to their first league title since the stellar 2011-2012 team. The Vikes also feature senior Caden Kestler (145 pounds), junior Gustav Rinaldi (162), and Noah Pace (108).
Another part of the Long attack is a deadly cradle, which Charlie can apply from multiple positions.
Says coach Kraig Feldman, “A lot of his improvement has come by him blending his funky style while integrating sound wrestling technique.”
Regarding the risks of getting into dangerous situations during a bout on the mat, then figuring out a way for the “escape room”, Long says he isn’t necessarily a big risk-taker in everything. “I feel like it is a lot easier to take risks in wrestling than in other sports (he also played football and baseball earlier at LJHS), because if my gamble fails then the only person who loses is me, not my entire team.”
In general, Delaney and the other coaches have been able to enjoy a 2022-2023 winter season free of a lot of the restrictions during the height of COVID that made working out in the relatively tiny Viking team room like an incubator for more germs. With Feldman concentrating on the younger wrestlers, more grapplers — including Matisse Pickett, Ella Roman, Tora Tranheim, and Maddie Quach for the girls — came out this season and training logistics have expanded to include the deck above the gym floor in the so-called “Big Gym,” the original site for basketball, volleyball, and the like.
Even Long, who enjoys studying math and computer science and whose younger brother Jack is a sophomore on the wrestling team, credits “going to practice every day and actively trying to learn and drill” without interruption for his ability to get on a roll and build on successes this season.
