South Elgin sophomore Demetrios Carrera is a pretty skilled linguist.
His mother Sophia, a native of Athens, taught him Greek. His father, Leo, is from Quito, Ecuador. Demetrios walks the walk, but quite literally, he can talk the talk.
“Greek is a really hard language, one of the toughest in the world to learn,” he said. “I was much more fluent in Spanish when I was younger. I’m conversational in both languages.”
Carrera’s effort has spoken volumes this season at 120 pounds. He went 5-0 Saturday with three falls at the Beat the Streets Tournament in Chicago, improving his record to 17-1.
Carrera led the Storm to a second-place finish in the tourney.
“My style is kind of a scramble, a bit funky on my feet, and I like to wrestle a lot of fun moves,” he said. “I am always staying in the best position and looking to get to my attacks.”
As a freshman, Carrera burst onto the scene last season. He went 40-4 at 106, winning conference and regional titles and finishing second in the sectional to qualify for the Class 3A state meet.
He went 2-2 in Champaign, just one match away from placing. The bittersweet experience was fundamental to his growth and development.
“Throughout the year, I had a lot of tough matches,” Carrera said. “That prepared me for when I went on that stage. I didn’t get what I wanted, but to be honest, it was a good thing that happened.
“Being that close just made me work that much harder in the offseason and made me hungry.”
Carrera’s flair for the orthodox and unpredictable has captured the imagination of his teammates, including senior Julius Avendano
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, who also finished 5-0 Saturday at 106.“He’s scrappy,” Avendano said. “He likes to scramble and be in unusual positions, and he’s not scared of anyone.
“He’s my training partner most of the time. We build off each other. The positions he gets into helps me work on what I need to work on to get better.”
Leo Rosas finished 5-0 in the tournament at 150. Like Carrera, he’s a sophomore. And his friend is an inspiration.
“It’s really great working with him because he gives me the confidence I need,” Rosas said. “Having somebody my own age and accomplishing what he has is a really good thing.
“He is always doing extra work and putting in extra time.”
Carrera’s favorite activity outside of wrestling is playing video games, the perfect avenue for his intensely competitive nature.
Wrestling brings out his own creative impulses.
“I’ve learned a lot from my coaches,” Carrera said. “But I think a lot of the sport is about developing your own style from what you learn.
“I pick up a lot from watching others. I’ll think to myself, ‘that’s pretty cool,’ and try it. The move might be funky or weird, but it’s about making the least amount of mistakes possible.”
Carrera’s actions are always grounded in the fundamental actions, according to South Elgin coach James Gloudeman.
“He is one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever been around,” Gloudeman said. “The success he had last season, and now the experiences of wrestling tougher kids in the spring and summer, has just elevated his confidence.”
The way Carrera thinks about the sport is outside the normal parameters.
“I just love that it’s six minutes of constantly attacking,” he said of wrestling. “Your goal is to take them in deep waters. Even if they’re stronger, you take them to the edge of where they’re not comfortable.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.