'Everything had to be right': Lake Gibson wrestling's Arello leans on mental strength
The tendency to overcomplicate wrestling tactics was plaguing Lake Gibson heavyweight John Arello at Winter Haven last year. Now with Lake Gibson, he took that same mentality into his first match at the Class 2A, District 7 Tournament last weekend at St. Cloud.
But he remembered some sound advice to recalibrate his way of thinking. The change of mindset led to Arello qualifying for regionals for the second time in a row. Lake Gibson ended up qualifying 14 wrestlers for this weekend's event, slated for Brandon High School on Friday and Saturday. The Braves also took third in districts.
“It feels great. Now I’m going into it less stressed out and worried about things," Arello said. "Now I have to focus on my match and focus on the next until I’m done.”
Lake Gibson coaches needed to instill in Arello that it’s about forgetting what you did in the past ― good or bad — and just focus on the now, task by task. Lake Gibson coaches, including Hall of Fame Coach Danny Walker, did their best to communicate to Arello that it’s important to have a short-term memory.
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Tactically, Arello was making sure his moves were fundamentally sound and that he was applying pressure in the right places.
This isn't anything new, though, as his desire to ensure details are corrected come from a very young age.
When Arello was a freshman, his dad took him on a construction journey to sites in Tampa and Ocala. At these jobs, he had to make sure that blocks were cut to the exact measurement. If these blocks weren’t correct, Arello’s father would take down the work that was already done; if the blocks weren’t done properly, someone’s life could be compromised.
Arello, for better or for worse, knew that small details meant everything.
“Everything had to be right, or else the job wouldn’t go well, so every time I’d made a mistake, it would be me getting chewed out, he said. "I hated that, so I just tried to make sure that I was right, and everything would go smoothly.”
He took this way of thinking to football as a freshman at Winter Haven, where two teammates goaded him into competing in wrestling his sophomore year.
Arello would go on to win his district and qualify for state IBTs his junior year as a Blue Devil.
Still, he wanted to take his wrestling skill set to another level, and what better way than to join the state powerhouse in Lake Gibson. He has turned his wrestling skills into a force to be reckoned with, and the results have shown.
Arello was able to accomplish his dream of earning a scholarship to Brewton-Parker College, an NAIA school in Mount Vernon, Georgia.
“John is more focused and dedicated to the process,” Walker said. “He understands there is a total different level of commitment needed to be successful now. And that’s why he will be wrestling in college next year.”
Class 2A, District 7
Lake Gibson was first with 301 points in last week's district meet. Auburndale was second with 145, Kathleen was fifth with 110, Lakeland was sixth with 107, and Lake Wales finished eighth with 50.
Class 1A, District 7
McKeel was top dog thanks to 224 points. Lake Region was second with 205, Davenport was fourth with 131, Tenoroc finished fifth with 126 and Mulberry was sixth with 106.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lake Gibson wrestling's John Arello ousts doubt to advance to regionals