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Lemoore High wrestling standout Chanse Solis inks Fresno State letter of intent
One of those wishing him well was teammate Gary Joint, fresh from winning a California state wrestling championship. Solis and Joint will be wrestling next year for Bulldog coach Troy Steiner who will field his first team this year.
Solis was no slouch himself, winning four West Yosemite League titles and earning three trips to the state tournament. This year Solis, 17, finished sixth at the state tournament.
“I want to get to know the coaches and become more familiar with them,” said Solis of his expectations for college. “I also want to expand my intellect and education. I want to improve my wrestling skills and see how far I can get in life – through wrestling.”
Solis, who says he plans to major in psychology at Fresno State was attracted to wrestling through his first wrestling coach, Ralph Corona at Hanford High School. “In the seventh grade, he kept bugging my dad to put me in wrestling and in my seventh-grade year I finally got into it.” When he was ready for high school he had a choice to make: attend Hanford High School or Lemoore High – where his father, Angel Solis, a talented basketball player – attended. He chose Lemoore with its coach Marcio Botelho, himself a former state champion.
“I think Chanse is going to be a great wrestler at the next level,” said Botelho. “He’s young, and he still has a lot to learn. It may take him a few years to buy-in to the college wrestling world and learn what he needs to do to become successful, but I think he knows how to win so I think in the end he’s going to win and be successful.”
