The Zuniga Brothers are well known for their athleticism and good grades. The boys are two sports athletes where senior, Mark Zuniga, wrestles and plays varsity football, and his younger brother freshman, James Zuniga, also wrestles but plays varsity soccer.
With wrestling season coming up, these two have a fascinating drive to achieve greater heights than the previous years. Just last year, both boys placed 2nd at regionals for wrestling. The eldest brother Mark, placed 5th at state with James placing 7th for his weight class. James was the only freshman in his weight class last year to make it to state.
Mark shared, “Wrestlers are a little more dedicated than, and are different from, the other people, which may be strange,” which is his favorite quote by Dan Gable, a legendary American wrestler.
During Mark’s sophomore year, he placed 3rd in state which led him to push even harder his last two years at Shadow. Although Mark didn’t place last year compared to when he was a sophomore, that hasn’t gotten this Mustang down. He will continue striving to be the best he can be in academics or sports.
Mark says, “A few goals I have are to win state in football and win state for wrestling, then be an all-American.”
His determination is very admirable and sure to strengthen those around him.
James has a similar fire in him. He wishes to hopefully place at regionals and state this year. James believes he could have placed much better last year rather than 7th place which had gotten him a little down. However, like his brother, he got right back up, dusted himself off, and got back to working toward his goals.
He says, “I felt a little upset because I know that I could have placed higher but I just made mistakes and got caught, but as a freshman, I learned from them and hopefully can place higher and or win.”
The Mustang also gets a lot of motivation and support from his coaches and peers. With the help he receives from them, he believes that it makes him a better stronger person.
James shares, “You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.” -Lionel Messi.
Now it’s easy to see that they just have a natural talent for sports and academics, but really it’s strenuous work. These two brothers pour their time into practice and studying to make sure that they are always one step ahead of the game. It goes without saying they definitely earned those spots on varsity football and soccer.
