Pablo OgataPablo Ogata, 16, born and raised in Japan until age 15, won a Massachusetts Division I state wrestling championship after completing his first full year in the sport, according to a feature story in the Boston Globe this weekend.
Ogata defeated Matt Cabezas of Methuen High, 7-2, in the 132-pound state finals in Brockton, Mass. in late February to win the state title, becoming his high school's 24th state champ. On the way to the title match, Ogata upset top-seeded Griffin Murray of Chelmsford in the semifinals 12-7, the Framingham Patch reported.
How did Ogata get to the state championships seemingly so quickly? He had come to the U.S. with his Brazilian-born parents just in time to enroll for the 2014-15 school year at Framingham High School. It was there that sophomore Pablo Ogata was first introduced to wrestling.
While Ogata was new to wrestling, he wasn't new to martial arts.
While growing up in Japan, Ogata discovered judo. "I fell in love with the sport when I was in seventh grade. It was competitive, and I liked the discipline and self-control it took," he told the Boston Globe. His talent for judo made it possible for him to participate in national competitions.
Ogata was disappointed to learn there wasn't a judo program at Framingham High… but there is a wrestling team. So he met with the school's wrestling coach.
"He came into my room and asked about wrestling," said varsity wrestling coach Jon Kanavich.
"He said he had a judo background, and competed nationally. I got excited. I said 'show me some of your judo moves,' so he wouldn't hurt the wrestlers (in case he joined the team). The way he was asking about it I could tell he'd have success right away.
"He picked up things unbelievably quick, like he was a senior."
Despite seeing Ogata's ability to learn a new sport quickly, coach Kanavich was careful in how he used the newest member of his squad. In his first year on the mats - the 2014-15 season -- Ogata compiled a 7-2 record.
"Pablo's a happy kid, smiles a lot. Very outgoing," said Kanavich. "But on the mat he turns into something else. A monster! He finds the switch."
This season, Ogata -- now a junior -- built a 37-5 record, culminating with the state title.
Ogata achieved all this in wrestling while learning English, a completely new language for him. In his first year at Framingham High, Ogata was enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. He employed his quick-to-learn ability demonstrated in wrestling in the classroom as well, and now is a mainstream student with aspirations to attend college on a scholarship. Perhaps a wrestling scholarship.
Update: Pablo Ogata placed fifth in the All-States tournament last weekend, which earned him the right to wrestle at this weekend's New England Championships, where he did not place.
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