Bright futures: Carlsbad's eighth grade duo

CARLSBAD – Carlsbad’s Justin Wood and Mason Box gave opponents quite a bit of trouble on the mat this season, challenging their older and more experienced counterparts for longer stretches of time.

Here’s the jaw-dropper: Wood and Box just wrapped up their eighth grade years as Cavemen wrestlers, but they fought like upperclassmen.

"It's been pretty nice because the [opposing] seniors would ask me what grade I'm in. And I'm like 'I'm an eighth grader.' They'd have a surprised face on," Box said. "It's pretty awesome. Knowing that eighth graders would be able to go out there and win, and that the entire team is depending on us to win sometimes, it's just amazing."

Like Box, Wood said he's gotten the same reactions from other teams when they discovered he was only an eighth grader. Wood also said his experiences this season were cool because he was treated as if he were older versus a “little eighth grader.”

“It’s really exciting because I can go up against those older kids and know that I can beat them. Once I get older, I don’t what’s going to happen,” said Wood, who’s wrestled competitively since he was about 5 years old. “It’s cool because I know I can hang with those guys up there, with their skill level and how they can place at state. That just shows me that I can beat them, get higher than they are and get better.”

As the year went on, Wood said he's gradually became quicker on the mat.

Box said he's become a stronger "chain wrestler," and can transition well from one move to another and not "get stuck."

"It's helped me against these bigger, older kids, that I can finish my shots and do what I need to do to win," Box said.

To counter their physically stronger opponents, Wood and Box strike down low and try to not let go.

"It's pretty to be able to keep them down to where they're so exhausted they can't stand up anymore. At the end of the match, they're so tired they can't even wrestle," Box said.

Coach Ryan Salcido said Wood and Box are strong at "leg-riding" on the ground, though they have different styles going about it.

Salcido said Box likes to grab onto opponents with his legs from the backside, whereas Wood finds success with more direct lower body attacks whenever opponents are standing up.

"You've got teams like [Las] Cruces that all they do for two weeks is learn how to defend legs because they're worried about guys like Justin and Mason winning matches just like that," Salcido said. "They're both always looking for ways to progress."

Salcido said Wood's defense from the bottom has been an asset because he makes it difficult for opponents to successfully score points trying to take and keep him down on the mat. Salcido also said Box's footwork and ability to create "misdirection" while on the attack has been key.

Wood can pivot his body and flip opponents over to gain control, and Box can grab and lock up opponents' legs fairly fast.

"That's stuff you really can't teach," Salcido said.

Wood, the younger brother of Cavemen 106-pound sophomore Cody Wood, won the 138-pound title at the Joe Vivian Classic. Salcido said Justin Wood was the first-ever eighth grader to win that tournament in the 138-pound class.

Justin Wood also reached the championship matches at the District 3-6A and 6A state tournaments to end the season. He said his goal is to reach to consistently reach championship rounds for every event.

"He's very technical, and he's extremely strong. His strength matches the older, senior kids. He can hold the kids down from up top," Box said.

Box, the younger brother of former Cavegirl volleyball player Brittany Box, also had some success in the 120-pound weight class to end this year, placing third at the district championships and fifth at state.

"He just has a lot of heart. He just keeps going at them, and he never stops fighting for his points," Justin Wood said.

Salcido said "the possibilities are endless" for how good Wood and Box can be because they still have four more years of high school wrestling left.

"It's just one of those gold mines that you find. They come right into the program, and they fit right in. It's phenomenal. You almost forget how young they are sometimes just because of how well they perform. The potential for these guys is amazing. It's very comforting to see the capability that these guys have and how far they can go by the time they're sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school," Salcido said, adamant that Wood and Box have the potential to eventually wrestle in college at the NCAA Division I level.

Current-Argus Sports Editor Matt Hollinshead may be reached at 575-628-5518.