Santos Goes To The Mat Slimmer, Yet Stronger

— Edwin Santos hasn’t had a sip of soda in about two years. He doesn’t drink orange juice, either.

For Santos, it’s all about drinking milk and water as he eats a diet that consists mostly of meat, rice and lettuce.

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Edwin Santos

School: Rogers High

Class: Senior

Height: 5-9

Weight: 180 pounds

Notable: Has finished third at the state wrestling tournament in each of the past two seasons, first at 215 pounds and then 195. ... Improved his record to 10-1 this season with a win Friday evening at the Northwest Arkansas Duals Tournament at Springdale Har-Ber. ... Has started every year for Rogers’ football team, playing right tackle this past season.

The Rogers High wrestler wasn’t looking to lose about 50 pounds last year, but he figured he could be more effective on the mat if he dropped some weight. Once he started doing some extra running and conditioning drills, he dropped a few pants sizes.

“I practically just changed my diet, ran every night and morning and just kept working hard every day,” Santos said.

In the past year, the senior has reshaped his body from that of a 235-pound offensive tackle on Rogers’ football team to a more explosive 5-foot-9, 180-pound wrestler. He showed that Friday in his 182-pound match against Fort Smith Southside’s Khalil Kimble at the Northwest Arkansas Duals Tournament at Springdale Har-Ber.

Santos twisted, lunged at Kimble and used his combination of strength and footwork to earn a 21-17 win, improving his record to 10-1 this season.

“He’s faster. He’s more agile and everything because he’s not carrying the extra weight,” Rogers coach Ken Simmons said of Santos. “When you’re used to wrestling a guy at 220 pounds, it’s a lot easier picking a guy up at 180 and lifting him than it is picking up a guy that’s 40 pounds heavier.”

Santos has started the past three seasons on Rogers’ football team, working at right tackle in the fall. His experience as a wrestler helped with his use of hands and footwork on the gridiron, allowing him to push away opposing defensive linemen.

And once he shed some weight, he became more explosive.

Santos has finished third at the state wrestling tournament in each of the past two seasons, first at 215 pounds and then at 195 a year ago. While he looks much different now and is competing at a lower weight class, he insists his goal is still to win a state championship.

“It’s been my goal for the past three years,” Santos said.

Simmons said Santos wasn’t pudgy when he was around 225 pounds, but it was apparent he was carrying some extra pounds. So, Santos began eating healthier, and his work with the wrestling team and daily runs led to his body quickly changing.

Santos didn’t have a goal of getting down to 180 pounds. It just happened, and he admitted he hasn’t had trouble staying at that weight.

“The weight just started coming off of him just kind of naturally. And once it started coming off, he was like ‘Well, coach, I can’t keep weight on,’” Simmons said. “That’s when we decided, ‘Let’s go 195.’”

Santos said his strength hasn’t decreased since dropping more than 50 pounds. In fact, it’s increased. While he’s still squatting 405 pounds, he has seen his bench press go up 15 pounds to around 315.

Of course, that helps now that he’s facing smaller wrestlers.

“I feel stronger because I’ve always been used to bigger guys,” Santos said.

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