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Wrestling has an impressive history in Valencia County, with both Belen and Los Lunas among New Mexico’s best.
When the mats are rolled out for another high school season, both the Eagles and Tigers will have new head coaches. Chris Perea and Shawn Avis-Labus may be new to their positions, but they are familiar faces in the wrestling room.
Building women's wrestling
BHS has hired Perea as head coach, replacing Nick Sanchez, who resigned to become an athletics/activities manager for Los Lunas Schools. Perea has been an assistant for the Eagles and is a former Belen Middle School coach.
“I’m very humbled by the opportunity,” Perea said, blessed to have worked with Sanchez and Hall of Fame coach Lee Chavez. “I hope I can live up to their level of performance.”
With Belen’s impressive wrestling history, there is pressure that comes with leading the program.
“There’s pressure with anything,” Perea believes. “If we are there for the kids, everything else will take care of itself.”
Working hard is going to be the main goal, according to Perea, as well as celebrating the kids’ accomplishments. Increasing participation on the girls’ team is also a priority.
“One of my main goals is to get a (state) trophy for the girls’ side,” he said. “Building women’s wrestling … I really want to get it as big as possible.”
A 1998 Los Lunas High School graduate, Perea wrestled for coach Tom Torrez. The long-standing dual rivalry between BHS and LLHS was canceled last season, in part, because of an incident involving Belen fans.
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Perea says there have been discussions to bring it back, “if we can find a date.”
Family affair
The name Avis-Labus is well known on the Valencia campus, especially to those who travel in wrestling circles.
Alexis Avis-Labus finished third for the Jaguars as a junior at the NMAA all-classes girls championship last season, while younger brother, Elijah, is coming up through the ranks.
“It’s going to be different,” said Shawn Avis-Labus about coaching his children at the high school level; however, Alexis and Elijah started wrestling years ago under their dad at the junior level.
“They know as soon as they step on the mat, it’s not dad, it’s coach,” Avis-Labus said.
The former head coach at Valencia Middle School founded New Mexico Royalty, a youth club team that competes nationally during the offseason, “so they stay out of trouble.”
As for the Valencia Jaguars, “We’ll definitely shock some people,” he says about the team. “We have a lot of talent — it’s about culture. We’re going to be a program based on strength and technique.”
Wrestling is a passion for the new coach, who says it is the hardest sport because, “It’s so demanding, mentally and physically.”
Avis-Labus replaces Emanual Aragon, who took a position as an inclusion support coach at Los Lunas Middle School.
