More than 15 of the region's high school wrestling coaches have banded together to try to do what many of them couldn't do on the mat – take down powerful Poway High.
In an unusual move, the coaches have collectively submitted allegations in a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation's San Diego Section. It questions several high-profile transfers who have joined the Poway program in recent years, which the coaches believe violates “the spirit of the rules.”
“It is apparent that these transfers were made specifically for athletic purposes,” the letter says.
Poway High coach Wayne Branstetter said it was “a bunch of sour-grapes coaches.” He said all transfers were legal decisions made by families who were attracted to the community's schools and programs. He said his program does not recruit athletes and offered to rebut every allegation.
“Probably my biggest sin is that I've won too much,” Branstetter said.
Poway has won a section championship in 26 of the past 27 years. The Titans have won state team titles three times under Branstetter, Poway's coach since 1978.
The letter names current and former coaches at other schools as supporting an inquiry by the CIF. It includes a list of more than 40 wrestlers who the coaches say transferred to Poway before or during high school, or were “approached” about transferring by those connected to the program since 2000.
“We coaches got together and started writing up a list because this is getting ridiculous,” Valley Center High coach Clay Clifford said.
Bill McLaughlin, assistant commissioner of the San Diego Section, said yesterday he had just received the letter and that section officials would investigate.
When told the names of wrestlers on the list, Branstetter had explanations for each transfer, all having to do with decisions by the family and in many instances because of a divorce. He said parents find the Poway community beneficial for their children and were not influenced by Poway High officials.
“We're attractive, and if we weren't so attractive, the kid would stay where he's at. Period,” Branstetter said. “You think I've got some KGB working for me, meeting them and wining and dining them and paying their rent under the table? It ain't right.”
He blasted the coaches making the allegations.
“It'll get ugly, real ugly, because I have real dirt (on those coaches), but I don't even want to go there,” said Branstetter, a member of state and national wrestling halls of fame. “Somebody's going to end up in court. I'll be the first to get a lawyer when they start messing with my integrity.”
The coaches' letter expresses concern about what it calls the “private-school mentality” at Poway High, whose program is bolstered by a booster-funded wrestling facility unmatched in the area.
Poway “is still going to be good; I just want them to coach their own kids,” said La Costa Canyon coach Dwayne Buth, who is among the letter's supporters. “I've seen other coaches get really bummed and distraught over it.”
Former Mt. Carmel coach Jose Campo said he provided coaches in the letter with some names of wrestlers who transferred to Poway, but isn't among the letter's supporters.
“Of course it frustrates me when I see kids from other schools going to Poway,” Campo said. “But do I believe their success comes from their transfers? No. They just work harder and have the best coach.”
Brody Barrios, a former Poway wrestler now coaching at San Marcos High, also is not among the letter's supporters. Barrios grew up in San Marcos and transferred to Poway before high school, he said, “because it wasn't in my best interest” to go to school at San Marcos.
“So we moved to Poway, and it really worked out for me,” said Barrios, who won individual state titles in 1999 and 2000. “Now I'm coaching at San Marcos, and I know none of (the wrestlers there) would leave me and go to Poway.”
The transfers are leaving their schools “for a reason,” Barrios said. “Maybe (the coaches in the letter) are bitter because of that.”
Poway High officials recently addressed similar concerns from the San Diego Section about its baseball program. They denied influencing players who transferred.
“We don't want transfers,” Principal Scott Fisher said last week. “We'd rather people stay at their own places.”
Brent Schrotenboer: (619) 293-1368; brent.schrotenboer@uniontrib.com
