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Vallejo wrestling coach inspiring students beyond the mat

Teacher Appreciation Month: Long-time Vallejo wresting coach impacts students lives 02:37

VALLEJO (CBS SF) -- The outside walls of the gym at Hogan Middle School in Vallejo are painted with images of sports. One is leaving an impact on students even beyond the school hallways: Wrestling.

"The one thing about wrestling is it's all about readjustment. Nothing is always perfect. It's about how you adjust yourself to your situation or your problem," said Anthony Bonifacio, a former student of Coach Peter Trave.

Bonifacio said he joined wrestling in the 8th grade, and he uses the lessons he learned then even now as a 20-year-old.

"The analogy to life is life is going to put you on your back and you gotta try to fight off that and get back to your feet," Trave said.

Coach Trave has been teaching at the school since 1996. That message couldn't be more relevant than now. Students are still going through a pandemic, and more recently, their mat room caught on fire. They had to find another place to practice within days of the girls wrestling state championship.

"It was almost like fuel for them because it was something almost personal to them," Trave said.

And despite the challenges, they still got second place.

"I feel like we worked really hard for that," said Maikah Jimenez Diolantla, a current team member.

Since Coach Trave has been at Hogan, they've won many city titles and state championships. But what's been most important for him is what students have been able to take with them beyond the mat.

"It's actually really helped me gain confidence in a lot of things," Maikah said.

They're lessons that students have carried with them, even after middle school.

"(He) always talked about heart. It's always about who wants it more, who trains the hardest, that's a great thing of how I approach things, every day in my life," Bonifacio said.

Coach Trave wants his students to have the strength to believe in themselves.

"If you want something in life, if you think you're just going to get it by sitting around, playing around on your phone, playing video games, that's not going to do it," he said. "You have to work hard. You want a better life? Normally you have to work hard. And you appreciate it more when you work hard and you get there."

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