Different comfort zone

Camren Ebat is used to wrestling with challenges.

The Central Valley football captain is a two-time state State 4A high school wrestling tournament veteran and the returning starter at quarterback for the Bears.

But as the team heads into Friday’s homecoming game with Shadle Park, Ebat finds himself dividing time at quarterback with fellow senior Nick Lallier, while starting at strong safety on defense.

Meanwhile his team looks to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Mead and East Valley.

“You have to put a bad game behind you and move on,” Ebat said. “A lot depends on your own game. If you had a bad game, it can be pretty tough to put it behind you. You tend to dwell on it. That’s where the weekend comes in handy.”

A letter winner as a freshman and the starting quarterback last season, Ebat said it was difficult not getting the start against East Valley last week.

“The coaches need me to play a lot more defense,” he said. “I don’t know if they want me to play both ways, but Nick is a very talented quarterback. Whatever is best for the team.”

“I’m still not sure exactly what’s going to happen at quarterback,” Central Valley coach Rick Giampietri said. “Right now they’re both taking equal snaps in practice and Camren is going to play defense for us.”

Giampietri said his senior captain has responded to the situation exactly how he hoped he would. I don’t want him to take it well,” Giampietri laughed. “But I do expect him to accept the situation and work hard to help the team. “Camren’s a hard worker, and has been all along, and a good team player. Through the last four years he’s done everything I’ve asked him to do. He’s a leader at school and kids tend to listen to him. He has a great rapport with kids at all levels.”

Giampietri said Ebat’s success as a wrestler has been instrumental in his football success.

“I think that’s where he gets his toughness,” the coach said. “Jim Plunkett was a state champion wrestler, you know. When it’s all on the line and it’s only you, you have to make some plays. Wrestlers are in that kind of competition every day with no excuses.”

Ebat, who finished seventh at state last season at 152 pounds, agrees.

“It helps in the pressure sense,” he said. “When you’re in a dual meet you have the entire audience zoning in on your match. There can be a lot of pressure on you when that happens. But after a while, you get used to it. The pressure seems to go away and you start having fun.”

It all comes down to a belief in yourself, he said.

“Wrestling is all about confidence,” Ebat said. “You have to believe in yourself. The same thing with football.

“I remember my first game playing (defensive back). I was a little uncomfortable. I wasn’t always sure where I needed to line up and what my assignment was. But after the first half I started to get the hang of it, I started to get comfortable with it and I got excited to play.”

The two sports have a similar make-up, Ebat said.

“A wrestling match is a bunch of little battles,” he explained. “It can go either way – it just depends on who wants it more and who’s willing to work for it. That’s where heart comes in. You find that little extra something that pulls you through. It’s the same way with football.”

Ebat wrestled first, beginning the sport when he was 9 years old. He didn’t play football until reaching middle school, where he played quarterback right from the start.

To keep himself ready for wrestling season, Ebat runs every morning.

“In football, everything is about explosive speed, sprinting,” he said. “With wrestling, it’s all about stamina. It takes a while to make that adjustment – that’s why I run. I know what those first couple weeks of wrestling turnouts are going to be like.”

They’ll involve losing football weight, he said. Ebat plays football at 176 pounds, almost 25 pounds more than his wrestling weight last season.

Ebat said his two chosen sports complement each other.

“With wrestling, you can train as hard as you want, but when you step out on that mat, it’s just you and the other guy,” he said. “Whether you win or lose, it’s all up to you and your teammates can’t do anything but cheer you on.

“In football you can have the greatest game of your life, but if your team’s not having it you might not come out with a victory.”