Lewis and Clark wrestler Quinnton Flores hopes his success on the mat leads to inspiration

When Quinnton Flores moved to Spokane ahead of his sophomore year, he wasn’t sure if his budding interest in wrestling would make the move with him from his home in Colorado to the mats at Lewis and Clark.

“When I came up here, I didn’t think I was going to wrestle that first day. Then I convinced myself to give it a try,” Flores said. “And then I pretty much had my best season yet.”

That decision to join the Tigers’ program led to a district title for the 285-pounder, followed by a third-place finish at regionals to become LC’s lone state participant last season.

With one year of experience under his belt in orange and black, Flores is putting the rest of the Greater Spokane League on notice. He is unbeaten through his first five league matches of the season with three pins, a technical fall and a forfeit.

“He brings in that winning attitude that we haven’t had for a number of years now,” Lewis and Clark coach Aaron Petak said. “With Quinnton being a state participant as a sophomore, it brings everyone else in the room up a level. And he may not have the competition he needs in our room, so we as coaches sometimes need to wrestle with him and that even raises our standards.”

Although Flores’ first trip to the state’s Mat Classic last February was on the shorter side – he lost his first two matches and was eliminated – he learned how to handle the bright lights and pressure that comes with competing at the state’s highest level.

“It’s obviously a huge arena with a ton of mats and fans, so now being there once I’ve realized that I just need to go in as the aggressor and that I need to win,” Flores said.

Petak also noted the importance of having experienced an event the magnitude of Mat Classic.

“That environment is so intimidating, there are six tournaments going on, so he at least got that taste as a sophomore,” the Tigers’ sixth-year coach said. “A lot of kids go there and are just happy to be there, so now his goal is to be a placer, which if he can meet that he can go even further as a senior next year.”

That past success and hope for more in the future is what fuels Flores’ fire to better himself and help better his teammates.

“It’s so important for me to be doing this at LC,” Flores said. “Every day I come in here and if I see someone disrespecting the mats or the room I get pretty upset. This is where we spend hours a day just to make ourselves better.

“I would love to build this program to the status of teams like Mead and Mt. Spokane.”

That culture change takes time, but Petak thinks the Tigers are on the right trajectory. He points to an experienced freshman class, along with fielding a full girls team for the first time in school history as markers of a shift.

“Along with (Quinnton) we also had an alternate (Bennett Hendrickson) go to state last year and he’s back now as a senior captain, so they get to come in and share their experiences with the room which brings excitement,” Petak said. “Just getting these opportunities to send kids to state and bring back that experience makes the other kids want to be that next state participant.”

Flores knows that nothing is promised, and an untimely slip could mean his season is cut short. With districts and regionals on the horizon in the coming weeks, he said his mental preparation is just as important as the physical side.

“I was really an unathletic kid back in the day, and so I just want to make sure I’m big, strong and can prove to myself that I am good enough to go to state and do well,” Flores said. “It feels great that I get to work toward something too, because I don’t get a lot of time on the football field, so wrestling is my thing and I just want to hammer at it and leave a legacy.”