A Saints Story
Santa Ana High School wrestling records begin when Coach Scott Glabb takes over the program in 1990. No one else had applied for the job.
During one wrestling meet, Huntington Beach beat Santa Ana 72 - 0.
Most of the kids came from troubled backgrounds - poverty, gangs, crime, broken families. Other teams feared hosting the team because of their reputation as vandals and thieves.
Frustration overwhelmed Coach Glabb. Discipline problems, disrespect, and loss certainly weren't what he had signed up for. He gave up on winning and decided to invest his time on the kids instead.
"At that point I decided that whatever it was that these boys were doing, it wasn't working for them," says Coach Glabb. "So, I thought I'd just become a mediocre coach with a mediocre wrestling team and would focus on trying to get these kids right with the Lord. Because that had worked for me."
"The challenge wasn't trying to get them to win, but trying to get them to break their cycles of dysfunction, solve their daily problems and convince them to turn their lives around for the better. I began not really coaching the sport as much as trying to counsel, direct and guide the kids."
Coach Glabb acts as more than a coach to many of his wrestlers. He wears different hats according to the needs of his athletes - hats of counselor, parent, and brother.
Turning frustration into success came after laying a good foundation. Only then could Coach Glabb focus on the training.
"I started to pray for help, and along came [Oklahoma State All-American] Vince Silva and later [1984 Olympic wrestler] Joe Gonzalez," Glabb says.
Many more coaches have come and helped train the Saints, including former wrestlers; Sadie Morales, Fernando Serratos, Jose Leon, and Jaime Orendain.
Once the Saints had a goal, they made up for their inexperience with hard work.
With their hard training and God's grace, Glabb guided the Saints to their first league Championship in 1993 - a Santa Ana High Historical feat - then to a further fifteen straight league titles.
"We serve others so later others will be served."
-Scott Glabb
-Scott Glabb
Turning frustration into success came after laying a good foundation. Only then could Coach Glabb focus on the training.
"I started to pray for help, and along came [Oklahoma State All-American] Vince Silva and later [1984 Olympic wrestler] Joe Gonzalez," Glabb says.
Many more coaches have come and helped train the Saints, including former wrestlers; Sadie Morales, Fernando Serratos, Jose Leon, and Jaime Orendain.
Once the Saints had a goal, they made up for their inexperience with hard work.
With their hard training and God's grace, Glabb guided the Saints to their first league Championship in 1993 - a Santa Ana High Historical feat - then to a further fifteen straight league titles.
By 1996, Coach Glabb's team had won the CIF DIV. III team championships and went on to capture the 1998, 1999 (DIV. II), 2001 (DIV. I), & 2003 Southern Div., CIF Team, and Dual Meet Titles. 2007 and 2008 they won the CIF Div. IV Dual Meet Championships. The Saints have a total of 11 CIF titles and 8 runner-up finishes.
As of the 2008-2009 season, the Saints have compiled an overall meet record of 312 wins and 57 losses. They have 23 individual CIF champions, 48 state qualifiers and 15 state place winners and 2 national champions.
Glabb is proud of all that, but he considers these as some of the Saints real victories: the car thief who ended up with two league titles, a college education and a spot in the U.S. Air Force; the tagger who went on to win two CIF titles and now wrestles in college; the delinquent who pulled straight Fs his freshman year but graduated on time--after winning two league titles--and now coaches at a Catholic high school.
As of the 2008-2009 season, the Saints have compiled an overall meet record of 312 wins and 57 losses. They have 23 individual CIF champions, 48 state qualifiers and 15 state place winners and 2 national champions.
Glabb is proud of all that, but he considers these as some of the Saints real victories: the car thief who ended up with two league titles, a college education and a spot in the U.S. Air Force; the tagger who went on to win two CIF titles and now wrestles in college; the delinquent who pulled straight Fs his freshman year but graduated on time--after winning two league titles--and now coaches at a Catholic high school.