Butler wrestler Santino Sloboda wins 100th match with pin but has sites set on bigger goals
A milestone that is for others incredible is blasé for Santino Sloboda.
The Butler wrestler, a junior, surpassed 100 career victories Saturday at the Clearfield Duals, a plateau he’d long expected to reach. His coach was confident it would happen, too.
“I wasn’t really too worried about it,” Sloboda said. “I knew it was going to be cool because I had a cool banner and stuff. To be honest, I’m not really worried about 100.”
He views it as a mile marker on the way to something much more notable.
“I’m worried about 160,” Sloboda said. “That’s kind of been in my mind for a while.”
Sloboda’s sights have been set on Cole Baxter’s program record for wins since he first learned of it in “second or third grade.”
“Ever since then, it’s been that number engraved in my head,” Sloboda said. “Ever since then, that’s been my main goal.”
“That’s what you would expect,” Stoner said. “At his talent level, and what we’ve seen him do (from) elementary on up through junior high, and being a two-time state place-winner, you want him to aspire to be the best and leave his mark.”
Sloboda, who has already verbally committed to wrestle at Pitt, is the second Golden Tornado wrestler to reach 100 wins this season after Kase Chopp did so in December.
Sloboda’s chances to attain the highest program wins total hinge upon having enough matches to do so. Stoner thinks Sloboda’s career winning percentage could be another figure to keep an eye on.
“Whether he beats it, beats it by one, ties it, is one behind, that’s also a major statement ... when you get up to that level,” Stoner said.
Sloboda’s 100th triumph was as routine as many others, beating Indiana’s Sean Parks by pin fall in 1:06.
“As much as I’d like to give you a great story about how he went out and set the pace of what happened ... he pretty much dominated,” Stoner said. “Took him down a few times. Just like he would’ve any other match.”
Stoner said the team “knew he was going to win five matches.”
Cranberry and Altoona both had wrestlers that could’ve provided true tests, but Sloboda didn’t run into either. He did beat Central Clarion’s Aaron Grayson by technical fall (17-1) in 1:43 and General McLane’s Mason McDonald by the same (15-0 at 2:59). Sloboda was also awarded book-ending forfeit triumphs at the event, against Brockway and Altoona.
Sloboda does recognize his achievement, even if it’s not the one most important to him.
“When people get 100 wins, they always make the shirts and they’ll have everybody with the 100 wins on the back,” Sloboda said. “Everybody has those shirts, so having the name on the back of the shirt is a big accomplishment and everybody knows you’re one of the best to come through Butler.”
Stoner believes there’s something his talented pupil would be even more proud of.
“One-hundred sixty wins, whatever, highest percentage — all that stuff’s great, and it’s great to look back in record books — but, man, when you have that state first-place medal strapped around your neck, that’s the pinnacle,” Stoner said.
