Steve Festa takes a great deal of pride in what he’s witnessed since co-founding the Ceres Pups Wrestling Club in 2015.

“It’s amazing to see how much our club grows year after year,” said Festa, who also serves as president of the organization. “We’ve built a family. I can’t give enough thanks to the people around me that make this club what it is.”

“It’s been nothing but extremely satisfying to create the same opportunities I had at that age,” he added. “I had great coaches and mentors that helped me become who I am today. Coach (Jonathan) Snyder was my first wrestling coach at Mae Hensley Jr. High.”

More than 70 boys and girls, aged 5-14, signed up for the club’s 2024-25 Folkstyle season, which got underway earlier this month.

“People are attracted to success and good energy,” Festa said. “I’m not surprised at our success. I know how hard we’ve been working. We’re 100 percent committed.”

The Pups’ roster features 48 wrestlers and 23 cheerleaders.

Cost of registration was $100 per participant.

Membership dues are $50 per month for both wrestling and cheerleading. 

“We’re preparing them for the next level,” Festa said. “While they’re with us, they learn, get better and have fun. We also provide college scholarships. I think that’s amazing.”

“The confidence we’re instilling in these athletes carries over into their lives,” he added.

Ceres has five main wrestling coaches in Tony Ormonde, Mark Kangas, Jake Whittenburg, Adam Zuniga and Victoria Ciprian.

“All the coaches are volunteering their time,” Festa said. “We’re all volunteers. Ceres Pups is a non-profit.”

Ormonde (head coach) and Kangas (assistant head coach) work with the Pups’ advanced wrestlers.

Whittenburg (head coach) and Zuniga (assistant head coach) work with Ceres’ beginner grapplers.

Ciprian (assistant head coach) works with the Pups’ female wrestlers.

“It’s great to have a female presence in the room,” Festa said.

The Pups also have a cheer program. Ceres’ primary coaches are Melissa Ruger (competitive), Angelina Sather (intermediate) and Brittany Caraveo (littles).

Wrestlers practice Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Pups House, a 1,500-square-foot training facility located at 3037 5th Street in downtown Ceres.

Cheerleaders practice on Wednesdays and Fridays from 6-7:30 p.m. at CVHS.

“It’s really rewarding when you see the kids build confidence,” Festa said. “When you love the sport, you’re willing to work hard. You got to love practicing.”

Ceres enjoyed a productive start to the 2024-25 season.

The Pups hosted a USA Wrestling SJWA tournament on Nov. 17 at Ceres High School.

Ceres placed second with a team score of 270.5 in the overall standings.

The Pups age group titles in the 14-and-under and 10-and-under divisions.

Ceres had seven individual champions.

Adrian Dominguez (14-and-under, 77-82 pounds) took first.

Leyla Contreras (8-and-under, 75-81 pounds) took first.

Kennedy Whittenburg (10-and-under, 74-80 pounds) took first.

Rawling Caraveo (10-and-under, 59-63 pounds) took first.

Connor Hidahl (6-and-under, 56-61 pounds) took first.

Mathias Kangas (10-and-under, 55-60 pounds) took first.

Messiah Guzman-Dominguez (8-and-under, 44-47 pounds) took first.

Rambo Jacuinde (12-and-under, 119-124 pounds) took second.

Dahlia Contreras (12-and-under, 103-108 pounds) took second.

Zoey Swartz (10-and-under, 101-108 pounds) took second.

Braydon Perales (14-and-under, 101-106 pounds) took second.

Hunter Ferreira (10-and-under, 98-115 pounds) took second.

Able Zuniga (14-and-under, 93-108 pounds) took second.

Aaliyah Kemplin (12-and-under, 90-97 pounds) took second.

Landon Ormonde (14-and-under, 90-96 pounds) took second.

Jovan Sandhar (8-and-under, 56-59 pounds) took second.

Easton Caraveo (10-and-under, 55-60 pounds) took second.

Lauro Zuniga (8-and-under, 54-56 pounds) took second.

Lincoln Whittenburg (8-and-under, 48-51 pounds) took second.

Steven Festa Jr. (6-and-under, 47-51 pounds) took second.

Bodhi Johnson (6-and-under, 45 pounds) took second

Anthony Woodard (6-and-under, 40-43 pounds) took second.

Jayden Baez (12-and-under, 83-88 pounds) took third.

Daisey Leon (10-and-under, 80-87 pounds) took third.

David Ortiz (12-and-under, 74-75 pounds) took third.

Joseph Hotel lii (10-and-under, 66-71 pounds) took third.

Andrew Santillan (10-and-under, 56-59 pounds) took third.

Aubrey Jorgensen (8-and-under, 56 pounds) took third.

Major Johnson-Lopez (12-and-under, 54-59 pounds) took third.

Tate Jimenez (10-and-under, 52-53 pounds) took third.

Mateo Ramero (10-and-under, 49-58 pounds) took third.

Marshall Massey (8-and-under, 44-48 pounds) took third.

Levi Miller (8-and-under, 44-47 pounds) took third.

Levi Whittenburg (6-and-under, 34-37 pounds) took third.

Julian Baez (14-and-under, 111-114 pounds) took fourth.

Ricardo Ochoa Jr. (10-and-under, 102-111 pounds) took fourth.

Corbin Diaz (8-and-under, 81-86) took fourth.

Israel Navarro (8-and-under, 55-68 pounds) took fourth.

Salvador Ochoa (8-and-under, 44-48 pounds) took fourth.

Grant Whittenburg (6-and-under, 34-37 pounds) took fourth.

Benjamin Dickinson (10-and-under, 55-60 pounds) took fifth.

“It was a huge success,” Festa said. 

Festa’s five-year-old son Steven Jr. made his grappling debut at the SJWA tourney.

“He wrestled in his first tournament,” Steven Sr. said. “He got his first win.”

Festa founded the Ceres Pups Club 10 years ago.

“I didn’t create it alone,” he said. “We wanted to give opportunities to Ceres wrestlers. It turned into more than I anticipated. It gives me goosebumps thinking about what we’re doing.”

“We’re going to keep working hard,” Festa added. “We’re going to keep getting better. We’re going to keep having fun. That’s our mentality. The success is only going to continue.”