Key West High School, Junior
Wrestling
Key West’s Ralph Riche didn’t take much time to transition from dominating on the gridiron to dominating on the mats. The multisport athlete has honed his skills and is becoming a fearsome rival across South Florida.
“He has developed his offense since last season and is scoring early in his matches,” explained Conchs head coach Chaz Jimenez. The early scoring is often a moot point, however. Riche’s matches often end in pins, including three in the Key West Invitational, where he placed fourth among a pool of the top wrestlers in Florida. Riche won second place in the H-Town Throwdown tournament on Dec. 3 and went 5-0 in his matches last week.
“He’s dominating at a heavier weight class and can’t wait to see what he will do when he’s at 220.”
– CHAZ JIMENEZ, CONCHS WRESTLING COACH.
The statistics he has accomplished already are impressive by themselves, but in a few weeks, the command he holds over his opponents will likely increase. Riche is currently wrestling up a weight class and will move back down to the 220-pound category when teammate Andre Otto cuts to 285 pounds. Wrestling opponents more than 60 pounds heavier is a feat in itself, but having a high rate of success in that situation makes Ralph Riche this week’s Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.
