Dylahn Perez, 16, started wrestling with the Stamford Junior Wrestling Club as a third-grader with encouragement from his older brother, who wrestled in high school.
“From there, I fell in love,” he said of the sport during an interview in the living room of his family’s Monroe, Conn., home. “Just seeing my progress and being able to get better every practice. The people there were so welcoming, and everybody’s always pushing each other — and I think it inspires me to get better myself.”
Now a Masuk High School sophomore, Perez has enjoyed some success wrestling for the Panthers. In his first season he compiled a winning record, while finishing fourth in the SWCs. This year, despite missing a month after spraining his knee in a match earlier in the season, he managed to come back and finish third in the SWCs.
“At Masuk, we’re all like one big family,” Perez said. “We take care of each other. After a loss, we comfort each other. After a big win, we celebrate together. During matches I get really excited,” he said of rooting for his teammates, while waiting for his turn on the mat.
Perez is already looking forward to next season.
“Last year, as a sophomore, I wasn’t a captain,” he said. “Next year, I want to be a leader on the team.”
In between seasons at Masuk, Perez continues to hone his skills. Last year he traveled to Pennsylvania and Rhode Island for club wrestling.
This July, he will compete in the U17 division for the Pan American Games in Brazil. But before that, it’s off to Guatemala City to compete in the Pat Shaw Wrestling International Cup as a member of the Guatemalan national team.
Perez’s family contacted the organization last year and, after they saw online videos of him wrestling, Perez was invited to compete in the Pat Shaw Wrestling International Cup. The wrestlers will participate in an international training camp leading up to the tournament, to be held from May 31 to June 1.
The annual tournament honors the memory of William “Pat” Shaw, a North American coach who introduced Olympic Wrestling in Guatemala in 1947 and prepared the national team for the VI Central American and Caribbean Games in the capital city of Guatemala in 1950.
Participating in this year’s tournament is special for Perez, whose nationality is Guatemalan. The young grappler still has relatives who live there and plan to attend the matches to cheer him on.
“I think it’s cool being able to wrestle there and have family,” Perez said.
The sophomore has already contacted some colleges and plans to continue wrestling after graduating from Masuk.
“I’m just looking to get better,” he said. “I think I’d like to keep competing at the international level, like the Olympics.”
A family affair
When Perez started wrestling as a third grader success on the mat wasn’t immediate.
“It was definitely a lot of losing, but I think it made me better,” he said. “I won a couple tournaments when I was young and placed at other ones.”
Perez still remembers his first win.
“Some kid from Southington, he was way faster than me,” he said. “I just caught his arm and threw him. My sister was there. She was very proud of me.”
His sister, Stephanie Rodas-Hoyos, adopted Perez and is raising him with her husband, Jhonson Hoyos.
On what it takes to succeed in wrestling, Perez said, “being able to practice every day, having that mentality to want to get better — to me it’s a mind game, trying to learn from your mistakes after a loss.”
He said technique, speed and strength are key skills to have. “Technique is most important, not letting nerves take over,” Perez said.
Aside from working hard to perfect his skills, Perez attributes a strong family bond for his success in the sport.
“At the end of every match, I run up to my parents and give them a big hug,” Perez said. “It’s important to have family support before and after matches.”
“I was a boxer my whole life and played soccer,” Jhonson Hoyos said. “Watching Dylahn got me hooked on wrestling. I like helping him get better. We always supported him and we were there cheering him on.”
Stephanie said Perez inspired all of his siblings at home, including his brother, Kenny Hoyos, 14, who will attend Masuk next year, and his sister, Catalina Hoyos, 10.
“Now all three of them are wrestling, even the little girl,” Stephanie said. “We’re a family of wrestlers.”
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