On the surface, 17-year-old Janessa Santiago seems like the typical Methuen senior student-athlete. She balances academics with sports, gets along with her teammates and has a part-time job. However, Santiago is no ordinary student-athlete.
She is one of just two female members of the Methuen High School Wrestling Team coached by John Sughrue and, moreover, she made history. Wrestling in the 145-pound weight class, she won the Division State Title and the Massachusetts All-State Title. She topped that off by becoming the first girl in Methuen High history to win the New England Title.
All this started with a mere gag.
“I started wrestling because my younger sister joined a wrestling club,” explains Santiago, a Massachusetts native who has also lived in New York. “I then joked around about saying I was going to join. I eventually just kept up with it.
“I wasn’t taking it too seriously because at the time, there really weren’t any girls wrestling. It wasn’t until three years ago that I started focusing on it, and knew it was what I loved. My stepfather Nelson Santiago was also a wrestler, so when he saw my interest and my dedication, he did everything he could to give me any opportunity.”
This opportunity led to some challenges. Santiago explains, “I was usually the only girl on the team, so it was hard when I first started. Some kids accepted me and some didn’t. I would practice with the boys, but also practice at schools that had girls’ teams. I do like the environment of wrestling with a male team. You just see a lot more seriousness in the sport compared to a girls’ team.
“In this, my only season at Methuen High School, I was able to have my first girl teammate on a school team, Asher Polanco, the best partner I could ask for. We connected well. When we had a tough day, we would drive each other. My team this year was one of the most welcoming and supportive school teams for me.”
MHS wrestling coach John Sughrue heard about the legend of Janessa Santiago, then met the real thing. He relates, “Rumor quickly spread among the wrestling team that we had a New York transfer who had some wrestling background.
“Janessa told me about her background with the sport, so I went into the sales pitch of why she should finish her senior year wrestling for Methuen High School. At first, she was unsure that she wanted to wrestle, but then made it to a few open-mat workouts, met a few of the other teammates and fortunately made the right decision.”
Like any young athlete, Santiago had to find her groove in wrestling. She did this with determination and perseverance: “My stepdad always said that I had the heart for the sport, and that’s what kept me going. I did have my ups and downs, but I knew I had something. I’m not the best wrestler, and my every move isn’t clean, but my talent and heart has been there. I just needed to find my full potential.”
That potential was certainly found on Ranger Road. Says Sughrue, “Girls have always had to compete with the guys in the past. Three years ago, Massachusetts began to introduce post-season girls-only tournaments. As a competitor, Janessa is fearless. She’s extremely talented, the most talented I’ve had the opportunity to coach, but she has an edge that really sets her apart from the competition.
“She hates losing, and when someone gets aggressive with her, it seems to only fire her up more. She never backed away from a challenge. It was great to be in her corner because I was always confident we were walking away with a win when she stepped on the mat.”
Moving from Massachusetts to New York and back to Massachusetts, attending different schools, and competing in various wrestling programs can be difficult, but Santiago has found consistency and inspiration from family. She relates, “My family has always been big supporters of me. My stepdad made sure I went to multiple practices and tournaments to pick up different styles so I could get better.
“My mom, Christian Santiago, would cheer me on at my meets, and my father, Kevin Santiago, is a big WWE fan. He even tries to convince me to try to join WWE! In addition, my stepmom, Tanya Morales, helped the team moms when she could and went to every meet and tournament that she could make. I love all my family for all the support they have given me.”
Sughrue, a master motivator and mat maestro, has also been part of Santiago’s support system. His impact on her success is unquestionable.
“There is never a dull moment with Coach Sughrue,” says Santiago. “He and Coach Paul (Sughrue) kept me on my feet and pushed me to do better, always reminding me that I could have a future in this sport.
“To every other school coach I had, I was just a girl on the team. They didn’t care about me, but Coach John Sughrue showed that he cared. He got me my own singlet at the beginning of the season. It took a few years for my last school to get me one. This may not seem like a big deal to others, but for me, it was.
“I also want to thank Mr. Ryan Middlemiss for being the best supportive gym teacher and for pushing me in personal fitness before the season. I enjoyed every moment with my coaches, from the times when we would joke to when we had to lock in and be serious.”
So, did Sughrue coach Santiago differently than the boys? He responds emphatically, “No, and I’m sure she’ll agree with that as well. The coaching staff holds high expectations from everyone on the team, whether boy or girl, new or experienced, so there was no difference in the expectations I had for her compared to anyone else.
“Janessa always showed up to practice ready to work, was never afraid of an opponent and never gave up on herself when she was losing a match. She is tougher than any girl I’ve been around in this sport. She also had a set of moves where she could potentially pin her opponent at any time.”
All of Santiago’s varsity wins were vs. girls, but she did compete in some junior varsity matches against boys. In girls-only competition this season, she was champion of the Framingham Holidays and George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournaments as well as the aforementioned States, All-States, and New Englands.
She talks about her journey to becoming a champion: “I learned a lot competing in New York. Girls’ wrestling is more evolved there. They have their own teams for girls, and they even started freestyle with them. In Massachusetts and New England, there were some girls that gave me a fight, but nothing I would say was too difficult, but my road to victory this year was a hard one.
“In my D1 States championship round, I wrestled Springfield Central’s Mayanah Cabrera and took the victory with a pin. In All-States, I wrestled Mansfield High’s Tessa Johnson. It was a difficult match. I was down and had to get back up, but finished it with a pin. In New Englands, I secured the title with a pin against Tessa Master from Watertown High School.”
Sughrue talks about how Santiago meshed with a boy-dominated roster and how this will help her in the future: “Our boys have had girls on the team in the past, so this was no different. We also have a great group of kids on this team. They understand the amount of work that goes into this sport, so they automatically respect anyone that comes out.
“When Janessa proved how talented and tough she was, she was able to fit right in. From what I saw out of Janessa this year, that girl is going to be successful in whatever she decides to do moving forward. I wish she was a freshman, so we could win a few more titles together.”
Santiago is in all honors classes at MHS and is still weighing her options for after graduation. She states, “I do want to go to college and have been thinking a lot about possibly pursuing wrestling in college. I have a few schools interested in me. I’m just still figuring out if wrestling is the path I want to continue.”
Whatever her next path will be, one thing is for sure. Janessa Santiago will pursue it with passion, toughness, and a will to never quit. She states, “Before this season, I had only taken first place twice in my wrestling career. I started thinking that I was not good enough. Then, I just got tired of that feeling. This was my senior year. There was no going back. I had to lock in, and I knew what time it was.
“I will always remember the support and acceptance of my team – the moments when we would cheer each other on to win. In wrestling, it’s you against the other person on the mat, no one else, just you and your opponent, but when you come back to that corner after your match, you have that supportive team. As humans, I believe we all need that support and encouragement no matter where you are in life.”
John Molori is an author, columnist, and a 2011 inductee into the Methuen Athletic Hall of Fame. Facebook: John Molori, Twitter @MoloriMedia. Email molorimedia@gmail.com
Santiago gets her hand raised during her first-place finish at the New England Championships. Courtesy photo
