Blanco’s path to success at W&J had many turns
Sonnieboy Blanco, top, is likely to become Washington & Jefferson College’s winningest wrestler. He is 23-0 this season and ranked third at 174 pounds in NCAA Division III.
Sonnieboy Blanco
Washington & Jefferson College wrestling coach Tommy Prairie probably never envisioned the winningest wrestler in the program’s history would have such an unusual name and roots in the west coast of Africa.
Sonnieboy Blanco is closing in on W&J’s career victory mark and had it not been for his family’s emigration to the United States and his determination to excel in the sport, this success story would not have happened.
“For me, I never thought I would be a 100-win wrestler or an All-American because I never did it in high school,” Blanco said. “I was a late-bloomer.”
In a dual meet against Thiel in Greenville Jan. 16, Blanco won his 100th career bout, capping a week with six victories. His victory total is 105, just 12 behind Kevin DeJulius (1993-2003). He is one of five Century Club members for the Presidents.
Blanco, a senior, entered this week with a 23-0 record at 174 pounds. He is ranked third in his weight class in the latest NCAA Division III rankings. Last season, he was 30-4 and qualified for the national championships (finishing fifth at 174). His career record is 105-25.
Blanco was born in Liberia and spent the first six years of his life in the sometimes rough-and-tumble country that is situated between Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast. His father died when he was a child and his family came to America when civil war broke out. The family settled in Burlington, N.J., a working-class city near Philadelphia.
That’s how Prairie found him.
“Sonnie is from a town next to where I grew up,” said Prairie, who went to Delran (N.J.) High School. “I had seen him a couple times and watched him when he was younger. We connected through the usual high school contacts.”
At first, Blanco settled on Ursinus College in Collegeville, about an hour’s drive from Burlington, but Prairie was able to sell him on W&J.
“A lot of schools just wanted him to come in and focus on wrestling,” Prairie said. “That’s not what we do. The big things that drew me to him were his work ethic and his drive to win. He didn’t have the wrestling tools, but he had the work ethic and that’s the hardest thing to teach. He had a lot of potential.”
Blanco got interested in the sport by watching professional wrestling. He was a big fan of WWE and thought that was how the sport operated.
“At first, I didn’t like it because I lost my first two matches, so I tried basketball,” Blanco said. “I found that was not for me so I went back to wrestling. I didn’t take it seriously until my sophomore year in high school.”
He was a two-time district champion, a regional champion and state qualifier. He honed his skills at a recreation program near his home in the offseason.
“My neighborhood was tough and everyone wanted to be tough,” he said. “When you grow up in a neighborhood like that, it’s what you’re used to. … No one in my family ever wrestled and they don’t understand it. They don’t know the rules. No one in family has seen me wrestle because they are six hours away.”
Last summer, he became more committed. He wrestled for a club team and rode buses and trains to wherever he could find matches.
“I never second-guessed myself,” he said. “My mom didn’t force me. I did it on my own. I loved the training part of it.”
That’s Blanco’s M.O. When he finds something he likes, he jumps in. When he became interested in music, Blanco got an hour show on the campus radio station. He received supportive notes from a number of inmates at the Washington County jail.
He said he doesn’t know why he was named Sonnieboy. He said the unusual name has its upside.
“I’ve had a lot people come up to me and tell me I love that name,” he chuckled. “It’s easy to make friends that way.”
Blanco hopes to see it at the top of the victory list at the school by season’s end.
Career win leaders
(Through Monday)
Kevin DeJulius (1999-2003) – 117
Matt Smith (2001-05) – 113
Wes Koteski (1998-2002) – 108
Sonnie Blanco (2014-Present) – 105
Jacob Spearman (2012-16) – 103