Something didn’t feel right to Sam Portillo when he stepped down as Amphitheater’s wrestling coach last month.
Portillo thought it was time to move on after 10 seasons with the Panthers, though — he admits now — he wasn’t 100 percent set on the decision. His 10-hour shifts with Pima County’s transportation department, followed by the late nights coaching and a health issue, began to wear on Portillo.
“These last six years, it wasn’t coaching to me,” Portillo told me Wednesday. “I spent more time off the mat, dealing with crazy stuff and it wasn’t fun for me anymore.”
The 48-year-old Portillo initially planned to take an assistant’s job at another program.
That job fell through, however, and Portillo has come to the realization that he made a mistake. Portillo wants to return to Amphi, if school officials will take him back.
“I thought I was tired of it there, but some of the kids need me,” Portillo said. “I’m not just a coach to some of these kids, I’m a dad to some of them.”
Portillo realized — too late, maybe — that he was more than just a wrestling coach. He received a letter from one of his three senior state champions shortly after he resigned March 11.
The letter thanked Portillo for following through on his promise to make the wrestler a state champion. It also credited Portillo for guiding him on the right path and keeping him out of trouble.
“I’m really proud of where I come from and that’s why I have a heart for these kids at Amphi,” Portillo said. “When you start to think the grass is greener on the other side, you get a letter like that and it just brings you back down to earth.”
Portillo grew up on Tucson’s south side, where he was raised by his grandparents; his father spent 37 years in prison. Because of it, Portillo — a former Sunnyside standout wrestler — was able to relate to many Amphi athletes dealing with similar circumstances.
“My calling is to, not so much make them champions, but to try to bring better days in their lives and be a good mentor to the kids,” he said.
Under Portillo, the Panthers became one of Southern Arizona’s top wrestling programs. Amphi has placed in the top three at Division III state championships in each of the last three seasons. During that span, nine Panthers won individual state championships.
The job wore on Portillo, a diabetic. Now that he’s had some time to decompress and manage his health, however, Portillo realizes that he wants back in. He hopes Amphi officials want him, too. The Panthers have yet to hire his replacement.
“I prayed on this and I was hoping that God just helped me make the right decision,” Portillo said. “He basically led me back to these Amphi kids.”
