Arizona youth standout uses ADHD to his advantage on a wrestling mat

Photo: Isaac Ortega wrestles for Desert Dogs Wrestling Club in Safford, Ariz.

Editor’s Note: This story appeared in WIN’s Volume 31 Issue 10, the Fargo/Final X Commemorative Edition. Click here or call 641-792-4436 to subscribe to WIN Magazine. Buy a Digital or Combo Subscription to get immediate digital access to the Fargo/Final X Commemorative Issue, or a Print Subscription to get WIN mailed to you (using Discount Code “Fargo”).

By Bill X. Barron

Life teaches us that not everyone or everything is what they may appear to be. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one such anomaly.

Those with ADHD are scuttled with accusations for inattention or not sitting still. In fact, paradoxically, ADHD is highly selective attention and focus to the exclusion of anything else. Far from a prescription for failure, some of the world’s most accomplished athletes, artists, musicians and scientists have had this diagnosis.

“When I was five or six,’ Isaac Ortega relates, ‘my mom worked with Herman Andrews, the wrestling coach at local Safford High. She mentioned I had ADHD, and he recommended I try wrestling with his club. At first, I would jump all over Herman for fun. Eventually, I realized wrestling is a place where I could really excel.”

Twelve-year-old Ortega of the Desert Dogs Wrestling Club (Arizona) has wisely chosen to view his ADHD as a gift instead of a curse. It has fostered in Isaac a dynamic personality, one that combines an affable and fun-loving disposition with an uncommon sense of determination.

“I will be forever grateful to Coach Andrews. He introduced me to this sport and didn’t let my parents give up on me, no matter how stressed out they were watching me be a tornado on the mat. I still train with him whenever I have a break from other practices.”

At Lafe Nelson Elementary School in Safford, Isaac desired tougher competition, so he began competing for the middle school team while he was in fifth grade.

In a league for seventh and eighth graders, he welcomed the challenge — and the potential reward — of competing against bigger and more advanced kids. This year, as a sixth grader still not in middle school, he placed second in the Arizona state championships, while compiling a 28-4 record.

An interesting fact is that most of those who have ADHD are haptic learners who learn best through touch. Contact sports like wrestling are natural for kids who have a tactile nature.

“I think having ADHD has actually helped my wrestling,” asserts Isaac. “It makes me more active and thus a better athlete. ADHD gives me greater energy, so I never tire.”

“For example,” adds his dad, “after winning a tri-state championship at the RMN Aztec Warrior Nationals in Farmington, N.M., he competed in two more weight-class finals in back-to-back-to-back matches (two gold, one silver).

“Afterward, I told him that he could not have that stamina and success without the additional adrenaline he gets from his ADHD.”

Likewise, club coach Gabriel Jaurigue remembers: “One of my favorite times coaching him was with his dad at Arizona USA Folkstyle State in the finals.

“He was recovering from an illness, and the match was a battle. He searched inside himself and found the strength to persevere past the pain and, finally, to succeed.”

“Sports like baseball move too slowly for me,” concedes Isaac. “Wrestling works for my ADHD since I am not sitting around. I like to jump on the first move, usually a double-leg takedown straight to the half nelson, my signature move.”

Not as strong or tall as most of his opponents, Isaac relies on speed, agility, and a bit of cunning, like a spider luring its prey. He likes to “make their best moves work against them.”

“For every tournament, I work my butt off to be ready for every match. If I don’t win, I will use it as an incentive for the next tournament.

“Last year, I did fairly well but didn’t earn any big awards. At this year’s RMN Nationals, I am up for the Triple Crown in the 12U division and the Ring of Fame in 11U.”

To earn the Ring of Fame, RMN’s highest honor, a wrestler needs to win six tournaments and at least 18 matches in the same weight and age division, concluding with an RMN National Championship title, all within a 12-month season.

In the 2024 RMN National Championships, competing in the 10U 61-pound semifinals, he faced Platon Cheltsov of the Savage House Club (California).        

Platon led 4-0 after a takedown and near-fall and went on to a convincing victory. Uncharacteristically, Isaac abandoned his winning aggressive style for a more conservative pace that allowed Cheltsov to secure a third-period near-side cradle.

“I felt like I had failed everyone, but UFC fighter Justin Gaethje was in my coaching corner. From his own experience, Justin told me something that will stick with me forever: ‘Even if we lose, we have to do whatever it takes to get back out there. Keep working. Never give up!’”

In the 2025 RMN Terminator National finals nine months later, these two met again in the 12U 66-pound semis. Only this time, Ortega had the upper hand. Isaac built a 4-1 lead in the first period. Unlike their June match, Ortega controlled the match, ultimately gaining a fall at the 3:12 mark.

“I knew from his record that he was super good,” recalls Isaac. “After that loss, I started using better technique. By watching him wrestle, I learned how to beat him by using his own moves against him.”

In the second match, Ortega not only had improved his technique but also wrestled like himself, taking the fight to his opponent while also disrupting what Cheltsov did best. Cheltsov had become too accustomed to being in charge of the momentum.

“Participating in RMN events is rewarding,” said Isaac. “The tough competition makes me work my tail off to get better. It’s challenging because I am up against kids from all over the country, not just Arizona. I further challenge myself by double- and triple-bracketing all different weight classes in two age divisions, including heavier ones.

“Winning is always enjoyable and rewarding because I know my hard work paid off. It’s not even about the medals anymore; it’s about winning and being on top or at the top. My future aspirations include attending a Division I college, earning a degree in engineering, and competing in the Olympics.”

Andrews helped instill in Isaac his love of sport. Now, with the Desert Dogs Club, Isaac trains under coaches Philip Ornelas and Manny Jurado, as well as receiving instruction from Gabriel Jaurigue, who is also the coach at Thatcher Middle School.

“I appreciate each one of my coaches. They all have a lot of faith and trust in me. They believe in me enough to take some risks, such as wrestling against different weights and age groups. Through it all, they have shown patience.”

Dad comments, “Although I never wrestled, I have been coaching Isaac for five years. From the moment he began wrestling at the age of six, he was excited to learn and felt at home on the mat. I quickly recognized that in order to teach, I had to master the technique myself.

“I have always told my kids that if you are really interested in something, then I will be there learning it alongside you. If you put in the effort, we will match it with a similar effort of our own. Inspired by Isaac, his younger siblings, Jenika and Niko, are now also wrestling.

“His mom, Erika, and I will do whatever it takes for our kids to pursue what they love to do, whether that is practice at home, traveling out of state for a national tournament, or attending wrestling camp.

“I respect how the sport develops character in young kids. Wrestlers put themselves through all sorts of conditioning. When Isaac joined wrestling, I told him he had to become ‘wrestler-fit’ physically. In that area, I call the shots.’

“Just as importantly,” Isaac emphasizes, “a wrestler needs to be mentally tough. You must have the mindset, the determination to never give up.”

Coach Jaurigue wrote Isaac a page-long letter. “When you wrestle now, you are no longer just competing. I see you believing in yourself, pushing through tough matches, and thinking like a champion. Wrestling is a sport that forces you to face difficult challenges.”

What distinguishes Isaac from his peers is his constantly enthusiastic nature despite the circumstances. Isaac relates that “whether win or lose, I talk with my opponents after a match. As my dad reminds me, it is always best to remain humble.

“On the mat, you can recognize me through my speed, my strength, and my size (small). I don’t like too much downtime between matches and enjoy challenging myself. In addition to competition awards, I have earned several sportsmanship coins given out by RMN officials.

“Off the mat, you will know me as the kid who is friends with everyone, especially all my opponents. Some of us have wrestled against each other for years. We exchange pointers with each other about opponents we have yet to face.

“You cannot succeed at everything you do, but wrestling has taught me to always pursue my best as a person, student and wrestler.”