Caesar Borela had no idea what lay ahead for him the first time he showed up to a wrestling practice at Heritage High in Brentwood. All he knew was that he was interested in the sport and wanted to pursue it.
The oozing self-confidence, the relentlessness, the leadership qualities that would help him become the 2019 Bay Valley Athletic League champion at 172 pounds had not been unleashed. They are the legacy the 19-year-old leaves behind after he died in a two-car crash on Vasco Road in Contra Costa County on Tuesday morning.
“Here he was as a freshman, and the kid was scared to death, quiet, no confidence in himself,” Heritage High wrestling coach Mark Barnes said. “He didn’t have the confidence yet to let out the talent that we all knew he had. But we worked with him, and he gained confidence in his wrestling and in himself. By his senior year, wow. He embodied what our program aspires to be.”
The California Highway Patrol said Borela died at the scene following the 3:45 a.m. crash on Vasco Road near Walnut Boulevard. Borela turned the Chevrolet HHR he was driving north into the southbound lanes and was T-boned by a Ford-150 pickup truck, the CHP said.
The crash also hospitalized a 49-year-old Brentwood man who driving the pickup truck. The CHP said he had moderate injuries.
According to Barnes, Borela was aspiring to wrestle in college and was working out with a junior college program. His high school career included not only the BVAL title but a crown at the prestigious Lou Bronson Invitational in Brentwood.
In doing so, he and three teammates who also won crowns earned the monikor “The Four Horseman” from teammates and coaches.
“The kid was just such a hard worker, and he was really starting to know who he was,” Heritage Athletic Director Nate Smith said. “It’s really sad.”