The club was founded by Matt Ming, a member of the well-known Ming wrestling family from Elk Grove. It began as a small program offering local youth a new athletic outlet after the Greenhaven Soccer Club’s season. Matt has always emphasized that the best high school athletes benefit from cross-training in multiple sports during their early years rather than specializing in just one.

What started with a handful of wrestlers – mostly Ming’s sons and the children of his assistant coaches – has grown into a thriving and respected youth wrestling program.

The administrative staff at John F. Kennedy High School, especially Principal Reginald Brown, has been very supportive of wrestling and the junior program through the years.

Elks Lodge 6’s past president, Bruce Synhorst, who wrestled for Hiram Johnson High School in the late 1960s, pointed out that high school coaches truly value youth wrestling clubs like the Junior Cougars, run by Juliann Sarille, for producing well-trained and experienced wrestlers.

John Stellmach, an active member of Elks Lodge 6, and his wife, Kate, are dedicated parent volunteers for the Junior Cougars Wrestling Team, JFK’s sports teams and other local youth programs. John says the program has had a profoundly positive impact, helping his two teenagers grow into outstanding young men.

The original coaching staff alongside Matt Ming in 2014 included Julian Sarille, Javier Camacho and Steven Arnold, all of whom played pivotal roles in laying the foundation for the club’s long-term success.

One of the club’s most successful athletes, Noa Arnold, was a 2023 California State Championship qualifier. She earned a women’s wrestling scholarship and now competes for Simpson College in Iowa. Currently a sophomore, she is ranked second in her division’s preseason rankings.

Last season, the Junior Cougars’ roster reached 50 youth wrestlers: boys and girls from third through eighth grade. From that group, the club produced two Sacramento Regional Champions: Aiden Stellmach and Izabella Smith. Both athletes, along with several teammates, are now competing for John F. Kennedy High School under head coaches David Aleman and Mike Taniguchi.  This year Julian Sarille will be joining the Kennedy High coaching staff as an assistant wrestling coach.

Stellmach and Smith are more than just champions; they were both honor students at Sam Brannan Middle School over the past two years.

Stellmach was named Outstanding Offensive Player on Brannan’s football team in both seventh and eighth grades. In spring 2024, he set multiple school records in track and field. He placed tenth in the state and broke a 2018 school record in the seven-pound shot put. He also set a new high jump record, taking first place at the Sacramento City School District track meet.

Smith is a multi-sport standout. As an eighth grader, she was the Most Valuable Player and starting point guard on Brannan’s girls’ basketball team and a top performer for the Junior Cougars Wrestling Club. Her friend Stellmach is quick to point out that she is an undefeated wrestler, then smiles and adds, “She hasn’t wrestled me.”

Weighing only 105 pounds, Smith has successfully competed against opponents weighing as much as 135 pounds. Now a freshman at John F. Kennedy High School, she is currently playing flag football and looks forward to joining her 16-year-old sister, Deanna “Gia” Smith, on JFK’s wrestling team.

Last season, Gia Smith was one of only two wrestlers in the Sacramento Unified School District invited to compete in the 2025 CIF California State Wrestling Championship in Bakersfield, placing her among the top 35 wrestlers in her weight class in the state. 

She still has two seasons left to pursue the title of State Champion.

“It’s been amazing to see what this little program has become in just 10 years,” said Head Coach Juliann Sarille. “We’re not just building wrestlers; we’re building leaders.”

The club has helped wrestlers to continue their careers not only at John F. Kennedy High School but at other local schools such as C.K. McClatchy, West Campus and River City High School.

Coach Sarille welcomes everyone to join the Junior Cougars Wrestling Club.

“Our only goal,” he says, “is to pass on our love of the sport.”

According to Sarille, wrestling offers young athletes a unique combination of physical and mental development. The sport builds strength, coordination and balance, while also teaching discipline, focus, and resilience. As an individual sport with a strong team culture, wrestling promotes personal responsibility and goal-setting: skills that serve kids both on and off the mat.

“Wrestling is one of the most inclusive and confidence-building sports out there,” Sarille said. “There’s a place for every body type, gender and personality.”

Unlike other sports, a wrestler’s success isn’t determined by genetics but by their will and dedication.

Vic Cima, general manager of the GreenHaven Pocket Farmers Market (GHP), located at the Elk 6 parking lot at 6446 Riverside Blvd., agrees:

“The thing I like about wrestling is that the defeated has no team to blame, only himself.”

Sarille added: “Vic has been an avid supporter of our program. He’s told me, ‘Teaching young athletes resilience is a crucial skill all children should learn early; and wrestling teaches that.’”

Cima is also impressed with Sarille’s leadership: “Juliann Sarille’s program is building young, confident leaders of stature and character. The GHP is proud to support the Junior Cougars on their 10th anniversary.”

The Junior Cougars Wrestling Club is a nonprofit organization and welcomes charitable donations.

As the club celebrates its 10th year, it honors not only its champions but also the hundreds of young athletes who’ve gained lifelong skills through the program. 

With a new season on the horizon, coaches and families are excited to continue the tradition of wrestling excellence – and community spirit – for the next generation.

Rob Moore, exalted ruler of Sacramento Elks Lodge 6, noted that he has been very impressed with both the Junior Cougars Wrestling Club and the John F. Kennedy High School Wrestling Team. He was especially pleased that Cima, of the farmers market, has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Junior Cougars. 

“Together they have been a positive influence on our community,” Moore said.

Cima was proud to announce: “An Elk 6 member and his wife recently met Aiden Stellmach and Izabella Smith, and they were extremely impressed by these two scholar-athletes. Aiden and Izabella, both honor students, are looking forward to attending Stanford University’s wrestling training session this Sunday.

Coach Sarille said, “Stanford believes in the potential of every individual to become not only a skilled wrestler but also a principled and compassionate member of society. Together, Stanford and the individual wrestler strive for excellence in both sport and character.”

Cima also shared, “The Elk 6 couple donated $200 so that two JFK High School wrestlers can attend the Stanford training session on Sept. 28.”

He added, “This is all part of Elk 6’s ongoing commitment to improving the community.”

Elk Lodge 6’s Moore reflected on the recent Elk 6 luau and said: “ʻOhana is about community, responsibility, and caring for one another.”

The luau embodied those values.

Moore recalled that luau co-chair Yvonne York said: “I was really impressed with the JFK Wrestling Team and Coach David Aleman. Not only did they assist our diners, but they also served food and worked in the kitchen alongside their team mom, Eden Rosales, and many parents.”

The JFK High School Wrestling Team placed glass tip jars on each table to receive financial support for their program. Moore was duly impressed that: “The next morning, they continued their fundraising efforts with a car wash at the GreenHaven Pocket Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.” He wants to encourage parents to get their children involved in such a wonderful program.

Registration for new families opens Oct. 1. For more information, including registration details, upcoming events or how to make a charitable donation, visit jrcougarswrestling.com/home; email: [email protected].

Please make your donation payable to the JFK Wrestling Boosters Club. Their non-profit # is 501(c)(3) Tax ID #92-2173945, and donations can be mailed to: Eden Rosales, 893 Royal Green Ave., Sacramento, CA 95831.