10:00pm |  When you think of Lakewood High School wrestling, 135-pound junior Kimo Napohaku would come to mind.  Napohaku is the face of this dominant program and has won 80-plus matches over a nearly two-year span and has earned every inch of publicity he's received.

But there's someone else you should know.

Cody Gurule, a 125-pound junior is one of the best wrestlers in the Moore League that gets little to no press coverage despite a very solid resume.  He’s 28-7 and is coming off a Corona Centennial Tournament championship and is peaking just in time for the Moore League Individuals this Saturday at Wilson.  Gurule and Napohaku are the best two wrestlers on a Lancers team that could see as many as five individual league champions.

The Lakewood native played baseball and basketball as a kid, but there is just something about wrestling that won him over.

"I like being the underdog and beating people who think I have no chance against them," Gurule said. "I started wrestling when I was six years old and gave it up for a little while, but I definitely have a passion for this sport."

Gurule is what Napohaku calls a "silent leader."

"Cody is someone who doesn't say much and won't yell or scream, but he does everything you'd want a leader to do and I'm proud to have him as a teammate," Napohaku said.  "Cody is one of those rare guys that you know no one will ever out-work. He is someone I trust completely and respect both as a teammate and a friend."

Gurule's parents, Joe and Kim, have played a huge role in Cody's life both on and off the mat.

"My parents are incredibly supportive and have always been there for me and I owe a lot of who I am as an athlete and a person to them. I couldn't ask for better parents and want to continue to try and make them proud."

Lakewood coach Andy Miramontes has won eight of the last 11 Moore League titles and says that Gurule is very solid, but that he could be even better.

"Cody is a great kid from a great family and he is a very solid wrestler," Miramontes said. "But if he could dig deep and find that mean streak that a wrestler needs to finish people off, this kid could be dominant. I expect big things from him, both for the remainder of this season, but especially his senior year."

Gurule and Napohaku both cringe when thinking about the failure of this squad in extending Lakewood's Moore League title reign.  The Lancers had won the previous four years, before dropping January 7th's ML dual at Millikan, but Gurule and Napohaku did their part.  Gurule picked up Lakewood's first win of the night and Napohaku beat 135-pound Rams stud, Jake Wallace, in overtime.

"As someone who has lived his entire life in Lakewood, I was definitely sorry we couldn't keep that streak alive, but it was just Millikan's year. Having said that, Kimo, my teammates and I will do everything we can next year to start a new streak."

But with the loss of seniors and CIF placers Steven Araujo (130), Nick Martinez (152), Chase Mirassou (171), John Barrera (189), Oscar Rivera (215) and heavyweight Oscar Rivera, Lakewood had to regroup as all programs do.

But regrouping for Lakewood doesn't mean what it might for other programs.  The Lancers dropped just one league dual and compete at the toughest tournaments around, so that they are primed for a postseason run as a team and individuals.

Gurule learned from the graduating seniors of a year ago, but also see's Napohaku as the standard bearer.

"Kimo is someone who inspires us all, because he has so much heart and is so aggressive," Gurule said. "He works so hard and is someone I can proudly call a friend."

Gurule did not drop a Moore League match individually and is a favorite to win not only an individual title on Saturday, but also expects to place at the CIF Central Section Individuals on Feb 19-20 at Godinez High School in Santa Ana.

"Being part of the Lakewood program means to have high expectations and that makes all of us work so hard to get to that level that is expected at this school," Gurule said. "The expectations have definitely been a huge motivation in making my teammates and I strive to be the best."

Gurule and his teammates may have fallen just short in the Moore League title race, but their season will be judged heavily by their postseason performance.  The other motivation for Gurule and his teammates is how the Lancers are looked at like the Yankees in baseball.

"It's weird when we see kids from other school's coming to a dual they aren't wrestling just to root against us," he said. "But it really pumps us up and it makes us closer as a team."

Cody Gurule is someone who might not say much vocally, but his actions on the mat and in the practice room have spoken volumes.

Gurule has just barely tapped into what he's capable of on the mat, according to Miramontes, and the next 13 months should be an exciting time for the junior, his teammates and for his family.

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