Borja's sights on 3rd title

Seiji Borja has been a member of two Fort Dorchester wrestling teams that won Class AAAA state championships. He also has two individual state titles and begins his quest for a third when the Lower State individual qualifier begins today. But he wants to expand his geographical dominance.

He savored Tuesday's state championship victory over Rock Hill. The Patriots captured their second team title in four years with a 36-33 victory over Rock Hill. Borja provided all the momentum his team needed when he won the quickest match of the night. He needed only 62 seconds to record a pin in the 152-pound division. Still, he won't be satisfied until he earns All-America status.

"I plan to win. I plan to dominate," Borja replied when asked about winning his third straight individual state title at the finals next weekend in Rock Hill. "But I am looking to the national championships and I'm looking at being an All-American. That's the goal for me."

Borja reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Senior National High School Wrestling Championships held in Virginia Beach, Va., late last winter. He posted a 3-2 record, losing to the eventual national champ. He just missed out on earning All-America status.

Borja wrestled Tuesday and had only two days to ready himself for this week's action. He was on the state championship team as a freshman and wanted to conclude the team part of his career with the ultimate victory.

"We were going in with a sense of confidence," he said. "Last year, it was the other way around. Last year, we were the underdog. We lost to them in the regular season and they got us again in the state meet. But we won earlier this year, and we knew we could beat them again."

Rock Hill won the first bout of the night, but Fort Dorchester rolled to a 36-3 lead. That's when the Patriots forfeited some matches to conserve energy for this weekend's competition.

"The more pressure I have in Columbia, the better," Borja said. "With the pressure on my back, I performed like I should have with the pin."

Patriots head coach B.D. LaPrad has coached wrestling for 32 years, and he says Borja might be the most driven wrestler he knows.

"He's got blinders on," LaPrad said. "He just goes and goes and goes. He's a unique kid. He's an awesome student, but he's tough, hard-nosed and driven. It's just not in wrestling, either. He'll stay up all night to do his homework. A 'B' is not good enough. A 93 is not good enough. He wants 100."

And, he wants to be an All-American.