Levi Bussey steps up to the mat alongside competitor Dominic Dotson for one last time in his high school career for the 2025 CIF State Championship. All of his hard work and persistence in his craft for countless years all comes down to this, as he takes his last deep breath in the air full of anticipation. All eyes are now on these two wrestlers that will determine the State Champion.
Bussey, a senior at Granite Bay High School, recently won the CIF 190lb State Championship in Wrestling held in Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield. Bussey’s accomplishment made school history as he became the first ever wrestling champion representing Granite Bay.
“[Winning the State Championship] is probably the biggest high school achievement. So I was like, you know, like, in the back of my mind, it was like, Oh, that’d be really cool if I could win that,” said Bussey.
Bussey, who has participated and won multiple other wrestling tournaments, saw the State Championship as a long-term goal of his and represented GBHS.
Bussey’s leadership and encouragement towards his teammates as a captain allowed his teammates to work towards their full potential to accomplish their goals, as the GBHS wrestling team’s practice sessions proceeded even after the season ended through the assistance of Robert Cooley, the head coach of the Varsity Boys Wrestling team at GBHS.
“He doesn’t make it seem like it’s anything different than what everybody else can do and what everybody else can accomplish. He makes it very clear that, you know, hey, you just work hard and you put your time in, and show up every day and pay attention, you can [succeed] because that’s what he’s done. (…) He’s just one of those people that if you want to bring somebody in to kind of be your guiding light,” Cooley said.
Carson Wilcox, a senior and a teammate of Bussey’s, finished second place at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament to earn his spot to participate in the 175lb CIF State Championship along with Bussey.
“During my junior year he (Levi) persuaded me to quit rugby and football and start wrestling full time,” Wilcox said. “When I started wrestling year-round and over the summer, I really got better and especially with him (as a training partner).”
Despite Bussey being a top-tier athlete in wrestling, he does not define his success as winning titles, but the improvement one sees throughout their career.
“I think it’s much more simpler than that (winning titles). I think it comes down to improvement, like, “How much better are you getting?” I think it’s obviously really cool to win and all, but at the end of the day, it’s like the little things that add up,” said Bussey.
The daily refining of Bussey’s craft that has led to multiple historical titles and achievements has simply yet majorly been motivated through his passion for the sport.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to if you love it or not. I just love working out, training, wrestling, getting better, and I think there was a lot of sacrifice and getting bigger and stronger (…). But I think when you love it, it doesn’t really feel like much of a sacrifice, and it’s kind of easy to get better and improve,” said Bussey.
Bussey committed to Cal Poly where he will continue his wrestling career.
“Nowadays, everybody wants to make it (sports) super serious. Competing is very serious, obviously, but it’s okay to have fun and, you know, approach it from a different angle, and just enjoy what you’re doing. Not get super caught up in “Oh, I have to win,” but, (have the perspective of) “I’m gonna have fun getting better,” said Bussey.
