Shasta senior Preston Stevens was standing behind the mat he had just competed on.
It was a packed gym at Shasta High for the 2026 NSCIF Masters tournament on Saturday, Feb. 21, and Preston was still out of breath from his championship bout.
Fans were screaming their support as other matches continued on. Opponents hurried by, drenched in sweat, trying to squeeze past viewers in the limited space between the mats and the stands. The announcer chimed in to inform those in attendance about the next title match.
Yet, despite the chaos in the gym, Preston seemed to have found a moment of inner peace and silence. The emotions followed.
“My dad was basically the greatest wrestler to come out of Shasta High School, and just following in my father’s footsteps, I don’t know,” Preston said. “It’s just something special.”
Preston’s father, Darren Stevens, was a three-time section champion at Shasta during his high school years. He’s currently the head coach of the Wolves wrestling team and was sitting on the sidelines to watch his son compete in the NSCIF boys 140-pound championship match.
After Preston pinned Corning’s Cash Aulabaugh in two and a half minutes of action, Preston himself earned his third Northern Section wrestling title.
“I’ve always wanted to be a three-time section champ, especially because of my dad,” Preston said. “He was a three-time section champ in high school at Shasta. It’s a cool experience.”
With his win on Saturday, Preston became the first Shasta wrestler to win three section titles since 2008. Earlier this season, he also won his fourth consecutive Eastern Athletic League title — one for each year of high school.
“It reflects how much time I’ve put in on and off the mat, so many countless hours working hard,” Preston said. “It makes me so proud of myself because I’ve had so many struggles through the years with injuries and all the ups and downs.”
It wasn’t a calming experience for Darren, watching his son compete in a match where one misstep can ruin years of work, but he sat back and watched Preston go to work.
“With my son being my son, (I’m) always nervous all the time, every match, but I’m just so proud of him,” Darren said. “It means so much that he did that. It was a great goal that he set for himself, and hopefully it carries it into state, and he can go deep in that tournament.”
It wasn’t an easy journey for Preston, either. The senior battled injuries throughout his high school career, but he remained dedicated to maintaining a sound body and mind in his quest to become a three-time champion.
“It’s year-round. Not all I think about is wrestling, but it’s a big part of my life,” Preston said. “It’s hours and hours every day, like planning my day, practice, my weight, just everything, training, going to sleep early, sacrificing lots of relationships so I can be successful in my sport, and just doing the right things to be successful.”
Darren, who has coached at Shasta for nearly two decades, said it’s rare to see a competitor like Preston.
“I’ve been coaching for 17 years combined now, and he is right up there with all the hardest workers at Shasta,” Darren said. “He’s so disciplined with his diet, his sleep, his studies, and he has a tough class schedule and gets good grades. He’s an all-around great kid.”
When the time came for Preston to earn that third title, he didn’t waste any time getting to work. The senior racked up 10 points to Aulabaugh’s two before getting the pin after 2:32.
It didn’t necessarily go smoothly for Preston, but he showed pure dominance.
“I know how much I have improved over the past two years. In the section finals, it’s been close matches, and then I dominate now,” Preston said. “Through the full first period, I couldn’t see because of my headgear, so I guess something has to go wrong at some point.”
Preston is currently preparing himself for the CIF state wrestling championships in Bakersfield from Thursday to Saturday, Feb. 26-28.
His past injuries will prevent Preston from competing in college, so as a senior, this could be his last time wrestling competitively.
The sport has taught him a lot about himself — how to handle stress under pressure and how to keep fighting when things seem hopeless.
“I just got to stay optimistic and go out there ready to battle,” Preston said. “That’s my biggest thing, staying mentally focused and ready. Wrestling is 90% mental.”
Regardless of how he performs at the state tournament, Preston will end his high school career as one of the most decorated wrestlers in Shasta High history.
“That’s why I’m so emotional right now,” Preston said. “Next week, I’m going to have the last matches of my career and I’m just trying to make the best out of it and just enjoy the moment.”
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at [email protected]. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta High wrestler Preston Stevens wins third Northern Section title