LOOMIS — Jesse Stafford never takes for granted the support of his family or the desire of his opponents.

Some weekends, the whole gang will fly in from different parts of the country to watch the Del Oro High senior dominate another wrestling match.

“I’m fortunate because my parents and siblings have always supported me in whatever I do,” he said.

Years before entering high school, Stafford was already a standout in the Golden Eagles wrestling program, thanks in large part to older brothers Aaron and Joseph. He followed them to the mats and never looked back.

“We always knew he had incredible potential,” coach Clint Madden said. “He’s the type of wrestler who wrestles every match. He doesn’t look ahead. He’s just focused on the match ahead of him.”

That mindset has Stafford poised to achieve something his brothers never did, a feat accomplished only twice in Del Oro history.

Stafford is a favorite to win the 152-pound title at the CIF State Wrestling Championships today and Saturday in Bakersfield.

“It takes focus and determination to ever place at the state meet,” Madden said. “There are 40 wrestlers, and every wrestler is capable of placing. You have to beat one tough wrestler after another. Any lapse of focus, you’ll lose a match and you’re out.”

Stafford has already signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He’s 44-3 after cruising through his weight class at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament in Stockton last weekend.

“I feel like I’m peaking at the right time,” he said. “I think I’m ready to do good. I’ve had a couple losses but I feel like I’ve learned from them, and I’ve just gotten better, tougher and stronger as the season went on. It’s my goal to get first and I know that if I wrestle my best that I can beat all the kids in the state. I wrestle my best when I’m having fun so my goal is to go out there and have fun.”

Stafford is Del Oro’s only returning state qualifier from a year ago, when he took fourth at 140 pounds. But he’ll wrestle in Bakersfield alongside junior teammates Kevin Burrage (140) and Foster Fretland (145) and sophomore Austin Branum (130).

“You’ll see teams where only one or maybe two guys are going to states,” said Fretland, who began the year wrestling at 160 pounds before breaking the lineup in the lighter weight class. “They don’t have the support system that we do. It helps a lot. We’ve got four guys and you’ve always got someone there to keep you going.”

Stafford’s younger teammates have turned to him for that inspiration all winter. He’s taught his understudies valuable lessons in focus and determination.

“You just have to keep your mind in it,” Branum said. “You can’t let yourself think that you’re tired and you want to stop. You can’t just give up. You have to fight through the mental part. He’s one of those guys who just improves all the time. He has a lot in his bag. He’s a well-rounded wrestler.”

Added Fretland: “He gives you someone that you want to be, because he’s the good student, the good person, the great wrestler. He pushes kids to be better than what they are.”

Stafford hopes he’ll be a state champion when he joins the Air Force later this year. He’ll wrestle one year there with Joseph, who recently wrapped up his junior season.

“It’ll be really nice because we always used to wrestle a lot,” Jesse said. “When my brother was home, we used to wrestle a lot. When he comes home, we always practice together. My brother’s probably one of my best friends, so it’ll be good to have a year with him.”

Stafford is as eager to pursue an education in engineering as he is to turn the college program into one of the nation’s top teams.

“It’s a really good wrestling opportunity for me, but it’s also one of the best academic schools as far as engineering, which is what I’m interested in,” Stafford said. “It’s also just the best place to become a leader.”

Stafford has dreams of someday becoming a pilot.

Just like Joseph.