CRISSY PASCUAL / Union-Tribune Valley Center's Jason Klingerman has been able to focus on wrestling since making a decision on his football scholarship. He'll attend Colorado State.

VALLEY CENTER – Jason Klingerman was blessed with a problem. The Valley Center High senior wanted to devote more time to wrestling, but those pesky recruiting trips for football kept getting in the way.

“I guess it was a good problem to have,” Klingerman said.

Despite missing half the wrestling season while being wooed by Colorado State, San Diego State and Utah State, Klingerman, who stands 6 feet 2 inches and weighs 265 pounds, is still considered one of the top heavyweights in what is shaping up to be a deep weight class in the San Diego Section.

Klingerman accepted a football scholarship offer to Colorado State but started looking elsewhere after a shake-up with the Rams coaching staff. Last week, he decided to stick with CSU.

With the decision finally behind him, Klingerman has turned his attention to the mat.

Ranked first in Division IV, the three-sport athlete has his sights trained on the section masters meet later this month and one of the four qualifying spots for the state tournament in Bakersfield.

“He's just an incredible athlete,” said Jaguars wrestling coach Clay Clifford, who has coached for 29 years between Escondido and Valley Center. “He's big. He's fast. He moves well. You can just see the way he moves what a talented athlete he is.”

In the fall, that athleticism was on display as Klingerman played the role of “Mr. Everything” for the Jaguars, who won the Division IV football title. He blocked, tackled and even carried the ball for a couple of touchdowns in short-yardage situations. He credits wrestling for his skills on the gridiron.

“Football and wrestling are obviously different sports, but you cannot wrestle if you are not tough,” said Klingerman, 17. “You can play football and be on the sideline and get away with being a little soft. But if you aren't tough, you aren't going to be able to wrestle.”

That's why he got into it two years ago. Clifford needed a heavyweight. Klingerman needed a sport to squeeze between football in the fall and the track and field events of discus and shot put in the spring. His first experience on the mat, late in his sophomore season, was forgettable.

“It was ridiculous,” recalled Klingerman. “I weighed 235 and the other guy was about 275. I learned my lesson real quick.”

In a relatively short time he's become a contender to reach the state tournament.

“Now that the football stuff is behind him, he is really focused and wrestling well,” Clifford said. “For a while he was torn. He wanted to commit to the (wrestling) team, but these recruiting trips are relentless on a kid. You don't want to rush that kind of decision. But now he's really starting to get back into wrestling shape, and I think he can make a run at it.”

It won't be easy. There are three returning state qualifiers in the section's field of heavyweights, including returning masters champ Trent Smith of Rancho Buena Vista, state-placer Kasey Cowan of Vista and Poway's Sam Cervantes. All three are expected to return to Bakersfield, which leaves several talented big men scrapping for the final spot.

“I'm going to have to work and train hard these next couple of weeks,” Klingerman said. “But do I think I'm one of the top four? Absolutely.”

Klingerman said his winning attitude comes from Valley Center's success on the football field and the wrestling mat, where the Jaguars have won the past two Division IV titles. He said momentum carries from one sport to the next.

“If you feel like you have a winning tradition, you'll win not only in sports, but life, a job and in the classroom,” he said. “We have guys that were on the football team that are starting wrestlers on the team. We're definitely carrying this (momentum) and I hope to carry it on in spring and into college.”

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