Dos Pueblos wrestling celebrated Alumni Night with a 57-20 Channel League dual meet win over Rio Mesa on Wednesday inside Sovine Gym.
“The stands were packed, and the atmosphere was thick with excitement and nostalgia,” Dos Pueblos head coach Matt Bernard said of Alumni Night.
“The team wrestled well tonight. It was great seeing them try things out on the mat they’ve been working in the room, building their confidence and pushing their comfort zone.”
The Charger boys were led by wins by fall from Michael Sanchez, Brandon Velasquez and Jacoby Moreno at 120 pounds, 165 pounds and 285 pounds, respectively. Patrick Sullivan also earned a victory at 138 pounds, winning by decision.
Meanwhile, the Chargers got forfeit wins from Jason Dubbs (113 lbs.), Andrew Gilligan (132 lbs.), Sidarth Ramachandran (144 lbs.), Matthew Bernard (150 lbs.), Seamus Fergus (157 lbs.) and Dominick Triolo (175 lbs.)
On the girls side, Dos Pueblos fell by a score of 60-18 with Ariana Valladares and Lesly De La Rosa Reyes picking up wins by way of falls, and Sabrina Borgia earning a forfeit victory.
Dos Pueblos will head across town to take on rival Santa Barbara High next Wednesday.
Buena 59, San Marcos 24
The Royals suffered a league dual meet loss to the Bulldogs on Senior Night inside the Thunderhut.
“The Royals are building a solid foundation one brick at a time,” San Marcos head coach Jesus Romero said. “Tonight was just that and regardless of the score, we came together to celebrate the seniors.”
The senior duo of Anthony Leal and Leon Fox recorded the lone wins for San Marcos, each winning by way of pin. The Royals also got forfeit wins by Gus Cooper and Alex Visueta.
“Leal put up a superb performance. His future plans are to wrestle in college and become a teacher,” Romero said. “Anthony seemed to be starting that endeavor early because he gave his opponent a lesson in wrestling, recording a quick and dominant pin.
“Fox’s future plans are to join the Navy and walk on the wrestling team. Tonight he managed to navigate his way through his opponent’s attacks and skillfully took down his opponent right to his back to record a fall in the first period.”
On the girls side, the Royals dropped their meet with Buena by a score of 65-6 while wrestling five matchups. Ingrid Vargas was the only Royal to earn a win over her opponent.
“Vargas got to her positions, allowing her to control the match with a relentless pace,” Romero said. “Once she secured a takedown, she went right to work, wasting no time getting the turn and stacking Zavala from Buena for a fall in the first period.
The other San Marcos seniors who were honored on Wednesday were Benjamin Chavez, Juan Aguilar, Izaiah Andersons, and Yuren Vasquez.
“Tonight, I have a dichotomy of feelings,’ Romero said. “Yes, we lost, but, more than anything, this dual (meet) felt more like a win; In large part due to the energy radiating from the Royal wrestlers and community surrounding them.”
Ventura 43, Santa Barbara High 16
The Dons fell to the Cougars in a Channel League dual meet on Wednesday night inside J.R. Richards Gym.
“Ventura is a tough team,” Santa Barbara High head coach Chris Hamman said. “We get to learn a lot about where we are in our wrestling and tonight we get to walk away not only knowing what we need to keep improving upon but also that we can compete with tough competition.
“We’re looking forward to our final home match of the season against DP next Wednesday.”
Santa Barbara’s Marcus Fore (14-7), Jon Gomez-Miranda (7-4) and Sammy Ramirez-Navas (8-0) all earned victories over their opponents at 106 pounds, 120 pounds and 138 pounds, respectively.
Meanwhile, the 215-pound Lucas Blessing and heavyweight Gabe Hoyos rounded out the Dons’ points with wins by way of pins.