The Metro Conference wrestling championship tournament is scheduled Saturday, Feb. 14, at Mar Vista High School. Who will take home the championship medals?
Local mat men offered a preview during final regular season tournaments last weekend. The annual Robert Jenkins Memorial tournament at Mt. Miguel High School provided competition for 31 schools while the annual South Bay Invitational at Otay Ranch High School featured wrestlers from 22 varsity teams, plus 11 B-squads.
Metro grapplers put on a collective showcase at the latter event, with 11 South County wrestlers advancing to the championship finals and seven walking off the mat with championship titles.
Otay Ranch senior Dylan Costello (140 pounds) earned honors as the Outstanding Lower Weight wrestler while Eastlake senior Ronnie Sallee (197 pounds) captured the Outstanding Upper Weight award.
Costello finished 4-0 on the mat with two pins. He pinned Valhalla’s Karl King in 5:58 in the championship round.
Sallee was simply dominant with three first-period pins in as many trips to the mat. Sallee pinned Montgomery’s Chase Riegg in 1:53 in the finals. Sallee won his quarterfinal mat by a 1:58 fall and pinned Clairemont’s Nick Hascall in 1:16 in the semifinals.
Sallee enters post-season competition ranked among the top four in his weight class in the section as a state-qualifying contender. He suggested trying to hold anything back at this point of the season is not advisable.
“You’ve got to take each match as if it were your last,” the EHS standout said. “You wrestle one match at a time. It’s more mental than physical.”
Costello has been preparing for this moment for four years. He finished 5-0 in Mesa League dual competition and enters this weekend’s Metro championship tournament braced by a 30-4 record.
“My goal is to make it to state, and it’s been my goal for four years, but this is the first year where everything has really fallen into place for me,” Costello said.
Eastlake won the team title with 165.5 points – 18.5 points more than runner-up Otay Ranch. The second place Mustangs had three individual weight class champions. Joining Costello atop the awards stand with championship medals were teammates Kristian Aguirre (162) and Mustafa Farha (222).
Aguirre recorded two second-period pins to win his weight class. He pinned Clairemont’s Josue Guerrero in 3:10 in the championship round.
Farha, who finished 3-0 with two minor decisions and an 18-second pin in the semifinals, out-pointed Montgomery’s Miguel Ballesteros, 10-4, in the finals.
Ballesteros is a reigning Metro champion and captured the OW Upper Weight award at last year’s conference finals.
Other Metro mat men to claim weight class titles at last weekend’s South Bay Invitational included Bonita Vista’s Joe Babauta (122), Hilltop’s Alberto Garcia (134) and Chula Vista’s Ramon Delgado (287).
Babauta captured an exciting 7-5 overtime decision from Oceanside’s Joseph Sosa while Garcia scored a 13-0 major decision over University City’s Mo Abeid.
A trio of Montgomery wrestlers finished with runner-up medals: Andrew Jaffe (147), Riegg and Ballesteros. Mater Dei Catholic’s Ivan Duran finished second in his 184-pound weight class.
South Bay Invitational
Twenty-two varsity teams competed, however, not all teams brought full squads and some also fielded B-teams. Among other Metro entrants, Montgomery placed seventh while Chula Vista was ninth, Hilltop was 11th, Castle Park was 14th and Mater Dei Catholic was 15th.
Medals were awarded to eighth place in each weight class.
Third-place finishers included Eastlake’s Paul Crampton (108), Otay Ranch’s Brandon McCurdy (115), Mater Dei Catholic’s Jonas Ullsperger (128), Montgomery’s Adrian Lopez (134), Eastlake’s Carlos Vazquez (162), Hilltop’s Seamus Beyerle (172) and Castle Park’s Hassen Montiel (197).
Fourth-place finishers included Eastlake’s Jesus Gavaldon (115), Chula Vista’s Paul Lopez (147) and Castle Park’s Angel Juarez (287).
Fifth-place finishers included Hilltop’s Carlos Callejas (115), Eastlake’s Isai Garcia (128), Otay Ranch’s Eddy Acosta (147), Eastlake’s Micah Mendillo (154), Castle Park’s Erick Robles (172) and Hector Albanez (184), Chula Vista’s Carlos Cazares (197), Castle Park’s Ramon Cooper (222) and Hilltop’s Josue Dario Caro (287).
Sixth-place finishers included Montgomery’s Brian Alegre (108), Eastlake’s Joshua Auditor (122), Mater Dei Catholic’s Tristan Wesson (140), Bonita Vista’s Emmanuel Barajas (172), Eastlke’s Ceasar Pacheco (184), Bonita Vista’s Simon Robledo (197) and Eastlake’s Yasir Farha (287).
Seventh-place finishers included Chula Vista’s Anthony Ortiz (122), Eastlake’s Michael Johnson (128), Otay Ranch’s Sithara Diungela (154) and Daniel Da’Rold (172), Mater Dei Catholic’s Salvador Lutteroth (184), Chula Vista’s Juan Perez (222) and Mater Dei Catholic’s Steve Bradley (287).
Eighth-place finishers included Otay Ranch’s Joseph DeJesus (128), Eastlake’s Sir Avington (134), Otay Ranch’s Chris Gomez (197) and Mater Dei Catholic’s Tyler Buenviaje (287).
Ken Jenkins Memorial Invitational
Mar Vista sophomore Aaron Olmos, dropping from 154 to 147 pounds, repeated as a champion at the Mt. Miguel tournament. He finished the day with a 4-0 record, including a 2:34 pin and 16-3 major decision, to improve to 29-5 on the season. Olmos defeated RBV’s Sean McDonald by an 11-4 decision in the championship match.
Olmos was the lone Metro finalist at this year’s Mt. Miguel event.
RBV won the team title, followed by San Marcos and Helix. Olympian, with a partial squad, finished 14th in the field.
Holtville Invitational
The 52nd annual tournament, which took place Jan. 30-31, featured six Metro Conference finalists and four champions. Individual weight class winners included Olympian’s Bryan Sanchez (108), Mar Vista’s Aaron Olmos (147), San Ysidro’s Roberto A La Torre (154) and Eastlake’s Ronnie Sallee (197). Runner-up finishers included Olympian’s Dante Preciado (134) and Eastlake’s Jake Suggett (287).
Third-place finishers included Eastlake’s Ben Martinez (108) and San Ysidro’s Pablo Perez (162).
Fourth-place finishers included Hilltop’s Alberto Garcia (134) and San Ysidro’s Mario A La Torre (140) and Leonardo De La Rocha (172).
Fifth-place finishers included Hilltop’s Seamus Beyerle (162), Bonita Vista’s Emmanuel Barajas (172) and Eastlake’s Joshua Pultorak (184).
Sixth-place finishers included Eastlake’s Jesus Gavaldon (115), Hilltop’s Giany Barbosa (128) and Dominic Esparza (154), Eastlake’s Sebastian Smith (172), Mater Dei Catholic’s Ivan Duran (184).
Brawley won the team title with an 85.5-point lead over runner-up Rancho Bernardo. Eastlake was third in the team standings — 38.5 points behind Rancho Bernardo — while San Ysidro was fourth, Hilltop was 13th, Olympian was 17th, Mar Vista was 21st, Bonita Vista was 23rd, Mater Dei Catholic was 26th and Southwest was 28th in the 30-team two-day tournament.
Who’s on top?
Hilltop defeated Olympian, 42-22, to capture this year’s Mesa League championship title. Six Lancers finished undefeated in league dual meets: Joseph Torres, Giany Barbosa, Garcia, Dominic Esparza, Bryton Madarang and Adrian Avina.
Eastlake finished in second place in the Mesa League standings. The Titans had two wrestlers finish undefeated in league duals: Sallee and Ricky Renteria.
Otay Ranch’s Costello and Aguirre both finished 5-0 in Mesa duals. Aguirre, a sophomore, is 27-5 on the season.
Farha, a junior, is 27-4 for the Mustangs this season.
Metro Conference Wrestling Championships
Saturday, Feb. 14 at Mar Vista High School
Varsity Team Standings
School, points
1. Olympian 163
2. San Ysidro 139.5
3. Eastlake 123
4. Otay Ranch 120
5. Hilltop 113
6. Mar Vista 81
7. Mater Dei Catholic 58.5
8. Chula Vista 50.5
9. Bonita Vista 48
10. Montgomery 44
11. Castle Park 20
12. Sweetwater 5
13. Southwest 2
Varsity Finals
Championship Matches
108: Bryan Sanchez (Olympian) decisioned Ben Martinez (Eastlake) 7-5
115: Brandon McCurdy (Otay Ranch) decisioned Christian Winnie (Mar Vista) 9-5
122: Joey Babauta (Bonita Vista) pinned Joseph Torres (Hilltop) 1:41
128: Giany Barbosa (Hilltop) decisioned Jonas Ullsperger (Mater Dei Catholic) 5-0
134: Dante Preciado (Olympian) decisioned Alberto Garcia (Hilltop) 11-5
140: Mario A La Torre (San Ysidro) decisioned Dylan Costello (Otay Ranch) 6-2
147: Aaron Olmos (Mar Vista) pinned Gabriel Sanvictore (Olympian) 1:31
154: Roberto A La Torre (San Ysidro) decisioned Chris Alonso (Chula Vista) 7-2
162: Kristian Aguirre (Otay Ranch) decisioned Dominic Esparza (Hilltop) 7-4
172: Uriel Beristain (Olympian) decisioned Seamus Beyerle (Hilltop) 6-4
184: Ivan Duran (Mater Dei Catholic) decisioned Donato Lorenzo (Olympian) 2-1
197: Ronnie Sallee (Eastlake) pinned Chase Riegg (Montgomery) 0:19
222: Mustafa Farha (Otay Ranch) decisioned Jose Elizalde-Hafely (San Ysidro) 10-8
287: Jake Suggett (Eastlake) pinned Roman Delgado (Chula Vista) 3:15
Third-Place Matches
108: Brian Alegre (Montgomery) decisioned Samnuel Torres (Hilltop) 3-2
115: Ethan Ramos (Olympian) decisioned Oscar Munvie (San Ysidro) 5-3
122: Jeremiah Arabaca (Olympian) pinned Jorbel Alvarez (San Ysidro) 4:34
128: Michael Johnson (Eastlake) decisioned Luciano Parra (Olympian) 11-9
134: Kevin Moyna (Eastlake) pinned Marcelo Avila (Otay Ranch) 3:56
140: Royce Casiano (Olympian) won by rule over Jacob Belury (Mar Vista)
147: Edward Acosta (Otay Ranch) pinned Armando Castro (Eastlake) 3:45
154: Sithara Diunugala (Otay Ranch) decisioned Sean Jones (Mar Vista) 10-8
162: Pablo Perez (San Ysidro) pinned Zennon Jurado (Mar Vista) 4:49
172: Emmanuel Barajas (Bonita Vista) decisioned Raymond Medrano (Mar Vista) 5-3
184: Arath Rodriguez (San Ysidro) decisioned Joshua Pultorak (Eastlake) 5-3
197: Jorge Herrera (San Ysidro) decisioned Salvador Lutteroth (Mater Dei Catholic) 4-1
222: Miguel Ballesteros (Montgomery) pinned Juan Morales (Olympian) 1:27
287: Angel Jurado (Castle Park) decisioned Josue Caro (Hilltop) 6-1
Junior Varsity Team Standings
School, points
1. Eastlake138
2. Olympian 125
3. Otay Ranch 96
4. Southwest 74.5
5. Hilltop 58.5
6. San Ysidro 58
7. Mater Dei Catholic 40
8. Mar Vista 36
9. Sweetwater 35
10. Chula Vista 31.5
11. Montgomery 22
12. Bonita Vista 8
13. Castle Park 0
JV Finals
Championship Matches
108: Paul Crampton (Eastlake) decisioned Daniel Vargas (Olympian) 4-2
115: Ethan Deguzman (Olympian) pinned Diego Hook (Eastlake) 1:21
122: Mark Montano (Olympian) pinned Camille Baaklini (Mar Vista) 1:54
128: Andres Espinoza (Olympian) decisioned Joseph Fonseca (Sweetwater) 6-2
134: Roberto Hernandez (Hilltop) pinned Andre Rodriguez (Otay Ranch) 1:57
140: Abraham Pena (Olympian) decisioned Sebastian Botello (San Ysidro) 6-2
147: Nicholas San Joval (Otay Ranch) decisioned Brian Cayetano (Olympian) 5-2
154: Javier Sanchez-Villegas (San Ysidro) pinned Axell Perez (Otay Ranch) 2:44
162: Jose Carrillo (Southwest) decisioned Andres Gonzalez (Hilltop) 8-4
172: Cesar Santana (Hilltop) decisioned Miguel Esqivies (Eastlake) 5-0
184: Tanner Waller (Eastlake) pinned Guillermo Gonzalez (Sweetwater) 0:56
197: Andrew Villagomez (Montgomery) pinned Crucificio Bernal (Eastlake) 0:59
222: Emilio Gomez (Eastlake) pinned Jesus Garcia (Southwest) 3:57
287: Myles Wright (Eastlake) decisioned Yaser Farha (Eastlake) 3-1
Third-Place Matches
108: Pablo Hernandez (Mater Dei Catholic) decisioned Adrian Hernandez III (Otay Ranch) 12-10
115: Guy Almeras (Chula Vista) won by default
122: Victor Gallegos (Eastlake) major decisioned Eric Bacerra (Otay Ranch) 13-4
128: Joseph DeJesus (Otay Ranch) pinned Christian Corona (Hilltop) 2:59
134: Josiah Charles (Olympian) decisioned Esteban Canizales (Chula Vista) 6-1
140: Alfredo Ramirez (Mar Vista) decisioned Denny Santos (Hilltop) 6-2
147: Gabriel Contreras (Chula Vista) pinned Jose Hernandez (Mater Dei Catholic) 2:44
154: Thomas Weinert (Olympian) pinned Max Contreras (Southwest) 2:32
162: Kyle Denney (Mar Vista) pinned David De La Toba (Eastlake) 3:48
172: Gilberto Robles (Southwest) pinned Long Lam (Otay Ranch) 2:16
184: Aldo Rosales (San Ysidro) pinned Ernesto Murillo (Eastlake) 3:13
197: Carlos Garcia (Southwest) won by default
222: Tyler Buenjave (Mater Dei Catholic) won by medical forfeit over Alexis Padilla (Hilltop)
287: Steven Bradley (Mater Dei Catholic) decisioned William Figueroa (San Ysidro) 6-0
