The annual Bud Harbin Memorial Battle by the Beach wrestling tournament will serve as the starting point for several Metro Conference teams this Saturday at Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach.
According to tournament director and Mar Vista head coach Mario Olmos, Bonita Vista, Montgomery, Sweetwater, Southwest, Castle Park, Chula Vista and Mater Dei Catholic high schools are slated to compete alongside the tourney-host Mariners.
The tournament, which will showcase 22 teams overall, is dedicated to the memory of tournament founder Bud Harbin, who died last year.
Top out-of-area teams set to compete at the MVHS mat fest include Mira Mesa, Calexico, Imperial, Granite Hills and Monte Vista. Mira Mesa won last season’s Division I title.
The tournament is set to start at 9:30 a.m., with championship-round matches scheduled to start about 4 p.m.
Mar Vista sophomore Mateo Olmos is expected to shine on the mat this weekend after he missed qualifying for last season’s state championship meet at 145 pounds by one point.
“He’s ranked second at 152 pounds in San Diego County right now,” said Mario Olmos, Mateo’s father. “He had a great freshman season, finishing 37-5, and we expect him to have another great season as a sophomore. He did a lot of off-season work.”
Jacob Bingham is another Mariner to watch this season, according to the elder Olmos. Bingham placed third at last season’s Division III finals while competing at 152 pounds.
Awards will be presented to the top four teams, outstanding lower and upper weight wrestlers, the Bud Harbin community service award and the Larry Borden coaches award.
Individual awards will be presented to the first-, second-, third- and two fifth-place place-finishers in each weight class.
