Not all of the Metro Conference’s top male wrestlers were present for last Friday’s championship tournament at Montgomery High School, but the 70-plus competitors who did venture onto the mat helped create a highly competitive and entertaining field.
That the sport, which carries a high-risk indoor label, was able to complete its season was a major victory for all involved.
“We didn’t even know if we were going to have a season, then CIF made the decision that we would have a season and that it would start that Saturday (short notice), so we had little time to get people cleared,” Eastlake coach Dean Tropp explained. “It’s been a crazy year.”
It looks to end on an especially promising note for the Titans.
Eastlake finished the tournament with six weight class champions last Friday to capture the team title with 190 points. Top individuals for the Titans included Alex King (113), Vincent Viramontes (132), Gabriel Duron (170), Richard Inzunza (182), Orlando Amado (195) and Dawson Galvan (220).
Inzunza and Galvan both won their finals matches by pins.
Eastlake finished with six finalists, six champions and 11 place-winners overall. Titan mat men recorded 28 wins, 14 pins, two technical falls and two major decisions.
“We performed well,” Tropp said. “I think the guys are excited coming to a tournament. Some of the guys could be wrestling their final matches. It’s exciting to watch.”
Hilltop, which finished as this year’s South Bay League dual meet champion, finished second in the team standings with 125.5 points.
The Lancers were rewarded with five finalists, two individual champions, eight place-winners. Hilltop wrestlers combined for 19 wins, 11 pins and one major decision.
The Lancers swept the outstanding wrestler awards as 106-pounder Joaquin Angulo earned honors as the outstanding lower weight and 152-pounder Dominic Metzig received the outstanding upper weight award.
Angulo recorded three pins, including sub-minute falls of 29 and 44 seconds, while Metzig pinned all three of his opponents, including two in the first period.
Mesa League dual meet champion Olympian finished third with 83 points. The Eagles nested six place-winners, including four finalists and one weight class champion: Lyric Talplcido at 145 pounds.
Bonita Vista got the most mileage out of its entry field. The Barons brought four wrestlers to the tournament and placed three in the finals, winning two individual weight class titles: Isaac Lopez at 126 pounds and Isaac Romero at 160 pounds.
Olympian 106-pounder Samuel Costa had the fastest pin in the tournament at 16 seconds.
METRO CONFERENCE BOYS WRESTLING
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
Top Individuals
106 Pounds
- Joaquin Angulo (Hilltop), 2. Samuel Costa (Olympian), 3. John-Paul Arballo (Eastlake), 4. Sergio Delos Reyes (Mar Vista)
Championship: Angulo pinned Costa, 1:26
Third place: Arballo pinned Delos Reyes, 0:20
113 Pounds
- Alex King (Eastlake), 2. Noah Heredia (Hilltop), 3. Nate Colden (Otay Ranch), 4. Abel Ibarra (Olympian)
Championship: King dec. Heredia, 6-0
Third place: Colden dec. Ibarra, 11-4
120 Pounds
- Damien Martinez (Sweetwater), 2. Wyatt Costa (Olympian), 3. Nickolas Gonzalez (San Ysidro), 4. Pablo Penuelas (Chula Vista)
Championship: Martinez dec. Costa, 2-0
Third place: Gonzalez major dec. Penuelas, 15-4
126 Pounds
- Isaac Lopez (Bonita Vista), 2. Brandon Dequito (Olympian), 3. Zaiyon Bernardo (Sweetwater), 4. Justin Bernardo (Hilltop)
Championship: Lopez pinned Dequito, 3:36
Third place: Z.Bernardo pinned J.Bernardo, 4:30
132 Pounds
- Vincent Viramontes (Eastlake), 2. Brad Bell (Bonita Vista), 3. Jare Agliam (Olympian), 4. Brayden Zingaro (Eastlake B)
Championship: Viramontes major dec. Bell, 14-4
Third place: Agliam dec. Zingaro, 5-3
138 Pounds
- Alexis Moncayo (Chula Vista), 2. Abram Jimenez (Otay Ranch), 3. Leo Hernandez (Eastlake), 4. Orlando Armenta (Hilltop)
Championship: Moncayo dec. Jimenez, 9-2
Third place: Hernandez dec. Armenta, 5-2
145 Pounds
- Lyric Talplcido (Olympian), 2. Rahman Ferguson (San Ysidro), 3. David Mitrovich (Eastlake), 4. Angel Duschane (Otay Ranch)
Championship: Talplcido dec. Ferguson, 8-6
Third place: Mitrovich pinned Duschane, 2:52
152 Pounds
- Dominic Metzig (Hilltop), 2. Santiago Luna (San Ysidro), 3. Saleem Taft Loze (Eastlake), 4. Miguel Rolon (Southwest)
Championship: Metzig pinned Luna, 1:04
Third place: Taft Loze tech fall Rolon 17-1
160 Pounds
- Isaac Romero (Bonita Vista), 2. Armando Montolvo (Montgomery), 3. Emilio Cervantes (Eastlake), 4. Andrew Ramirez (Castle Park)
Championship: Romero pinned Montolvo, 1:22
Third place: Cervantes major dec. Ramirez, 14-0
170 Pounds
- Gabriel Duron (Eastlake), 2. Aaron Adams (Hilltop), 3. Angel Zuniga (Chula Vista), 4. Armando Hernandez (Eastlake B)
Championship: Duron dec. Adams, 2-0
Third place: Zuniga pinned Hernandez, 5:39
182 Pounds
- Richard Inzunza (Eastlake), 2. Carlos Mendez (Hilltop), 3. Cale Merton (Bonita Vista), 4. Jyoji Ballard (Eastlake B)
Championship: Inzunza pinned Mendez, 5:41
Third place: Merton dec. Ballard, 7-5
195 Pounds
- Orlando Amado (Eastlake), 2. Jason McClanahan (Montgomery), 3. Roberto Escobar (Castle Park), 4. Gadiel Covarubia (Otay Ranch)
Championship: Amado dec. McClanahan, 4-3
Third place: Escobar pinned Covarubia, 3:10
220 Pounds
- Dawson Galvan (Eastlake), 2. Darius Eddington (Montgomery), 3. Joshua Avitia (Hilltop), 4. Matthew Robertson (Chula Vista)
Championship: Galvan pinned Eddington, 0:57
Third place: Avitia pinned Robertson, 2:06
285 Pounds
- Xavier Bustamante (San Ysidro), 2. Joel Salazar (Southwest), 3. Joel Zapata (Chula Vista), 4, Arath Arellano (San Ysidro B)
Championship: Bustamante pinned Salazar, 2:22
Third place: Zapata pinned Arellano, 3:46
Team Standings
Points: 1. Eastlake 190, 2. Hilltop 125.5, 3. Olympian 83, 4. Bonita Vista 73.5, 5. San Ysidro 62.5, 6. Chula Vista 61, 7. Montgomery 56, 8. Otay Ranch 37, 9. Sweetwater 35.5, 10. Castle Park 23, 11. Eastlake B 21, 12. Southwest 20, 13. (tie) Mar Vista, San Ysidro B 6, 15. (tie) Hilltop B, Montgomery B 0
Boys CIF divisional wrestling tournaments slated this weekend
The San Diego Section will hold its traditional four divisional boys wrestling championships this Saturday at selected sites around the county.
South County will be the site of the Division III tournament, which will take place at Montgomery High School, starting at 9 a.m.
Other divisional sites include Mission Hills High School (Division I), San Pasqual High School (Division II) and Mount Miguel High School (Division IV).
There will be no section Masters state-qualifying tournament or state championship event this year.
Weight classes will feature 16-man brackets; each wrestler is allowed two family members in attendance.
Mar Vista and Mater Dei Catholic will compete at the Division IV tournament while El Cajon Hilltop, Castle Park, Southwest and Montgomery will compete at the Division III tournament.
Olympian, Bonita Vista and San Ysidro will compete at the Division II tournament while Eastlake, Sweetwater, Otay Ranch and Chula Vista will compete at the Division I tournament.
Championship-round matches are scheduled to start at approximately 3:30 p.m. Medals will be awarded first through fourth with a tie for fifth place.
For more information, visit the website at www.cifsds.org.
