2005-06 San Diego Section Wrestlers to Watch
2005 El Dorado Holiday Invitational Report

Grossmont North League
El Capitan Vaqueros:
Ride 'em cowboy in 2005-06

The word around East County high school wrestling circles is that the top three powers this season rate to be Valhalla, Monte Vista and drum roll, please ... El Capitan. The defending Grossmont North League champion Vaqueros will not seem to go away. In fact, they only seem to become peskier ... and, in the process, even more dangerous.

The San Diego County wrestling community as a whole got a sneak peek at some of El Capitan's returning firepower at this summer’s State Games wrestling tournament at Coronado High School. Three Vaqueros competed in the tournament: Nathan Neuhardt (125 pounds), Garrett Ludwig (135) and Tony Sangermano (125).

Ludwig advanced to the semifinals of his weight class, scoring an upset win against Poway's Brad Robinson in the quarterfinals. After a loss in the semifinals to eventual runner-up Greg Huth of the San Diego Hustlers, Ludwig dropped a 5-1 decision to Valley Center's Matt Maddox in the consolation semifinals.

Maddox is a legitimate contender for a state qualifying berth this season as one of the top-ranked wrestlers in Division IV.

Neuhardt finished 3-2, losing to eventual runner-up Luis Montante of Orange Glen (last season’s San Diego Section Division II Outstanding Light Weight wrestler) and third-place finisher David Ramirez of San Bernardino while Sangermano finished 2-2.

Neuhardt rates to be the marquee grappler among the threesome. He placed sixth at last season's San Diego Masters state qualifying tournament, missing the state cut by two places. Neuhardt finished first in his 119-pound division at the preceding San Diego Section Division III finals after winning his weight class at the Grossmont Conference championship tournament.

Both Ludwig and Sangermano's potential look to lie ahead.

El Capitan coach Frank Ludwig said the Vaqueros' rise to prominence can be attributed to concentrating on the fundamentals. “Our motto this year is the desire to be a champion and the dedication to become one,” he said.

Ludwig said the team's current philosophy harkens to the work ethic of the school's powerhouse wrestling team from the 1970s. “We went back to ‘old school'’-- wrestling hard for six minutes,” the elder Ludwig said.

The Vaqueros, if they can come out of the chute with good preseason conditioning, expect to be in the thick of the running for a CIF championship title. “It’s hard losing someone like Wes Fenton but we feel that Nathan Neuhardt as well as Tony Sangermano and Garrett Ludwig are also quality wrestlers,” the El Capitan coach said.

There’s more where those three came from.

El Capitan 2004-05 Superlatives
San Diego Section Masters
1st place: Wes Fenton, 275 pounds (first state qualifier for El Capitan in a decade).
6th place: Nathan Neuhardt, 119 pounds.
Team standings: 16th place.

San Diego Section Division III Finals
1st place: Nathan Neuhardt, 119 pounds.
1st place: Wes Fenton, 275 pounds (Outstanding Upper Weight wrestler).
3rd place: Dan Hark, 145 pounds.
4th place: Tony Sangermano, 125 pounds.
4th place: T.J. Herrera, 171 pounds.
4th place: Marcus Mowers, 215 pounds.
Team standings: 4th place.

Grossmont Conference Finals
1st place: Billy Johnston, 103 pounds.
1st place: Nathan Neuhardt, 119 pounds.
1st place: Marcus Mowers, 215 pounds.
1st place: Wes Fenton, 275 pounds (Outstanding Upper Weight wrestler).
2nd place: T.J. Herrera, 171 pounds
4th place: Jacob Ford, 112 pounds.
Team standings: 3rd place.


Grossmont South League
Monte Vista Monarchs
Monte Vista has won the last four Grossmont South League dual titles and finished second in the team standings at last season’s Division III finals.

Monarchs coach Steve Bulette said this season’s team, with 10 returning starters, should once again challenge for the league dual title and make a run at a CIF championship.

Monte Vista had two medalists at the season-opening 42-team El Dorado Invitational. Tim Pugsley finished fifth at 215 pounds while Rudy Simmons was sixth at 119 pounds. As a team, the Monarchs finished in 18th place – 11.5 points behind arch-rival Valhalla (with three medalists).

In kind, the Monarchs have upgraded their schedule this season by competing in the Clovis Shoot-Out (captured by defending state champion Poway with a 54-15 dual victory against returning state power Buchanan on Dec. 10). Several Monte Vista wrestlers did well in the dual format tournament. Sophomore Hunter Beamon went 6-0 at Clovis with six pins.

Senior Tim Day, who placed third at last season’s Division III finals, went 5-1 at Clovis. Pugsley, a sixth-place finisher at last season’s divisionals, also went 5-1 at Clovis and, in Bulette’s words, “looks to be a contender for a ticket to state.”

Other Monte Vista wrestlers to contend with this season appear to be Eric Winchell and Chris Eade. Winchell placed third in his 152-pound weight class at last season’s Division III championship meet and returns to the same weight class this season. He has been one of the team’s hardest workers, almost religiously attending off-season tournaments for the past several years, building his skills and talent level with each season.

Winchell entered the season ranked second in the 152 weight class behind Calexico’s Jorge Lopez (second at the El Dorado Invitational).

Eade, fifth at last season’s Division III finals, is a junior who is also improving fast, according to the Monte Vista coach.

Monte Vista had seven place-winners at last year’s SDI: Beamon (8th place, 103 pounds), Jason Diaz (2nd place, 112 pounds), Simmons (6th place, 119 pounds), David Hendricks (6th place, 125 pounds), John Swafford (7th place, 135 pounds), Trent Lewis (5th place, 160 pounds) and Pugsley (8th place, 215 pounds).

Monte Vista
2004-05 Superlatives

Team awards
Most Valuable: David Hendricks, Tim Pugsley.
Wrestler of the Year: Trent Lewis.
Most Dedicated: Eric Winchell, Aaron Eberhart.
Most Improved: Chris Eade.
Lion Heart award: Adam Howe.

San Diego Section Masters
6th place: Trent Lewis, 160 pounds.
Team finish: 20th place.

San Diego Section Division III Finals
2nd place: David Hendricks, 125 pounds.
2nd place: Trent Lewis, 160 pounds.
3rd place: Jason Diaz, 112 pounds.
3rd place: Rudy Simmons, 119 pounds.
3rd place: Tim Day, 140 pounds.
3rd place: Eric Winchell, 152 pounds.
4th place: John Swafford, 135 pounds.
5th place: Robert Grey, 103 pounds.
5th place: Chris Eade, 145 pounds.
5th place: Adam Howe, 275 pounds.
6th place: Tim Pugsley, 215 pounds.
7th place: Aaron Eberhart, 130 pounds.
Team finish: 2nd place.

Grossmont Conference Finals
2nd place: Robert Grey, 103 pounds.
2nd place: David Hendricks, 125 pounds.
2nd place: Trent Lewis, 160 pounds.
2nd place: Tim Pugsley, 215 pounds.
3rd place: Rudy Simmons, 119 pounds.
3rd place: Tim Day, 140 pounds.
4th place: Eric Winchell, 152 pounds.
Team finish: 4th place.

Granite Hills wrestlers excel in season debut
Last season, it appeared that the Granite Hills High School wrestling team had tied for a rare Grossmont South League tri-championship with both Valhalla and Monte Vista before the Norsemen were later ruled to have used an ineligible wrestler in their dual meet against the Monarchs, thus handing sole possession of the league title to Monte Vista.

Granite Hills was relegated to a second-place finish but the Eagles’ victory against a Valhalla team that would go on to capture the San Diego Section Division III championship title still stood as a highlight to the team’s 2004-05 season.

The 2005-06 campaign should be equally competitive, according to Bart Hartley, who steps into the head coaching position at Granite Hills this season.

“No one really graduated any of their heavier weights. It could come down to who has the best light weights. It should be fun after Christmas,” Hartley said in reference to the race for this year’s league dual meet title.

It should be fun before the holiday break as well for the Eagles, who faced off the new season with a fifth-place team finish at the 2005 Mar Vista Battle by the Beach tournament Dec. 3 in Imperial Beach. Granite Hills finished the 31-team tournament with one individual weight class champion (Jesse Alexander at 215 pounds), two third-place finishers (Ross Logan at 135 pounds and Derek Cockrum at 160 pounds) and two fifth-place finishers (David Graciano at 140 pounds and Justin Phillips at 189 pounds).

The Eagles had three wrestlers advance to the semifinals: Alexander, Graciano and Phillips.

Alexander trailed his championship-round opponent, Hilltop’s Mel Zamora, by a slim 1-0 score until receiving a penalty point to tie the match and then scoring a last second-reversal to prevail 3-1 in dramatic fashion.

“I was just thinking I wanted to win. I needed to score points,” said Alexander in picking up his first-ever varsity tournament title.


Imperial Valley League
Brawley Wildcats
The Brawley Wildcats are two-time defending champions but are not included on this year’s entry list. The Wildcats, who have won five consecutive Sa Diego Section titles and qualified four wrestlers for last year’s state championships, totaled three champions and seven medalists at last year’s tournament.

Brawley looks to duel with such teams as Monte Vista, Valhalla and Mt. Carmel (defending Division II champions) for this season’s Division III championship title.

Brawley won seven individual weight class titles at the 2004 Division IV finals and does not appear to have lost much of its bite this season after finishing second (to Poway) at the fourth annual Mar Vista Battle by the Beach tournament Dec. 3 in Imperial Beach. The Wildcats nearly doubling its team score against Hilltop and Mar Vista, both of which finished tie for third place. Brawley finished the 31-team tourney with six finalists, four champions and eight medalists (including two third-place finishers).

Brawley’s Mark Limon (112), Cory Caffarella (125) and Alvaro Zermeno (160) all received honorable mention in the first state rankings released this season. Caffarella captured the 125-pound class at the Battle by the Beach tournament with a 5-1 decision against Poway’s Mark Flores. Zermeno finished second at 160 pounds to Poway’s Andrew Kilgore, who scored a 15-0 technical fall in the finals to earn Outstanding Upper Weight honors for the tournament.

Other Wildcats to win weight class titles to open the season included Robert Castaneda (112), Chris Santana (130) and John Cardenas (135). Both Limon and Cardenas won titles at last year’s SDI and are returning state qualifiers along with Caffarella and Zermeno.

At the Battle by the Beach tournament, Castaneda captured a 6-5 decision from Poway’s Henry Yorba while Santana pinned Westview’s Mitch Seaman in 52 seconds and Cardenas topped Santa Fe Christian’s John Mossy by a 10-6 decision.

Ivan Arevalo lost a 10-7 finals decision to Hilltop’s returning CIF champion, John Sardella, at 140 pounds while Steve Trinidad (171) and Mario Carlos (189) both finished third in the tournament for the Wildcats.

Calexico Bulldogs
The Bulldogs put together some season in 2004-05, jump-starting it with an elite eighth-place team finish with six place-winners at last year’s ECI tournament. Calexico produced 2004 ECI finalists in Luis Lopez (135), Adam Avila (first, 160) and Eddie Garcia (second, 119), For good measure, Jorge Lopez placed third at 140 pounds, Jose Mora fourth at 171 pounds and Francisco Grijalva sixth at 275 pounds.

The talented Bulldogs went on to place fifth at the San Diego Section Division II finals. Garcia captured the 119-pound title with a victory against Hilltop top man Sergio Santillan, a returning state qualifier, to double with the CIF Sportsmanship Award. Luis Lopez won at 135 and Avila won at 160 while Jorge Lopez was second at 140 and Mora was second at 171. With three champions and five finalists (additionally, Grijalva was fourth at 275), Calexico turned in one of the most power-packed performances at last year’s divisional finals.

It did not stop there. The Bulldogs pulled off a remarkable third-place team finish at the ensuing San Diego Masters championships, netting five state qualifiers in the process. Garcia captured the 119-pound title while Avila finished second at 160 pounds and Mora was third at 171 pounds. Luis Lopez (135) and Jorge Lopez (14) also qualified for the state tournament with fourth-place finishes in their respective weights.

At the season-concluding state championships, Garcia capped an accolade-laden season with a meteoric third-place finish — standing very tall as one of just eight San Diego Section state medalists.

As for this season? The Bulldogs appear to be back with just as much bark and bite. Calexico opened the season at the El Dorado Holiday Invitational, with Jorge Lopez placing second at 152 pounds. The top-flight place-finish earned him a honorable mention in the first state rankings of the current season.

Imperial Tigers
The Tigers won their seventh consecutive Desert-Coastal League championship last February with five champions: Juniors Ray Elizalde (119), Matt Takara (135) and Emiliano Valenzuela (11) and freshmen Cameron McNeer (160) and Sammy Cervantes (275). Imperial out-pointed nearest challenge San Dieguito Academy by 31 points for the league title.

Those talented underclassmen from last season are back and, with a year of experience, only appear that much better this season. Imperial scored an impressive seventh-place team finish at the 26-team Marauder Invitational on Dec. 10, placing two points behind Valley Center and finishing ahead of fellow ECI entrants Serra, Mar Vista and Scripps Ranch. Takara placed second at 145 pounds while Valenzuela was third at 215 pounds and McNeer was fourth at 189 pounds. The Tigers also took three fifth-place finishes at the tournament at 112, 119 and 130 pounds.

Valenzuela (fifth, 189), Takara (seventh, 130) and Elizalde (eighth, 112) all earned place-finishes at the 2004 ECI tournament.


Palomar League
Rancho Buena Vista
The Longhorns have produced some of the more memorable moments in recent ECI tournament history, winning the team title in 1999 (over runner-up Bakersfield) and placing third in 2000.

The celebrated 2003 match-up between RBV’s Brandon Halsey and Poway’s Colton Nichols is legendary. Halsey won a tight last-second decision from Nichols in the finals of the 215-pound weight class. The two would rematch in the state championship bout, with Halsey pulling off a 7-2 win. As for Nichols? He would go on to thrash the 215-pound division in 2004-05, capturing the state title after a runner-up finish the season before. Halsey, meanwhile, finished his ECI career as a three-time champion, having won the 189 title in 2002 as teammate Nikola Dragovic (now a football standout at UCLA) also emerged victorious in the 275-pound division and claiming the 145-pound title in 2001.

RBV finished fourth in the team standings at the 2001 ECI tournament when celerated El Reno (Oklahoma) dropped in to win the team title. The Longhorns had four placers that year: Halsey (first, 145), Juan Ramirez (second, 112), Dragovic (second, 275) and Jaymeson Davis (fifth, 152).

Ryan Halsey and Lionel Halsey, Brandon’s older brothers, also own ECI weight class titles. Ryan Halsey won the 171-pound division in 1999 to help the Longhorns win the tournament that year (RBV had six finalists and three champions) and also emerged as a champion at the 1998 tournament (152 pounds). Lionel Halsey won an ECI title in 1993 (160 pounds) while placing second at the same weight in 1994.

Want more prestige points from this perennial North County power? The Longhorns placed third at the 2001 state finals ahead of Poway (fourth place).

RBV appears to have reloaded in 2005-06 with a third-place finish and seven medalists at the 2005 San Diego Holiday Invitational.

Eric Vurik opened the season by winning his 171-pound weight class at the Carlsbad Invitational while Alfonso Segura (145) and Trent Smith (275) were third. Danny Chavez (a finalist at the 2005 SDI) returns to this season’s lineup at 189 pounds after finishing third at last season’s CIF finals. Kyle Karlicek opened the season with a fourth-place finish at 215 pounds at the Carlsbad Invitational.

Mesa League
Southwest Raiders
This is head coach Joel Rodriguez’ seventh year with the program and second year back since taking a one-year sabbatical. Team goals in what Rodriguez terms a “building year” include finishing .500 in dual meets and to qualify at least four wrestlers for the San Diego Section Masters tournament.

Top returners include sophomores Joseph Amavisca (119/125) and Ricardo Rojas (112) and juniors Adrian Andrade (275) and Joshua Garcia (135). Amarvisca placed sixth at last season's Divisoin II championships while Rojas was eighth in the same tournament. Andrade did not compete in the off-season because of an injury.

Promising newcomers include freshman Joshua Garcia (112) and junior Robert Hughes (215). Hughes was a Metro Conference junior varsity champion as a freshman.

Southwest, however, is battling team depth this season -- a problem that was brought out in the team's season-opening tri-meet on Dec. 1 against Castle Park and San Marcos. The Raiders gave up 24 points in forfeits, yet lost by four points to Castle Park and eight points to San Marcos. Southwest won 10 of the 18 matches in which in put wrestlers on the mat.

Battle by the Beach
Andrade scored one of the tournament's major upsets by pinning Mar Vista's Joey Martinez (wrestling up at heavyweight). However, Andrade could place no higher than fifth thereafter.

Capping the tournament with third-place finishes were Montgomery’s Pedro Tapia (119), Eastlake’s Eric Abordo (130) and Sweetwater’s Daniel Robledo (215). Taking fifth places were Castle Park’s Hector Hernandez (125), Montgomery’s Geddy Hemesath (130) and Habib Shukur (152) and Southwest’s Adrian Andrade (275).

Bonita Vista Barons
Head coach Gabe Ruz describes his team as young but with potential. Top returners include sophomore Cesar Sandoval (112), juniors Martin Periola (135) and Matthew Periola (140) and seniors Gabe Ruz (145), Craig Araki (152), Josh Kober (160), Lorenzo Lomack (215) and Jeremy Casas (275).

Bonita Vista could be impacted by a pair of freshmen wrestlers from the Mighty Mites youth program: Nick Neely and Matthew Blake.

Battle by the Beach
The Barons placed 10th in the team standings with two medalists: Sandoval (third, 112) and Demart Denero (eighth, 119).

Chula Vista Spartans
The Spartans scored the team's first dual meet league championship in a decade by finishing 5-0 last season in Mesa League competition. None more elated by the accomplishment was head coach Ed Delos Reyes, who had served in some coaching capacity with the team for a sizable portion of the span. But the 2005-06 campaign brings new challenges. Delos Reyes underscores that word, in fact. “It's tougher to keep a title than to win a title. We've got our work cut out for us,” the Spartan head coach said.

As for those challenges? Chula Vista returns six wrestlers. There are eight new grapplers in this season's lineup.

Battle by the Beach
The Spartans tied Serra for 12th place in the team standings. Fifth-place finishes went to Ben Salas (112), Albert Molina (140) and Freddy Catholico (160).

South Bay League
Hilltop Lancers
At the beginning of the season, head coach Tim Tyler was projecting his team to post a top four team finish at the upcoming San Diego Section Division II championship meet. After the 2005-06 enrollment figures came out — and with three tournaments to gauge the team’s firepower — Tyler has cautiously revised those goals to include a legitimate run at the division title. The Lancers won Division III titles in 1995, 1997 and 1999 while recording runner-up finishes in both 1998 and 2000. With both Mt. Carmel and Mar Vista moving down to the Division III level, Patrick Henry, Scripps Ranch, Orange Glen, Oceanside, San Pasqual and Mira Mesa appear to be Hilltop’s top challengers for the 2006 Division II championship.

The early season results? Which team will fill the power vacuum? The Lancers placed ahead of Orange Glen, Oceanside and Scripps Ranch at the season-opening Mar Vista Battle by the Beach tournament and finished ahead of both Scripps Ranch and Mira Mesa the next week at the Marauder Invitational.

Hilltop is led by returning Division II champion John Sardella, who is off to a 15-0 start after winning three tournament titles this season (Battle by the Beach, Marauder Invitational and San Diego Holiday Invitational). Sardella bested Brawley’s Ivan Arevalo by a 10-7 decision to win the Battle by the Beach title and stopped Washington Union’s Diego Arreola with a come-from-behind 5:26 pin at the Marauder Invitational fianals. The Hilltop grappler went 5-0 at the fourth annual SDI with three pins, a 12-2 major decision and an 11-7 finals victory against Holtville’s Jimmy Martinez (13-5).

The the top half of the Lancers roster appears studded with a lot of returning mat time, highlighted by Sardella, last year’s 130-pound title-winner. Other impact returners include seniors Mel Zamora (215), Augustine Mercado (189) and Gabe Cajina (160) as well as super sophomore Javier Martinez (145). Martinez captured last year’s 135-pound Metro Conference title while Mercado finished second in his 171 weight division and Zamora was third at 189.

Sardella, Martinez and Mercado were among nine championship finalists for Hilltop at last year’s conference championship meet. Five won titles, including Sardella and Martinez. The Lancers topped runner-up Mar Vista by 26 points for the team title before going on to finish fourth at the Division II championships, leading eighth-place Mar Vista by 50 points.

Hilltop opened the season with seven medalists at the Battle by the Beach tournament (out of 10 wrestlers present): Sardella (first, 140), Zamora (second, 215), Martinez (third, 145), Adrian Soto (fifth, 112), Benz Seaton (fifth, 152), Cajina (fifth, 160) and Todd Garrison (seventh, 135). The Lancers tied Mar Vista for third place in the team standings (behind runner-up Brawley and team champion Poway).

Hilltop brought nine grapplers the next week to the Marauder Invitational and placed fourth as a team with seven medalists: Sardella (first, 140), Martinez (third, 135), Seaton (third, 152), Cajina (fourth, 160), Zamora (third, 215), Kyle Rolf (fifth, 145) and Craig Engleman (189).

The Lancers had three placers at last year’s ECI tournament: Sardella (sixth, 130), Brandon Jasmund (fourth, 215) and Brian Giffen (fifth, 275). Giffen now serves as an assistant coach at Otay Ranch High School.

Mar Vista Mariners
With nearly a dozen solid wrestlers in the lineup, the Mariners expect to be a force on the mat this season as they challenge two-time defending champion Hilltop for dual meet supremacy in the South Bay League and, if at the worst, play a spoiler’s role at the upcoming San Diego Section Division III championships with three defending CIF champions (Mt. Carmel from Division II, Valhalla from Division III and Brawley from Division IV) all in the mix.

Top returners, listed by weight class, include sophomore Alan Delos Reyes (112 pounds), a second-day qualifier at last year’s San Diego Masters tournament; senior Matt Arroyave (125), who compiled more than 20 wins last season; senior Alan Matos (140), a returning South Bay League champion who went 35-13 last season with a fifth-place finish at the Division II finals; senior Mike Guinto (189), a South Bay League runner-up last season; senior Oscar Ceballos (215), who went 36-5 at the junior varsity level and 7-1 at the varsity level last season; senior Joey Martinez (215), a California State Games champion who went 30-8 last season with a sixth-place finish at the Division II finals; and heavyweight Jesse Colon, a CIF place-winner two seasons ago.

Arroyave earned the Outstanding Wrestler award at last year’s La Costa Canyon duals while Martinez ranks as a two-time Battle by the Beach champion.

Newcomers who rate to impact the varsity squad include senior Ben Montz (103), another three-year wrestler; sophomore Hugo Medrano (119), who advanced to the finals in two freshmen tournaments last season; and sophomore Tommy McLaughlin (171), a transfer from Washington where he was a freshman league champion.

With three falls, including a 1:25 pin in the championship finals, Arroyave earned honors as the Outstanding Lower Weight at this year’s Marauder Invitational. The first-place showing made up for a fifth-place finish the week before at the Mar Vista Battle by the Beach tournament.

“Except for a few mistakes he made at our tournament, he’s wrestled near perfect,” Mariners coach Levi Harbin said of Arroyave, who recorded a finals pin against Point Loma’s Mike Farrar to cap a perfect performance at the Marauder Invitational. “He placed fifth at our tournament but only a couple of mistakes kept him from placing higher. He put it all together at this tournament.”

Arroyave, seeded fifth in his weight class, proved to be a bull on the mat by defeating the fourth-, second- and first-seeded wrestlers en route to claiming the championship title.

The Mariners advanced three wrestlers to finals matches, including two in the 215-pound division: Martinez and Guinto. Martinez, who placed third at the preceding Battle by the Beach tournament, pinned his teammate in 57 seconds to win his weight division at the Marauder Invitational.

Mar Vista placed ninth in the team standings (out of 26 teams). Delos Reyes finished third in his 112-pound weight class while fifth-place finishes went to Danny Medrano (103) and McLaughlin (189).

The Mariners opened this season tying for third place at their own tournament. Mar Vista finished with nine medalists, paced by Matos’s second-place finish at 145 pounds. Other place-winners included Martinez (third, 275), Daniel Medrano (fifth, 103), Delos Reyes (fifth, 112), Arroyave (fifth, 125), Ceballos (fifth, 215), Daniel Chavez (seventh, 112), Chris Barnett (eighth, 135) and Carlos Lopez (eighth, 160).

San Ysidro Cougars
The Cougars are fielding their first senior class this season and optimism reigns in the program. "We have six true varsity wrestlers returning this year, with 25 freshmen and sophomores who seem to be very athletic," head coach Ulisses Hernandez said.

Top returners include senior Juan Mendoza (275) and sophomore Joe Bautista (119). Mendoza finished second at last season's Division IV finals to become the school's first-ever CIF finalists. Bautista joined him as a Masters qualifier by placing fourth at 103 pounds at last season's Division IV championships.

Junior Joel Mendoza (215) heads the team's list of impact newcomers after placing in all JV tournaments last season.

The Cougars are hosting two tournaments this season: a JV tournament on Jan. 21 and a varsity tournament on Feb. 4. Medals will be presented to the top five individuals and trophies to the top three teams along with two outstanding wrestler awards. For tournament information, e-mail uuly777@aol.com.

Battle by the Beach
The Cougars, braced by Juan Mendoza’s second-place finish at heavyweight, finished two points behind Chula Vista and 1.5 points ahead of Montgomery in 14th place. Joel Mendoza was third at 215 pounds.

Valley League
Orange Glen Patriots
The Patriots won last season's league title and went on to place fifth at last season's Division II finals but lost eight seniors to graduation. Still, head coach Dave Levine expects his team to compete and, in his words, "battle with the best."

Top returners include seniors Luis Montante (119), Camilo Olea (135) and Tyler Muehlhauser (145) and junior Modesto Olea (152). Montante won last season's Division II title, earning Outstanding Light Weight honors in the process, before going on to place third at the San Diego Masters finals to earn a trip to the state tournament. Camilo Olea placed sixth at last season's Division II finals.

Impact newcomers include sophomore Anthony Alvarez (103) and junior Calvin Allen (130). Alvarez finished second at last season's freshman county championships while Allen was second at last season's JV county finals.


Valley Center Jaguars
The Jaguars had two finalists at this year’s Marauder Invitational: Matt Maddox (135) and Justin Clifford (152). Both finished second in their weights. As a team, Valley Center finished six. Tony Sudak was third at 189 pounds. Ryan Garrison (112), Justin Macovichuk (119were fourth in their weights while Wyatt Castner (125), Brett Bauer (140) and Jesus Rubio (275) all placed sixth in their weights.

Valley Center came back with five medalists at the 2005 San Diego Invitational. Clifford placed second at 152. Other medals went to Garrison (third, 112), Sudak (fifth, 189), Macovichuk (sixth, 119) and Jauregui (seventh, 145).

City Conference
Scripps Ranch Falcons
Byron Murphy opened the season with a third-place finish in his 125-pound weight class at the El Dorado Holiday Invitational. Seeded seventh, he bested Valhalla’s Jarrod Maguire (the top-seeded wrestler in the tournament) by an 8-1 score in the consolation semifinals to likely lay claim to the top-ranked position this year among San Diego area wrestlers.

As a team, Scripps Ranch could challenge for supremacy in the City Conference finals this season, as well as make a statement at the Division II championships before the season is over. Tony Nguyen won his 130-pound weight class at the Marauder Invitational while Kalpit Shah tied for third place at 145 pounds at the Mar Vista Battle by the Beach tournament.


Santa Fe Christian
The Eagles are still in their infancy as far as wrestling programs are concerned, entering just their third season on the mat. But what a second year it was in 2004-05 as Santa Fe Christian won the Harbor League dual meet title. The top three wrestlers off that title-winning team return: sophomores John Mossy (135), Tyler Iwamura (119) and Kyler Hasson (130). Iwamura placed third at last season's Division IV finals while Mossy was fourth. Mossy went on to place eighth at Masters, Iwamura 10th. Hasson also looked to have a promising season in the making, sporting a 26-12 record, before being felled by a injury.

Serra Conquistadors
Serra lost by one match to Santa Fe Christian for last season's league title. Goals this season are to catch the Eagles. "Our numbers are up -- the team is looking tough," head coach Casey Rose said.

Top returners include seniors Scott Bergmann (103) and Fredy Suarez (112) and juniors Andy Lefkarites (145), Andy Simmons (130) and Nick McDonald (140). Bergmann and Suareaz both finished fourth at last season's Masters finals to earn trips to the state meet.

San Diego Cavers
This season the Cavers expect to the fill empty spaces in the lineup that has plagued the team in the past. Goals are to place among the top three teams in league dual meet competition and have at least six wrestlers qualify for the San Diego Masters tournament, and advance at least two grapplers to the state finals.

Top returners include senoirs Daniel Chavez (130), Jose Marquez (160), Gustavo Gomez (171), Richard Lopez (189) and Daniel Rios (275). Chavez placed fifth at last season's Division I finals while Marquez and Rios were both seventh to also advance to Masters.

Coach Sixto Cepeda list freshman 103-pounder Terevis Pepper among the team's top newcomers, calling him a wrestler with "high potential."

Rios earned the fastest pin award with a fall of nine seconds at the season-opening Mar Vista Battle by the Beach tournament. He finished third in his heavyweight weight class to pace the Cavers.

Hoover Cardinals
Though they may not be considered a traditional section power, the Cardinals have produced their share of fireworks at recent ECI tournaments. Johnny Douglas won the 189-pound division at the 2001 ECI while Hugo Castrejon placed runner-up in last year’s 189-pound ECI finals. There could be another Hoover finalist this year after Terry Singleton managed a second-place finish in the 112-pound division at the season-opening El Dorado Holiday Invitational. Singleton was seeded fifth in the weight bracket, but opened the 42-team tourney with a 16-1 tech fall and 3:57 pin.

Avocado League
Oceanside Pirates
Coach Ron Sigler said that while his team has some individuals who should do well this season, he would like to see the team aspect of the sport emphasized. "It's not about winning and losing; it's about building a program and getting peopled interested in wrestling. Overall, I think we will do well but (we) just don't have the numbers to win team titles and that's OK as long as we get better each week,” Sigler said.

Top returners includee seniors John DelaRosa (152), Joe Reil (160/171), Nestor Zapata (189) and Guillermo Salgado (215/275) and juniors Irwin Zapata (112/119) and Quincy Nguyen (130/135).

DelaRosa is a returning league champion, having gone on to place third in the Division II finals and sixth at Masters. Irwin Zapata finished second in league last season and second in the Division II finals before closing out his sophomore campaign with a top eight Masters finish. Nguyen (seventh), Reil (seventh) and Nestor Zapata (sixth) are all returning divisional place-finishers while Salgado is a two-time returning CIF medalist (fifth and seventh).

DelaRosa earned the Outstanding Middle Weight award at the season-opening Mar Vista Battle by the Beach.