2005 El Cajon/San Ysidro Invitational

By Phillip Brents
Posted Jan. 6, 2006

The 35th annual El Cajon/San Ysidro Invitational wrestling tournament ended Dec. 28 at San Ysidro High School after two days of top-flight competition featuring some of the best talent from the western United States.

The championship finals alone featured eight returning state qualifiers, five national team qualifiers, one regionals champion, an All-American and three state champions (two from Arizona and one from Utah). Only nine San Diego Section wrestlers made it to one of 28 available finals berths.

Just to earn a medal in such a power-packed field deserved a pat on the back.

Three grapplers wearing Valhalla orange received just that — as well as some encouraging words from Norseman coach Mark Gerardi — after posting second-place finishes in what remains the section’s oldest and most prestigious regional regular season wrestling tournament.

Taking runner-up finishes in the 35-team field were Josue Martinez (119 pounds), Jarrod Maguire (125 pounds) and Keith Juengst (140 pounds). Maguire won league and divisional individual titles last year while Martinez placed second at both levels. Juengst, who did not wrestle last year, is making a comeback after winning the San Diego Section Masters championship two years ago en route to a sixth-place finish at the state finals.

Valhalla, with its three finalists, placed sixth in the team standings. Only two of the top 12 teams in the 2005 tournament were from the San Diego Section.

That should provide an indication of how tough this season’s tournament was.

“They did a great job. All are wrestling well right now. Keith was seeded first, Jarrod was seeded second and Josue was seeded third. They all did the job,” said Gerardi, who has returned to coach at his alma mater after becoming the only Valhalla wrestler to win three state championships (1985-87).

Juengst, who won the 103-pound weight class at the 2003 El Cajon Invitational, moved his seasonal record to 17-3 after suffering a 5:34 pin against Liberty’s Adam Klingsheim (15-0). A national team member, Klingsheim turned in one of the tournament’s top performances with four pins.

Maguire, who has set a goal of making it to the finals of the San Diego Masters tournament and earning a state medal, finished runner-up by a 9-1 major decision in his weight class to Overfelt’s Eddy Ngo, who entered the tournament with an honorable mention state ranking. A two-time national team member, Maguire advanced to the finals on the strength of two pins and a 13-5 major decision (in the semifinals against Northridge’s Jake Jones, a returning Utah state qualifier).

Martinez, who said he has taken the initiative this season to become more of an offensive wrestler (“now I’m taking more shots and I’m learning the basics of takedowns,” he said), dropped a 13-2 major decision to the tournament’s Outstanding Lower Weight wrestler, Josh Jones, from Northridge (Utah).

The Norsemen also finished with three other medalists: Renzo Salazar (eighth, 135), Eric Kincaid-Sharp (seventh, 160) and Bruno Salazar (fourth, 171). Bruno Salazar advanced as far as the semifinals, one of four Norsemen to do so.

Comeback kid
Juengst said he took last season off after experiencing a case of burnout after competing on the mat since the sixth grade. He said the year lay-off has helped him regain a mental edge. In his first tournament outing this season, he finished fourth in the 42-team El Dorado Holiday Invitational.

“It’s helped me re-focus,” he said of what can only stand so far as a highly successful return to the mat.

Juengst said his goal for the remainder of the season is to place among the top three wrestlers in his weight class at the state championship meet. He said the biggest challenge he faces is “getting back in shape.”

“I kind of missed it (wrestling),” he said about his comeback. “There’s a lot less pressure now (from outside sources).”

Metro Conference medalists
Medals at this year's tournament went to nine South County grapplers, including three from Mar Vista and two from Hilltop. Montgomery’s Pedro Tapia was the highest finisher with a third-place medal at 119 pounds while Hilltop’s Javier Martinez (140), Mar Vista’s Alan Matos (145) and Mar Vista’s Joey Martinez (215) all finished fourth.

Bonita Vista’s Gabe Ruz (145) was fifth while Hilltop’s Mel Zamora (215) was sixth. Eighth-place finishes went to Mar Vista’s Alan Delos Reyes (112), Bonita Vista's Ed Hill and San Ysidro’s Juan Mendoza (275).

Martinez met his match in Northridge’s Mark Baker, a fourth-place finisher in Utah last season.

Four Metro Conference mat men advanced to the semifinals: Montgomery’s Tapia (119), Hilltop’s Martinez (140), and Vista’s Matos (145) and Martinez (215).

ECI notepad
Defending state champion Poway — featuring mostly a B-varsity lineup — captured the team title at this year’s tournament by besting challenges from the Northridge (Layton) Knights (second in Utah last season) and the Highland (Gilbert) Hawks (reigning Arizona 5A champions). The Titans advanced three wrestlers to the finals but won the tournament title without an individual champion.

Of the nine San Diego Section finalists, just two won titles: Calexico’s Jorge Lopez (152) and Rancho Buena Vista’s Erik Vurik (171). Lopez (12-1) defeated national team member Frank Laniohan (12-1) from Liberty, 8-5, while Vurik topped Foothill’s Eric DeLaRosa (ranked second in the Central Section) by a 12-7 decision.

Among the out-of-town state champions in the finals:

•Arizona state champion Spencer Jasper defeated Scripps Ranch’s Byron Murphy by injury default at 130 pounds.

•Arizona state champion Ryan Becerra pinned Oak Grove’s Markie Bertron (a returning state qualifier) at 160 pounds to capture the Outstanding Upper Weight award

•Utah state champion Mark Dennis won a tight 5-3 match from Poway’s Cory Lehman at 189 pounds.

Northridge had three champions and 11 medalists. Besides Jones and Dennis, Spencer Ito (fourth at last year’s Utah state finals) also earned a 2005 ECI title by winning the 135-pound division in overtime.

Foothill (Central Section) and Liberty (Central Coast Section) each had four finalists. Foothill had three champions: David Chaidez (112), David Travis (215) and Ivan Quiroz (275). Liberty had two champions: David Klingsheim (103) and Adam Klingsheim (140).

Quiroz, who entered the tournament ranked fourth in the state, improved to 18-0 after scoring an 8-5 decision against Poway’s Nick Wood.

Arizona teams combined to advance five wrestlers to finals matches and finish with 15 medals. Overall, the Grand Canyon state had three tournament champions as Zach Dohaquez from Tucson Flowing Wells won the 145-pound title.

Poway’s Matt Lewellen, a runner-up at the 2004 ECI, rounded out the nine San Diego Section finalists. He placed second by a 7-4 decision to Foothill’s Travis at 215.

Parade of Champions
103: David Klingsheim (Liberty) decisioned Blake Edwards (Highland, Ariz.) 6-5.
112: David Chaidez (Foothill) decisioned Mike Bodkin (Liberty) 10-5.
119: Josh Jones (North Ridge, Utah) major decisioned Josue Martinez (Valhalla) 13-2.
125: Eddy Ngo (Overfelt) major decisioned Jarrod Maguire (Valhalla) 9-1.
130: Spencer Jasper (Highland, Ariz.) defeated Byron Murphy (Scripps Ranch), injury default.
135: Spencer Ito (North Ridge, Utah) decisioned Aaron Briggs (Flowing Wells, Ariz.) 7-5 (overtime)
140: Adam Klingsheim (Liberty) pinned Keith Juengst (Valhalla) 5:34.
145: Zach Dojaquez (Flowing Wells, Ariz.) decisioned Evan Robinson (Clovis West) 10-4.
152: Jorge Lopez (Calexico) decisioned Frank Laniohan (Liberty) 8-5.
160: Ryan Becerra (Highland, Ariz.) pinned Markie Betron (Oak Grove) 3:26.
171: Eric Vurik (Rancho Buena Vista) decisioned Eric De La Rosa (Foothill) 11-7.
189: Mark Dennis (North Ridge, Utah) decisioned Cory Lehman (Poway) 5-3.
215: David Travis (Foothill) decisioned Matt Lewellen (Poway) 7-4.
275: Ivan Quiroz (Foothill) decisioned Nick Wood (Poway) 8-5.