Grossmont South League Report:
Monarchs pin Eagles 78-0 in league opener

By Phillip Brents
Posted Jan. 17, 2006

The Monte Vista High School wrestling team jump-started defense of its last four Grossmont South League dual meet championship titles by recording an emphatic 78-0 victory against visiting Granite Hills on Jan. 5. The Monarchs scored 10 wins by pin, two by minor decision and two by forfeit.

Team members credited their prowess on the mat to an inspirational speech made by coach Steve Bulette before the dual.

“He really got us pumped up to wrestle to our potential,” said senior Rudy Simmons, who scored a pin in his 125-pound weight division against the Eagles.

When asked about the team speech, Bulette said he just wanted to get his wrestlers “to believe in themselves and have the confidence they needed to have,” as he put it.

“Our kids are hard workers. They’ve come along together as a group this season,” Bulette said. “We think we have a solid dual meet team. We don’t have many superstars but the kids work hard and, more than anything, we’ve got a real strong team camaraderie. They really strive to help improve each other.”

Hunter Beamon (103), Persio Morel (112), Aaron Moton (130), Lonnie Alexander (135), Aaron Eberhart (140), Eric Winchell (152), Chris Eade (160), John Orr (171) and Craig Davis (189) all recorded pins.

The 215-pound match between Monte Vista’s Tim Pugsley and Granite Hills’ Jesse Alexander proved to be the highlight of the dual meet, as Pugsley scored a 4-2 decision to make amends for an overtime loss by pin in the semifinals of the preceding San Diego Holiday Invitational.

Tim Day (145) recorded a 5-3 win while Robert Grey (119) and Ryan Meehan (275) both picked up forfeit victories.

Monte Vista is next scheduled to wrestle in dual meet competition at Steele Canyon on Thursday, Jan. 19, before hosting Mt. Miguel on Jan. 26. Junior varsity action start at 5:30 p.m., followed by varsity competition approximately at 6:30 p.m.

Monarchs roar
Fueled by the momentum of the big win against the Eagles, the Monarchs jumped right into the fray at this year’s 26-team Monte Vista Invitational on Jan. 7. This year’s field featured the top two teams in the San Diego Section — the defending state champion Poway Titans and San Diego Masters runner-up Vista Panthers — as well as a mix of varsity A and B team wrestlers from Temecula Valley, the third-ranked team in the state.

The tournament also featured strong out-of-town teams from Natomas (Sacramento), Gilbert, Ariz., and Birmingham (Van Nuys).

Bulette called it one of the strongest fields in recent years for the tournament. The Monarchs placed fifth overall — fourth among San Diego Section teams — with seven medalists and one finalist. Monte Vista finished 17 points behind fourth-place Escondido and 19.5 points behind third-place Temecula Valley.

“With three teams finishing within 19.5 points of each other for third place, that shows just how competitive the tournament was this year,” Bulette said.

Simmons (19-6) finished second to Poway’s Todd Schavrien, the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds. Other Monte Vista medalists included Pugsley (third, 215), Beamon (fourth, 103), Grey (fifth, 112), Meehan (fifth, 275), Alexander (sixth, 135) and Winchell (sixth 152).

Three Monarch wrestlers advanced to the semifinals: Grey (112), Simmons (125) and Pugsley (215). Pugsley bounced back after a loss by pin to Poway’s Matt Lewellen with a pair of dominating wins to place third, first defeating Sweetwater’s Daniel Robeldo by an 11-2 major decision and then topping Escondido’s Kellen Desmond by a 2:02 pin.

Simmons recorded a 16-second pin in his opening match of the tournament and later pinned El Capitan’s Tony Sangermano in 2:40 in the semifinals to advance against Schavrien, who scored a 2:15 fall in the finals to improve to 21-0.

Meanwhile, Beamon got a gauge on where he stands in the Division III rankings after his 3-2 loss to Serra’s Scott Bergmann in the 103-pound third-place match. Both wrestlers are considered contenders for this year’s divisional championship.

RB 10-Way
Four East County teams will compete at this Saturday’s Rancho Bernardo 10-Way dual tournament: Monte Vista, Valhalla, Granite Hills and Steele Canyon. The tournament will feature two pools of five teams each, with round-robin match-ups determining cross-over medal-round finals. The top four teams in the tournament receive trophies while the top four wrestlers in each weight class will receive medals.

The Jan. 21 tournament at Rancho Bernardo High School is scheduled to start at 9 a.m., with contests for fifth, seventh and ninth place scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the third-place and championship duals set for 5 p.m. starts. Other teams entered include Poway, Vista, Carlsbad, Mar Vista, Ramona and Rancho Bernardo — making it easily the section’s toughest collection of dual meet squads for a one-day tournament.