Bishop Amat High School - Tusitala Yearbook (La Puente, CA)

Page 257 text:

A Gladstone wrestler finds his arms held immo- bile by junior Daniel Herrera. Control over the situation was essential to victory on the mat. In perfect form, senior Eric Barron sits out to escape his Sierra Vista adversary. The wrestlers were required to have an extensive knowledge of various maneuvers to use in different circum- stances. Heavyweight senior Aron Gideon breaks down his opponent with an ankle pick maneuver. ln this, his first year wrestling, Aron possessed great ability and talent enabling him to become the C.l.F. champion of his weight class. With intense effort, sophomore Shawn Schlegel battles his Sierra Vista foe. The determination of the team led to their success. Locking his opponent, senior Grayson Kline goes for the pin. Though his foe escaped, Grayson was awarded three points for the near-fall Varsity Wrestling 251

Page 256 text:

Varsity Wrestlers Capture League Title The only thing on our minds was to be league champions, that was the only goal that mattered. Frank Guzman At the beginning of the sea- son, the Varsity Wrestling team was not even considered a con- tender for the league cham- pionship. That was usually giv- en to such high ranked teams as Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high schools. Three months later, however, they were cele- brating their victory as the un- defeated Montview League champions. What accounted for the wres- tlers' success was simple-desire to win. Only their second year in the Montview League, the team already had high ambi- tions for winning the league ti- tle. It was this thought which drove them throughout the sea- son. The only thing on our minds was to be the league championsg that was the only goal that mattered, recalled junior Frank Guzman, who wrestled in the 115 pound weight class. Led by first year Head Coach Richard Almeida, the varsity wrestlers began the season com- peting in the El Rancho and Alemany Tournaments, in which they placed ninth and fourth respectively. Their first home exhibition meet was against Mater Dei, in which the team suffered their first defeat. The loss taught the wrestlers a lesson, however. 'We were over- confident and unprepared, said Coach Almeida, but we didn't let that happen again. Apparently, the team did learn from their mistakes, for they finished the rest of the season undefeated. Of crucial impor- tance was the meet against Bal- dwin Park, in which the Lanc- ers upset the number one ranked team, 37-32. Senior John Koiso commented, The win over Baldwin Park was really important, because it was then that we realized we could take league. The team continued to rack up wins such as 48-23 over San Dimas and 34-24 against Glad- stone, each victory bringing them closer to the league title. The season climaxed in a show- down with reigning league champions and undefeated Si- erra Vista. They were not champions for long, however, for the Lancers had defeated them 36-20, proving that any- thing can be achieved with sweat and willpower. nuuluu- i ilu lui nur - Varsity Wrestling Mater Dei lost 'Azusa won Crespi won 'Baldwin Park won Wilson WOH t'San Dimas W011 'Gladstone W011 'Sierra Vista WOII Overall record: 7 wins 1 loss ' Indicates Montview League El Rancho Tournament 9th place Alemany Tournament 4th place Bonita Tournament 5th place Whittier Tournament 3rd place Charter Oak Tournament 7th place C.I.F. finals 7th place l Bottom to top: Grayson Kline, John Koiso, Daniel Herrera, Eric Barron Frank Guzman, Shawn Schlegel, Amanzio Dizon, Scott Owen, Steve Ca- brera, Aron Gideon, Coach Richard Almeida, Jesus Betts, Mark Ochoa Sergio Barriga. 250 Sports 97

Page 258 text:

Countering the Sierra Vista wrestIer's attack, sophomore John Juarez struggles to gain the advantage. For the wrestlers, experience on the mat was their most important teacher. Sophomore Chad Barnett looks for a chance to take the offensive. In order to win, the wrestlers were taught to be aggressive yet careful, Struggling against his foe, freshman Eric Villa- senor tries to drive him to the mat. The team soon learned that skill, not just strength, was essential to wrestling. 252 Sports Driving his opponent onto his back, sophomore Frank Orozco goes for the pin. The victory was the reward for the hard work exerted during practice. A Wilson wrestler faces off against junior Ke Wilson. At 128 pounds, Kevin was one of 1 most experienced wrestlers on the team. f S n