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

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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

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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

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l I Wrestlers Make Moves For Victory Wrestling is an individual sport, real one on one. It takes hard work, but that's the way I like it. Eric Villasenor Some forty students showed up on the first day of practice to receive their first taste of a wrestler's life: a run around the block. Unfortunately, the block on which Bishop Amat rests happens to be a mile and a half long. Thus, a three-month sea- son of pain, abstinence, and vic- tory was initiated. In a month, those students who tried out for the team were narrowed down to thirteen forming the Junior Varsity Wrestling team, a squad of first and second year wrestlers who, though not of varsity caliber, still put on a good show when they got on the mat. First year wrestlers had little notion of what the sport was really like. Coach Richard Al- meida soon introduced them to some features of wrestling- namely pain, weight loss, and the push-up. Wrestling was probably the most grueling and demanding of any sport, both physically and psychologically, for in addition to two hours of intense practice daily, wrestlers were working under strict diets of less than 2000 calories a day to achieve their desired weight. Thus, the appeal of wrestling to some may seem strange, but freshman Eric Villasenor had his own views. Wrestling is an individual sport, real one on one. It takes hard work, but that's the way I like it, he re- marked. Apparently, the long hours of practice paid off, for the team ended with a great season. Fin- ishing with a 6-2 record overall, they accumulated victories such as 51-10 over Azusa and 42-27 over San Dimas. Yet training was not the only rea- son for success. There was a great deal of talent on the team and many wrestlers showed po- tential, remarked Coach Al- meida. What drove these wrestlers on? Through pain and suffering there was definitely a sense of pride that was seen in the team. I developed a sense of self-dis- cipline and accomplishment through wrestling and the win- ning's great, said sophomore Alan Arbolado. ga N V ii Bottom to top: Kevin Wilson, Chad Barnett, Kenneth Lim, Frank Orozco, Aristotle Dizon, Alan Arbolado, John Hernandez, John Juarez, Tim Ober- gon, Tim Hatfield, Carlos Padilla, David Hernandez, Eric Villasenor. Junior Varsity Wrestling Mater Dei tAzusa Crespi 'Baldwin Park Wilson iSan Dimas 'Gladstone t'Sierra Vista WON I won won lost won won won lost Overall record: 6 wins 2 losses ' Indicates Montview League Bonita Tournament 5th place El Rancho Tournament 9th place Rosemead Tournament 4th place Junior Varsity Wrestling 253