Varsity Wrestling Starts League with Major Victories
ANGELYNE CHU
Staff Writer
Being in a sport requires a lot of time and devotion to the team. The varsity wrestling team is no exception, as they practice every day after school in the Dance Room. The team is eagerly anticipating the Almont League finals and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Last year, five wrestlers placed in the CIF playoffs, three of which are returning this year. Now, they are aiming to place most of the wrestlers in the top ten of CIF.
According to Head Coach Mike Williams, he has kept the same training system for years. Although half the team is still young and the other half is experienced, the team is definitely progressing as one and the players are improving everyday.
“They started out slow, but they’re gradually picking it up. Each player is doing their own part and the inexperienced are growing better while the experienced are taking it to another level,” said Captain Abel Avila.
Although the players are improving, there were some factors that slowed down their progress. These issues include injuries such as a sprained back, sprained ankle and skin infection, along with the players’ academic grades.
“The injuries did slow us down, but we just need to ignore the pain and just concentrate on training,” said Captain Chris Lopez.
Their first League match against the Bell Garden Lancers took place on Jan. 6 and ended with a victory of 56-18. There were three forfeits for Bell Gardens since they did not have opponents to send forth that were close to Alhambra wrestlers’ weights. There were also five backup wrestlers left. In a one-on-one match, Avila defeated his opponent with a 15 point lead of 16-1.
“The team did well, but they are not good enough for Schurr or Montebello just yet. There were some things that need to be improved like mental errors and techniques, but overall, they just need to raise their level,” said Williams.
Also, Captain Hugo Perez was one of the three players whose opponent had to forfeit the match and sat at the sidelines watching the rest of his teammates wrestle. From analyzing the moments that happened during the game, Perez believes that the team’s spirit can be better.
On Jan. 13, the Moors faced off against the San Gabriel Matadors in their second League match. There were three forfeits from San Gabriel and four backup wrestlers left for Alhambra, but the match ended in a 64-18 victory.
Overall, all three returning CIF captains of the varsity wrestling team (Avila, Lopez and Perez) firmly believe that their attitude as a team is the most important thing to work on.