Wrestling Team Falls Short in Almont League, Qualifying Eleven to CIF

KEVIN KONG
Staff Writer

Having placed second last year to Schurr in the Almont League, the varsity wrestlers worked harder this year to make up for their previous shortcomings. Despite a strong motivation and hours of practice, the team placed second, once again, to Schurr after losing to them in the league championships in February. The Moors, overall, earned a season record of 4-1.
On Feb. 1, Schurr competed against Alhambra to decide who would take the league title. The match ended with a score of 34-36 with Schurr on top. The close score was not because of a lack of preparation; however, Head Coach Michael Williams had another explanation for the team’s defeat.
“Our best 108-pounder, Nery Rodriguez, had a hernia. If he was in full health, he could have taken the three points needed for our win, which would have given us the championship over Schurr. We were weak in the middle [weights]. We can only try harder [next year],” Williams said.
Despite losing first place, the Moors had to quickly prepare for league finals on Feb. 4 and continue their hard work. Alhambra preformed well in these match-ups as eleven of their players and two alternates advanced from the finals to move onto the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) matches. These exceptional wrestlers included Jairo Alcaraz, Justin Alcaraz, Sidney Aung, Matthew Avila, Mario Arredondo, Josue Garcia, Alfred Ginez, Ernie Ornelas, Stephen Ovsepian, Manny Reyes, Michael Robles, Peter Sosa and Victor Verduzco.
The qualifying Moors traveled to Oak Hills High School on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18 to play CIF matches. Out of the eleven qualifiers and two alternates, only one wrestler, Ginez, won their match and moved onto the Masters tournament on Feb. 24, which comprises of top wrestlers from four-hundred schools in the Southern California region.
“I need to work hard to do well. I’m practicing with alumni and we are going to work on what I need to improve,” Ginez said.
Although Alhambra fell at the end of the season, the team dominated at finals, resulting in a large number of CIF qualifiers. The team hopes to continue their success by preparing efficiently in the off-season and coming into the next season with a stronger mindset.
“I feel like we worked hard enough as a team, but we fell apart individually. We should have put in more effort to win by ourselves,” Captain Jairo Alcaraz said.