 |
|||||
|
Mira Costa wrestling pins CIF hopes on seniors
by John Tawa
|
Sophomore Nick Gorman sends his opponent heading to the mat in the 121-pound division. Gorman scored an impressive 5-0 victory, one of five Costa wrestlers to win against the Vikings. Photo by John Tawa. |
The first thing you notice is the smell of sweat. Then the humidity in the room hits you between the eyes. It feels like Washington, D.C., in summertime. High school kids are supposed to wrestle in this?
You soon realize that wrestling is what caused the room to be as it is. The mustiness and stuffiness are the result of unsurpassed effort by the combatants on the mat.
And while winning is great, if you're a wrestler, the effort is there 24/7, whether you're scoring one takedown after another or battling to keep your own shoulder blades from touching the mat.
Effort is one thing that hasn't been lacking for the Mira Costa wrestling squad in 2000. Unfortunately, seasoning has. Only two of the 14 regular wrestlers are seniors. Two or three freshmen regularly wrestle varsity matches. A once-dominant program has struggled this year to re-build.
"The main thing is they're just so young," head coach Jimmy Chaney said of his wrestlers. "It's good for next year because they're talented. The experience they gain will help them so much next year."
|
Mira Costa senior Jon Cordero controls his Santa Monica opponent last Thursday before pinning him one minute into the second round. Cordero is 24-6 this year, with designs on a CIF title. Photo by John Tawa. |
But this year? It's been tough wrestling on such a young team, admitted senior Jon Cordero, a four-year wrestler and three-year letterman.
"As long as I work hard and get as many people in the room to work as hard as I can, that's all I can do," he explained.
There's that effort thing again.
Last Thursday, the young grapplers from Mira Costa met the more seasoned Santa Monica Vikings in a showdown for third place in the Bay League. And while the Mustangs lost 38-28, the effort from wrestlers and coaches was evident from the first match to the last.
The meet started well for Costa. Sophomore Mark Kaufman gave the Mustangs a 6-0 lead when his opponent failed to make weight at 105 pounds, a common occurrence for wrestlers, who have to eat to gain strength and endurance and then sweat the weight off before stepping onto the scales.
With the score tied at 6-6 after a Costa wrestler suffered a second-period pin in the 114-pound match, sophomore Nick Gorman stepped onto the mat determined to give Costa back the lead. A pin would be worth six points, a technical fall (ahead by 15 or more points) would score five points, a majority decision (ahead by eight or more) would be worth four, while a simple decision would add three points to the team's ledger.
Gorman immediately dove and scored a two-point takedown, controlling his opponent for the remainder of the period. A two-point reversal to start the second period extended Gorman's lead to 4-0. Clearly in control, Gorman worked hard to turn his opponent on his back for additional points or a pin but to no avail. He settled for a 5-0 win, scoring three points for his team.
Junior David Agajanian extended Costa's lead to 15-6 when he pinned his opponent one minute into the 127-pound match in a dominating display of strength and quickness. A skilled gymnast, Agajanian has come a long way since a year ago, when he was just learning how to wrestle. He's had a very good year, finishing first at the multi-team San Fernando Tournament, and is a favorite to win a league title and make a strong showing at CIF.
Junior Dan Collum stepped onto the mat next at 132 pounds. Collum is one of Costa's better and more experienced wrestlers, but he was facing his fiercest league foe. For two periods, Collum dominated, taking a 10-2 lead and twice nearly pinning his opponent.
But the effort took its toll. Appearing winded, Collum was taken down early in the final period. It was the beginning of the end. He tried to hold on, but could not, suffering a stunning 13-12 defeat. Costa's lead was cut to 15-9. Collum, head down, was inconsolable.
"I think he gave it so much at the beginning that he didn't have anything left at the end," Chaney explained. "It will be interesting to see Dan wrestle him in league. I think Dan will face him in the finals of the league tournament and I wouldn't be surprised if Dan pulls it off."
Collum's loss caused a 180-degree shift in momentum. The Vikings won the next five matches, three by pins, to take a commanding 34-15 lead. With four matches remaining, Costa had to win them all and win convincingly.
The Mustangs called on John Porter to get them started at 173 pounds. It's been a tough year for the senior, who missed more than six weeks due to injury. Still, the three-year letterman sported a 12-2 record coming into the match, including first place at the six-team Downey Tournament and second at the 20-team John Glenn Tournament.
From the match's opening moments, it was obvious that Porter was the dominant wrestler. One takedown after another gave Porter a commanding lead, but he couldn't turn his opponent on his back. Porter won his last match at home 18-6, but was unable to secure the pin his team needed.
"It felt good to win, but I didn't pin the guy. That's what I was supposed to do," said Porter, who vowed to be ready for the league finals, where he'll wrestle at 162 pounds.
Trailing 34-19 and desperate to win the remaining three matches, Chaney decided to move his wrestlers up one weight class apiece. The strategy failed when junior Dan Perkins, a 173-pounder, was clearly overmatched at 191 pounds, losing a technical fall 18-3 despite giving a great effort. The loss clinched the match for Santa Monica.
"We realized at that point that our only chance to win was to bump guys up," Chaney explained. "That put a lot of pressure on Perkins because he's a 170 pounder trying to wrestle a 190 pounder. He wrestled well but the guy was just too big for him."
Junior Quinn Ryan, also wrestling up, had a little more success at 217 pounds. He controlled his opponent from the middle of the second period on, taking an impressive 12-6 win.
Cordero, wrestling in the heavyweight class, finished the match in style by pinning his opponent 53 seconds into the second period, after twice nearly pinning him in the opening period.
With the win, Cordero improved his record to 24-6 this year, which included a first-place finish in the 215-pound class at the North Tournament of Champions, where he was named outstanding wrestler in the higher weight classes.
"Every match I win means everything to me," he said. "I just continue to work as hard as I can all the time. I want to place in state and go to nationals."
"We had some good moments," Chaney said after the match. "Nick Gorman looked pretty good. Agajanian did a really good job. Both of our seniors looked impressive in winning their matches."
As individuals, Chaney said the Mustangs could do well at CIF. In addition to Cordero and Porter, Chaney mentioned Collum, Agajanian, Alnes, Perkins and Ryan as wrestlers who could make an impact at the CIF meet.
But Chaney clearly had his sights set on 2001.
"As a team, we'll be a lot stronger next year," he said. ER