The Olympian High School wrestling team has logged some impressive numbers over the past few seasons, including back-to-back Metro Conference championship titles and an elite runner-up finish at last year’s San Diego Section Division I championship tournament.
The Eagles are flying high again this season after capturing the team title at the season-opening Bud Harbin Battle by the Beach tournament Dec. 1 at Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach.
Olympian finished the 20-team tournament with a meet-best 217 points. Patrick Henry finished second with 205.5 points while Steele Canyon finished third with 156 points.
Granite Hills was fourth with 154.5 points, followed by Bonita Vista in fifth place with 115.5 points, Poway in sixth place with 95 points, San Ysidro in seventh place with 88 points, Grossmont in eighth place with 83 points, Holtville in ninth place with 77 points and Monte Vista in 10th place with 68 points.
The Eagles finished the tournament with 10 medalists, five finalists and three weight class champions: Zach Ramos (113), John Johnson (195) and Luis Castro (heavyweight).
Castro earned recognition as the tournament’s outstanding upper weight wrestler.
“We have a great group of athletes and their enthusiasm for wrestling is what keeps our room strong,” Olympian High School program coach Myron Griffin said. “I am proud of their efforts at the Bud Harbin Battle by the Beach last weekend. With several tough teams on the mat, our athletes wrestled their way back from behind to capture the team title again this year.”
In championship finals, Ramos defeated Granite Hills’ Joshua Ryan by an 11-1 major decision, Johnson defeated Monte Vista’s Noah Lambert by a 10-6 decision and Castro pinned Steele Canyon’s Joshua Constancio in 1:42.
Castro is a returning state meet qualifier after placing fourth at last year’s Masters tournament.
“I look forward to his senior year and the accomplishments that awaits him,” Griffin said in regard to Castro.
Other place-finishers for Olympian included Rylen Gregorio (second, 170 pounds), Tyshawn Anderson (second, 182 pounds), Marko Alvarez (third, 160 pounds), Shaihi Baker (third, 220 pounds), Jaydon Caoile (fourth, 120 pounds), Cade Harbin (fourth, 132 pounds) and Mico Gonzalez (fourth 145 pounds),
“It is always a privilege for us to wrestling the Bud Harbin BBTB, but this year’s win was extra special for our team,” Griffin noted. “The late Bud Harbin’s son, Levi Harbin, helped coach our way to the title and share it with his son, Cade Harbin, who also clinched a fourth-place medal in his senior year.
“As always, I am excited about our team and our season ahead. Our athletes are eager with goals in hand, I know they will perform well.”
In other finals matches, Gregorio lost by a 3:24 in to Steele Canyon’s David Lipscomb, who placed second at last season’s section championship) while Anderson dropped a 3-2 decision to Granite Hills’ Jeremiah Satberry.
The Metro Conference overall finished the tournament with 10 finalists and five weight class champions.
San Ysidro’s Israel Ramirez recorded a win by a 10-0 major decision over Mar Vista’s Julian Winnie to capture the 120-pound division while Bonita Vista’s Daniel Reyes won by an 11-2 major decision over Patrick Henry’s Jacob Miller at 152 pounds.
Bonita Vista had three finalists: Jordan Bendorf finished runner-up at 145 pounds following an 11-1 setback to Patrick Henry’s Gavin Hingtgen while Michael Miller finished second at 220 pounds following a 5-2 loss to Granite Hills’ Damian Hidalgo.
Bonita Vista’s Jason Harlan recorded a third-place medal at 138 pounds.
Castle Park’s Guillermo Anguiano (160 pounds) and Mar Vista’s Jeremy Schexnider (182 pounds) each placed fourth in their respective divisions.
Fifth-place finishers included San Ysidro’s Adrian Plasencia (120) and Andres Lazarraga (126 pounds), Mar Vista’s Nathaniel Bingham (160 pounds) and San Ysidro’s Camilo Marizcal (220).
Sixth-place finishers included Bonita Vista’s Cameron Alanis (113 pounds), Montgomery’s Mario Lopez (126), and San Ysidro’s Ruben Fernandez (170), Jarren Fabunan (182 pounds) and Jaden Valerio (195 pounds).
San Ysidro recorded seven place-finishers overall.
Six Metro Conference schools participated in the tournament. Besides Olympian and Bonita Vista, host Mar Vista finished in 11th place with 51 points, followed by Castle Park in 16th place with 25 points, Montgomery in 18th place with 16.5 points and Sweetwater in 20th place with three points.
Other tournament weight class champions included Steele Canyon’s Logan Robinson (106), San Diego’s Alexander Schwaebe (126), Grossmont’s Sebastian Coates (132), Steele Canyon’s Ezra Cardenas (138), Calipatria’s Noland Ange (160) and Steele Canyon’s David Lipscomb (170).
Lipscomb finished second in his weight class at last season’s Masters tournament.
Northern exposure
Mater Dei Catholic’s Nicolas Demers captured the 122-pound title at last Saturday’s Carlsbad Invitational while teammate Anthony Ching finished second at 134 pounds.
Demers won by a 7-3 decision over Mira Mesa’s Calel Velasco in the finals while Ching dropped an 11-3 major decision to Scripps Ranch’s Chaz Hallmark.
Hilltop’s Dominic Gurule-Metzig finished runner-up in his 140-pound weight class after dropping an 8-0 major decision to Poway’s Trevor Dain.
Hilltop’s Marc Nunez finished fourth in his 115-pound weight class while teammate Christian Aguilera finished sixth at 128 pounds.
Hilltop’s Joseph Castillo (154) captured consolation bracket championships in the 28-team tournament while teammate Thomas Loughner finished runner-up in the consolation bracket in the same weight class.
Mater Dei Catholic’s Christian Silva finished third in his 184-pound weight class
Hilltop finished ninth in the team standings with 67.5 points while Mater Dei Catholic placed 14th with 61.5 points.
Mira Mesa won the team title with 221 points, followed by Brawley with 174 points in second place and Poway with 116 points in third place.
West Hills finished fifth in the team standings with 108 points, followed by Scripps Ranch in sixth place with 83.5 points, Ramona in seventh place with 71 points and Carlsbad in eighth place with 70 points.
El Cajon Invitational
This year’s tournament will once again he held at San Ysidro High School. Tournament dats are Friday-Saturday, Dec. 14-15. Competition starts at 10 a.m. both days. The finals are expected to face off at about 5 p.m. on Saturday, according to tournament director Steve Bulette.
“This year we have cut it off at about 55 teams,” Bulette said. “We have programs from Washington, Oregon, Arizona and all over California. This year the California state champions from Buchanon High School will be attending as well as Frontier from the Central Section. The Arizona state runners-up from Liberty High School as well as the Oregon runners-up from Crater High School as well as Poway will be attending. It should be a good one.”
BUD HARBIN BATTLE BY THE BEACH WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
Saturday, Dec. 1 at Mar Vista High School
Team Standings/Points
1. Olympian 217
2. Patrick Henry 205.5
3. Steele Canyon 156
4. Granite Hills 154.5
5. Bonita Vista 115.5
6. Poway 95
7. San Ysidro 88
8. Grossmont 83
9. Holtville 77
10. Monte Vista 68
11. Mar Vista 51
12. Calexico 50
13. Calipatria 42
14. San Diego 37.5
15. Clairemont 36
16. Castle Park 25
17. Cathedral Catholic 19
18. Montgomery 16.5
19. Vincent Memorial 15
20. Sweetwater 3
TOP INDIVIDUALS
106 Pounds
- 1st Place – Logan Robinson (Steele Canyon)
- 2nd Place – Donovan Johnston (Holtville)
- 3rd Place – Antonio Escandon (Calexico)
- 4th Place – Kailey Smith (Granite Hills)
- 5th Place – Ethan Keck (Patrick Henry)
- 6th Place – Jake Reedholm (Clairemont)
Championship: Robinson won by 5:13 fall over Johnston
Third place: Escandon won by 5-0 decision over Smith
Fifth place: Keck won by 1:54 fall over Reedholm
113 Pounds
- 1st Place – Zachary Ikaika Ramos (Olympian)
- 2nd Place – Joshua Ryan (Granite Hills)
- 3rd Place – Emilio Bilbo (Steele Canyon)
- 4th Place – Jahnick De La Cruz (Monte Vista)
- 5th Place – Logan Kalica (Patrick Henry)
- 6th Place – Cameron Alanis (Bonita Vista)
Championship: Ramos won by 11-1 major decision over Ryan
Third place: Bilbo won by 17-5 major decision over De La Cruz
Fifth place: Kalica won by :30 fall over Alanis
120 Pounds
- 1st Place – Israel Ramirez (San Ysidro)
- 2nd Place – Julian Winnie (Mar Vista)
- 3rd Place – Anthony Bercu (Patrick Henry)
- 4th Place – Jaydon Caoile (Olympian)
- 5th Place – Adrian Plasencia* (San Ysidro)
- 6th Place – Zachary Ehrlich (San Diego)
Championship: Ramirez won by 10-0 major decision over Winnie
Third place: Bercu won by 3:50 fall over Caoile
Fifth place: Plasencia won by 1:45 fall over Ehrlich
126 Pounds
- 1st Place – Alexander Schwaebe (San Diego)
- 2nd Place – Payton Iten (Holtville)
- 3rd Place – Evan Adler (Patrick Henry)
- 4th Place – Randall Lockwood (Steele Canyon)
- 5th Place – Andres Lazarraga (San Ysidro)
- 6th Place – Mario Lopez (Montgomery)
Championship: Schwaebe won by :22 fall over Iten
Third place: Adler won by 1-0 decision over Lockwood
Fifth place: Lazarraga won by 2:11 fall over Lopez
132 Pounds
- 1st Place – Sebastian Coates (Grossmont)
- 2nd Place – William Walden (Poway)
- 3rd Place – Chase Castleberry* (Poway)
- 4th Place – Cade Harbin (Olympian)
- 5th Place – Nico Salmeri (Cathedral Catholic)
- 6th Place – Joel Arias* (Steele Canyon)
Championship: Coates won by 1:21 fall over Walden
Third place: Castleberry won by 3:18 fall over Harbin
Fifth place: Salmeri won by rule over Arias
138 Pounds
- 1st Place – Ezra Cardenas (Steele Canyon)
- 2nd Place – Bailey Christian (Granite Hills)
- 3rd Place – Jason Harlan (Bonita Vista)
- 4th Place – Hasan Almwali (Grossmont)
- 5th Place – Kainoa Nocum (Poway)
- 6th Place – Edwin Ramirez (Patrick Henry)
Championship: Cardenas won by decision over Christian
Third place: Harlan won by rule over Almwali
Fifth place: Nocum won by rule over Ramirez
145 Pounds
- 1st Place – Gavin Hingtgen (Patrick Henry)
- 2nd Place – Jordan Bendorf (Bonita Vista)
- 3rd Place – Bryce Christian (Granite Hills)
- 4th Place – Mico Gonzalez (Olympian)
- 5th Place – Sebastian Garcia (Monte Vista)
- 6th Place – Jeffrey Lamouree (Poway)
Championship: Hingtgen won by 11-1 major decision over Bendorf
Third place: Christian won in double overtime 4-3 over Gonzalez
Fifth place: Garcia won by rule over Lamouree
152 Pounds
- 1st Place – Daniel Reyes (Bonita Vista)
- 2nd Place – Jacob Miller (Patrick Henry)
- 3rd Place – Erik Hofer (Clairemont)
- 4th Place – Caleb Chambers (Holtville)
- 5th Place – Josh Runge (Granite Hills)
- 6th Place – Hunter Gordon (Grossmont)
Championship: Reyes won by 11-2 major decision over Miller
Third place: Hofer won by rule over Chambers
Fifth place: Runge won by 2:52 fall over Gordon
160 Pounds
- 1st Place – Noland Ange (Calipatria)
- 2nd Place – Mark Davydov (Poway)
- 3rd Place – Marko Alvarez (Olympian)
- 4th Place – Guillermo Anguiano (Castle Park)
- 5th Place – Nathaniel Bingham (Mar Vista)
- 6th Place – Aidan Keck (Patrick Henry)
Championship: Ange won by 1:58 fall over Davydov
Third place: Alvarez won by rule over Anguiano
Fifth place: Bingham won by rule over Keck
170 Pounds
- 1st Place – David Lipscomb (Steele Canyon)
- 2nd Place – Rylen Gregorio (Olympian)
- 3rd Place – Zavion Guy (Patrick Henry)
- 4th Place – Sebastien Giurea (Poway)
- 5th Place – Emiliano Virgen Gonzalez (Grossmont)
- 6th Place – Ruben Fernandez (San Ysidro)
Championship: Lipscomb won by 3:24 fall over Gregorio
Third place: Guy won by 3:04 fall over Giurea
Fifth place: Virgen Gonzalez won by 4:12 fall over Fernandez
182 Pounds
- 1st Place – Jeremiah Satberry (Granite Hills)
- 2nd Place – Tyshawn Anderson (Olympian)
- 3rd Place – David Hetter (Patrick Henry)
- 4th Place – Jeremy Schexnider (Mar Vista)
- 5th Place – Max Guilen (Vincent Memorial)
- 6th Place – Jarren Fabunan (San Ysidro)
Championship: Satberry won by 3-2 decision over Anderson
Third place: Hetter won by 3:16 fall over Schexnider
Fifth place: Guilen won by 4:50 fall over Fabunan
195 Pounds
- 1st Place – John A Johnson (Olympian)
- 2nd Place – Noah Lambert (Monte Vista)
- 3rd Place – Kellen Foster (Patrick Henry)
- 4th Place – Diego Zatarain (Calexico)
- 5th Place – Conner Haugk (Poway)
- 6th Place – Jaden Valerio (San Ysidro)
Championship: Johnson won by 10-6 decision over Lambert
Third place: Foster won by rule over Zatarain
Fifth place: Haugk won by 9-1 major decision over Valerio
220 Pounds
- 1st Place – Damian Hidalgo (Granite Hills)
- 2nd Place – Michael Miller (Bonita Vista)
- 3rd Place – Shaihi Baker (Olympian)
- 4th Place – Jamison Ange (Calipatria)
- 5th Place – Camilo Marizcal (San Ysidro)
- 6th Place – Daniel Acevedo (Poway)
Championship: Hidalgo won by 5-2 decision over Miller
Third place: Baker won by 6-5 decision over Ange
Fifth place: Marizcal won by 2:26 fall over Acevedo
285 Pounds
- 1st Place – Luis Castro (Olympian)
- 2nd Place – Joshua Constancio (Steele Canyon)
- 3rd Place – Darryn White (Grossmont)
- 4th Place – Jovanni Mendoza (Monte Vista)
- 5th Place – Issac Gonzalez (Holtville)
- 6th Place – Jacob Nunez* (Granite Hills)
Championship: Castro won by 1:42 fall over Constancio
Third place: White won by 4:00 fall over Mendoza
Fifth place: Gonzalez won by rule over Nunez
