Downey wrestlers victorious in their own tournament

DOWNEY – The Downey High School wrestling team hosted the Viking Invitational Tournament this last weekend and won their own tournament. 

Downey accumulated 222.5 points and had nine different wrestlers place at their respective weight classes. 

Millikan placed second with 214 points, Paramount placed third with 177.5 points, Valencia placed fourth with 161 points and Pioneer Valley placed fifth with 157 points. Grand Terrace placed sixth with 149 points, Alemany placed seventh with 130 points, Coachella Valley placed eighth with 120 points, John Glenn placed ninth with 115.5 points and Livingston placed tenth with 99.5 points, respectively.

Viking 106 pounder Jonathan Prata finished first after pinning Tony Odenbaugh of Grand Terrace at the 3:23 mark of the second period. Dilan Ajtun took first place at 113 pounds after he defeated Israel Galvan of Valencia 11-3 and Downey’s Abraham Cervantes also placed fifth at 113 pounds as the Vikings’ second entry. Roland Dominguez took first place at 120 pounds after he defeated Rajanvir Chahal of Livingston 6-4 and Downey’s Joshua Lopez also placed fifth at 120 pounds as the Vikings’ second entry.

Downey’s Matthew Morales finished sixth at 126 pounds, Nathan Martinez also finished sixth at 132 pounds and Armando Padilla finished first at 138 pounds after he pinned John Fuentes of Millikan at the 1:50 mark of the first period. 

Adrian Segovia finished second at 145 pounds, Nicholas Arellano finished first after he defeated Ben Gould of Valencia 6-2 at 171 pounds, Daniel Martinez finished fourth at 195 pounds and Adrian Gerra finished fourth at 220 pounds. 

Downey will begin S.G.V.L. competition in January. Paramount and cross-town rival Warren both seem to have strong teams in early tournament competitions.  

■ The Warren High School wrestling team competed in and won the Ed Springs Classic Wrestling Tournament at Brea-Olinda High School last weekend. 

Warren accumulated 327 points en route to the victory and had seven wrestlers place at their respective weight classes. 

Aliso Viejo finished second, Dos Pueblos finished third, Peninsula finished fourth, Diamond Bar finished fifth, Ventura finished sixth, Valencia of Placentia finished seventh, San Clemente finished eighth, Hemet finished ninth and Rim of the World finished tenth to round out the top ten finishers, respectively.

Bear 106 pounder Carlos Vasquez finished fifth, Joshua Mendoza finished first at 120 pounds after he defeated Andrew Garcia of Chino 4-0 and Matthew Lopez finished second at 126 pounds after he was defeated by Michael Cardiel of Diamond Bar 6-0 in the championship final.

Warren 160 pounder Carlos Durazo finished fourth, 171 pounder Michael Bautista finished third and 195 pounder Kenneth Gonzalez also finished third. The Bears’ Alexis Galvan took home the TMI upper weight Most Valuable Wrestler of the tournament honors after he finished with a 4-0 record after pinning all four of his opponents. 

Coach Brogden, his staff and wrestlers are all looking forward to the start of the S.G.V.L. dual meet season. Paramount and cross-town rival Downey have also looked strong in early tournament competition.

■ The Downey High School girls’ water polo team will be hosting a water polo clinic at the Downey Aquatics Center next Tuesday, Dec. 27. The goal of the clinic is to get more kids in the community interested in water polo at a younger age. 

The clinic will be hosted by Downey High School’s new girls’ water polo coach Uriel Villa and his sister, Brenda Villa. Brenda Villa is the most decorated women’s water polo athlete in history. She is a four-time Olympic medalist, FINA women’s water polo player of the decade and an NCAA champion. Brenda Villa is offering a chance for the youth of Downey to get in the water with her and learn about the sport she loves.

The clinic is free and the only requirement is to get in the water, have fun and play! There will be five certified lifeguards on deck at all times so there is no need to worry. The clinic will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Downey Aquatics Center located on the west side of the Downey High School campus. Questions can be directed to head coach Uriel Villa at villapolo88@hotmail.com.

Coach Uriel Villa and his sister Brenda Villa hope to see you at the Downey Aquatics Center next Tuesday, Decemebr 27th, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. for a day of water polo with four-time Olympian Brenda Villa. 

■ The St. John Bosco High School football team defeated northern California champion Concord De La Salle, 56-33, last Saturday night in Sacramento to win the C.I.F. Open Division championship game. 

With the win, the Braves finished their season with an overall record of 13-2 and a Trinity League record of 4-1. The Braves also finished their season ranked second in the nation and first in California.

The Braves defeated Upland 47-20 in the fist round of the C.I.F. Division One playoffs on 11/11, defeated Santa Margarita 54-14 in the second round on 11/18, defeated Corona Centennial 49-47 in the semifinal round on 11/25 and defeated Mater Dei 42-28 in the C.I.F. Division One Final on 12/3.

In the De La Salle game, the Braves jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. St. John Bosco led at the end of the first quarter 21-14 and led at halftime 35-17. The Spartans pulled to within 42-27 as the third quarter came to an end. The Braves scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter and sealed their hard fought, 56-33 win.

Re-al Mitchell finished the game completing 18/20 pass attempts for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Terrence Beasley had 24 carries for 150 yards and Berkeley Holman had seven catches for 92 yards in the winning effort.

Coach Negro, his staff and fans are extremely proud of what this team has accomplished this season. This is St. John Bosco’s second California state title in the last four years.