March 06, 2010

Hawks Wrestle Well At State Championships, Morales Takes 2nd

Bobby Morales set many goals for his final season of high school wrestling, after finishing 7th in the State Championships as a junior. He achieved most but not all of those goals. His season record was a perfect 52-0 with 37 pins going into the 2010 CIF State Wrestling Championships at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield. His quest for the school’s first State Championship and first undefeated season fell short in the 130-pound finals.

Morales, ranked #1 in California after earning Lower Weight MVP at the prestigious Five-Counties Tournament and then winning the Souther Section’s Masters Meet, lost 7-4 to Selma’s Nick Pena who was ranked #2. Morales ended the season with a 56-1 mark to satisfy his goal of the best single-season record in Laguna Hills High School’s 32 years of wrestling. His 2nd-place finish met another goal for the school’s highest finish at State. He also owns the school records for most wins and most pins in a varsity career, and the best winning percentage in a season. His first-round 9-1 major decision was followed by an injury default. Morales was tested in the quarterfinals during a 3-2 victory over A.J. Valles of Sanger High who was ranked #4 in the state. In the semifinals, Morales shut out #3-ranked Damien Arredondo of Buchanan of Clovis, 3-0.

Some other goals met and school records set by Morales include: first two-time State placer; first to win 9 CIF Championships (2 individual and 7 team); first (with teammates) to win CIF Dual Meet Championship in Division 1; first varsity starter on three CIF Dual Meet Championship teams; first four-time league champion; and, first four-year varsity starter on teams ranked #1 in Orange County each year.

Senior Noel Molina (285) earned a pin at 2:31 in his first match at the State Championships. He fell into the consolation bracket with a loss to the Sac-Joaquin Section champion, Peter Anguiano, who placed third. Molina won again 2-1 before falling to the fifth-place medalist, Gavin Andrews of Granite Bay. Molina was really a 215-pounder who grappled with opponents up to 70 pounds heavier throughout the season.

Junior Blake Lowrie started with a 3-2 victory before also falling to an eventual third-place finisher, Poway’s Gabe Brown, at 119 pounds. Lowrie then won 5-1 over North Torrance’s Daniel Wada who had finished ahead of him in the CIF-Coastal Division. A 13-7 loss to El Camino’s Brian Ha ended Lowrie’s first trip to the State Championships.

Frankie Arounvong started strong with a pin in 3:15 over Kaelob Obien from Independence, the 112-pound champion of the Central Coast Section. Another third-place finisher, Daniel Gaytan from Clovis, stopped another Hawk wrestler. Aroungvong then dropped a 7-6 decision to L.A. Section champion Ali Naser of El Camino Real. Laguna Hills finished in the state’s Top 20 teams for the second year in a row, and in the Southern Section’s Top 5 teams for the third consecutive season.

The Hawks will lose nine varsity starters to graduation, but Arounvong and Lowrie will be back next season along with CIF medalists Ruben Acevedo (103) and Wyond Mills (145). Other returning varsity tournament medalists and winners include: sophomores Jason Newcomer (160), Miguel Ramirez (125), and Jordan Murphy (171), along with juniors Andrew Alcantara (215) and Jon Bass (135).

Look for others who have gained experience and earned victories in varsity tournaments, like juniors Jesse Chaparro, Patrick Dowell, William Guerrero, Collin Helstien, Hector Jimenez, Chris Keh, James Purington, Rudy Sanchez and Jacob Savage. A talented group of sophomores and accomplished freshmen like Joe Applegate, Andre Cabrera and OC Freshman Championships MVP Tristan Lennertz will compete for varsity. 

 

Februaury 27, 2010

Hawks Take 3rd in Southern Section, Send 4 to State Championships

Four Laguna Hills wrestlers qualified for the 2010 CIF State Championships on March 5-6 at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield. They were among 33 Orange County wrestlers to place in the Top 9 at their weight out of 420 competitors in the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Temecula Valley High School.

Next is a battle of the best 40 at each weight from all of California. Bobby Morales earned five victories: by 12-7, 4-0, 6-0 over CIF Eastern Division Champion Bradford Gerl of Calvary Chapel-Downey, 7-3 over CIF Southern Division Champion Saul Garcia of Moorpark, and 10-2 over CIF Central Division Champion Michael Vargas of El Dorado in the 130-pound Finals. With a record of 53-0 with 36 pins, Morales retains his #1 ranking in California. Morales earned the Hawksʼ third Masters championship in the past three seasons, following Mitch Newcomer (135) last year and Brandon Roell (145) in 2008. With 200 varsity wins and 123 pins as a four-year starter, Morales continues to extend his new school records. He wants three more LHHS records: 1) to become the first State Champion in wrestling, 2) with the first undefeated season, 3) for the best winning percentage.

Two-time CIF Champion Noel Molina earned his first trip to the State Championships by placing 4th at 285 -- though he could have been at 215 pounds. Probably the lightest athlete in the Heavyweight division, Molina followed a 2-1 win with a pin in 1:41. He then pinned Manuel Mazariegos, Sultanaʼs CIF Champion of the Northern Division in 1:21. After dropping a 4-3 decision to Calvary Chapelʼs 2nd place finisher, Michael Mannigalam, Molina beat Brian Ryu, Diamond Barʼs CIF Champion of the Eastern Division, 8-4.

Juniors Frankie Arounvong (112) and Blake Lowrie (119) both won their first two matches before falling in the quarter-finals on Friday night. They made their way to the State Championships with wins Saturday in the consolation brackets. Arounvong followed a 9-8 comeback victory with a pin in 3:20 and an 8-2 decision to finish in 8th place. Lowrieʼs 9-4 win in the first round was followed by a 6-3 victory over Justin Silva, Alta Lomaʼs senior CIF Champion of the Inland Division. After an 11-8 loss to Calvary Chapelʼs Peter Palacios, CIF Champion of the Central Division, Lowrie earned a pin in 2:50 and a 7-1 victory for 9th place.

Luke Ross (135) just missed a trip to State. He followed a tough 6-5 first-round loss with wins by 8-4 12-4 and 8-3 before another one point loss, 9-8. James Heidenreich (140) and freshman Wyond Mills (145) both enjoyed first-round pins. Juan Jaime (125) started with a 4-0 decision, James Shoop (215) won 10-6, and Max Viczian won a major decision 14-3 before their losses.

Laguna Hills finished 3rd with 78 team points, their highest finish ever -- though with fewer points than in the past two years. Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana led with 120 points and five State qualifiers. Sultana finished second with 81 points and five qualifiers. Team scores were the lowest of any year since the 2002 adoption of six CIF-SS Divisions that feed into the Masters Meet, because nine teams claimed at least four champions. Usually five teams per year accomplish that. It was the Hawksʼ fourth consecutive season finishing in the Top 10 at the CIF-SS Masters Meet that includes more than 500 high school from 10 counties.

Perennial wrestling powers in order of State qualifiers since 2002 are: Temecula Valley, Covinaʼs Northview, Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana, Hesperiaʼs Sultana, Laguna Hills, North Torrance, Santa Fe, Canyon Springs of Moreno Valley, Righetti of Santa Maria, Hesperia, and Santa Ana.

This was the second year in a row that Laguna Hills, the #1 ranked team in Orange County, led all schools in the Section with the most CIF medalists (11) that qualified to the Masters Meet.

 

February 21, 2010

Hawks Win 6th Consecutive CIF Team Championship

By ERIC PATTEN, OC Register - amended

Laguna Hills senior heavyweight Noel Molina made quick work of his opponents at this weekend's CIF-Southern Section’s Coastal Division Wrestling Championships at Whittier High. In the final round, Molina pinned Andy Chavoya from Cabrillo of Long Beach in 1 minute, 16 seconds. It was Molina's fifth first-period pin of the weekend, earning him the tournament's upper-weight MVP. His other pins were in 44 seconds, one minute, 39 seconds and 38 seconds for a truly dominant achievement. In a way Molina's performance mirrored the Hawks, who had their sixth consecutive team title wrapped up after the first day of competition. The Hawks finished with 293.5 points for a 147-point lead over Santa Fe which finished second with 146 points.

The Eastern Division ended in a tie between Atascadero and Centennial of Corona, while the margin of victory in the other four divisions was 24 points or less. Laguna Hills will send 11 qualifiers to next week's Masters tournament to be held at Temecula Valley High. For the second year in a row, that is more than from any other school in the 10-county Southern Section. This is the 6th consecutive CIF Division 1 Championship for Laguna Hills, the best record of any public high school in Orange County’s wrestling history. “It got a little crazy at times because this is an experienced group as far as being at CIF,” Laguna Hills coach Cliff Jarmie said. “Ten of these kids are new to the lineup, you know, they weren't here last year. But when you have 12 placers that's almost as good as it gets.”

Seniors Bobby Morales (130 pounds) and James Shoop (215) also captured individual titles for the Hawks, Morales became only the third wrestler in school history to place at CIF four years in a row. He and Molina also became the school’s fourth and fifth wrestlers in 32 years to repeat as CIF Champions. With four more pins and a 9-1 major decision for a perfect season record of 48-0 with 36 pins, Morales retains his #1 rank in California. In the only all-Orange County final, 3rd-ranked Shoop defeated Capistrano Valley's 2nd-ranked Mike Maierhofer, 4-3. Shoop also had two pins in less than a minute and wins by 9-4 and 13-10 in the semifinals.

Three other Hawks made the finals. Juan Jaime (125) followed a pin with 10-8 and 13-0 victories before losing by a penalty point in overtime to Sante Fe’s Richard Rios, 4-3. They are ranked 1st and 2nd in the Section. Junior Frankie Arounvong earned a pin, a 17-2 technical fall and decisions 1-0 and 9-2 before losing in the finals at 112 pounds. Freshman Wyond Mills earned two pins and wins by 14-3 and 1-0 before losing in the finals at 145 pounds to Santa Fe senior Dimitri Crouch.

Four Hawks took the long way back through consolation brackets to 3rd place medals. Ruben Acevedo’s two pins and victories by 9-1, 8-3 and 11-3 were good for 3rd at 103 pounds. Luke Ross (135) won by 10-0, 13-0, 9-2, 7-4 and 3-2, with a 7-6 loss to Tesoro’s Alec Robbie. They are ranked 1st and 2nd in Orange County. James Heidenreich (140) needed eight matches, including three pins, a default, and victories by 7-5, 13-0 and 4-3. Max Viczian recorded a pin and wins by 12-3, 10-6, 2-1 and 10-4 at 152 pounds. Junior Blake Lowrie (119) placed fourth with a pin and wins by 13-3 and 8-2 after a 3-2 loss to the champion from Chaminade. Senior Logan Evert (189) missed out on the Masters Meet, but his four pins and 13-4 major decision added many team points. Sophomore Jason Newcomer added three wins at 160 pounds, and sophomore Jordan Murphy (171) contributed a pin in 1:116 before bowing out.

Since the CIF-Southern Section went to the six division competition in 2002, the Hawks have won seven Championships and been runners-up twice. From over 500 high schools in the Section, only Temecula Valley has a better record. LHHS also won CIF Dual Meet Championships in three of the last four seasons, so the Hawks have won seven CIF Championships in the four years that Morales has been a varsity starter. He now has the school record for seven team plus two personal titles.  

 

February 13, 2010

Hawks Are 2010 CIF Division 1 Dual Meet Champions

By DAMIAN CALHOUN, OCVARSITY.COM

The winner of Saturday’s CIF-SS Division I Dual Meet Wrestling Championship match was still undecided after the first seven individual matches between Laguna Hills and Temecula Valley.

All doubt and uncertainty was eliminated after the final seven matches, however.

Top-seeded Laguna Hills, riding the momentum started with a victory at 189 pounds by Logan Evert, went on to defeat second-seeded Temecula Valley, 44-15, to claim the Division I title at Los Alamitos High.

The Hawks closed the match by winning seven consecutive matches. Their previous dual meet titles came in Division II, making this victory that much more special.

“Not that they (Division II titles) weren’t special,” Laguna Hills coach Cliff Jarmie said. “We beat a 24-0 North Torrance team in 2008, but this is Division 1. This is definitely sweeter.”

The Hawks won consecutive Division II titles in 2007 and 2008.

The Hawks can also take pleasure in knowing they earned this title. Temecula Valley recorded a victory by fall at 171 pounds to make the score 17-15, the closest that any team had been to the Hawks all day Saturday.

The finals match started at 130 pounds.

Evert defeated Kayson Kennedy, 7-0, followed by a victory by fall at 215 by James Shoop to give the Hawks a 26-15 lead.

“I thought the kids wrestled great,” Jarmie said. “We battled ….I’m a happy guy right now.”

Noel Molina (285) and Ruben Acevedo (103) both pulled out one-point victories to increase the Hawks’ lead to 32-15. Frankie Arounvong then clinched the title with a victory by fall at 112 pounds.

“We won 11 of 14 (individual matches),” Jarmie said. “That was pretty dominant and satisfying. Our kids had some big matches today. They wrestled strategic, smart matches. You always have to be careful about Temecula (Valley), they’re very tough.”

Laguna Hills jumped out to a 14-0 lead at the start thanks to a technical fall victory by Bobby Morales, a 5-0 decision by Luke Ross and a fall by James Heidenreich.

Temecula Valley’s first victory came at 145 pounds.

The Hawks started the day with a 57-18 victory over Apple Valley and 54-18 over Righetti of Santa Maria to advance to the semifinals where they face Edison.

Laguna Hills defeated Edison, 53-21. It was the second meeting this season between the teams. The Hawks defeated the Chargers, 35-30 in a nonleague dual in December.

 

February 6, 2010

Hawks Win 23rd Consecutive League Title

With champions in 10 of 14 weight classes, Laguna Hills wrestlers again dominated the Pacific Coast League Finals. The victory extended their Orange County record to 23 consecutive league championships, a streak that began in 1988. The team has not lost a single league match in that span.

The Hawks had six first-time league champions and four repeat winners. Senior Bobby Morales, ranked first in California at 130 pounds with a perfect record of 40-0, became the schoolʼs first fourtime league champion. With three more quick pins, Morales now has the school record for most wins and most pins in a varsity career.

Senior Juan Jaime, ranked third in California at 125 pounds, earned his third league championship. He followed a pin with a 22-6 technical fall in the finals over Irvineʼs Matt Lutwen.

Seniors James Shoop (215) and Noel Molina (285) were repeat champions. Shoop edged CDMʼs Nick Delgado 3-1, while Molina pinned Universityʼs Ali Elgohary in only 32 seconds.

The six Hawks on top of the league awards stand for the first time were senior Luke Ross (135), juniors Ruben Acevedo (103), Frankie Arounvong (112) and Blake Lowrie (119), sophomore Jason Newcomer (160), and freshman Wyond Mills (145).

Ross enjoyed a 15-0 tech, a 16-3 major decision and a 6-0 shutout of Irvineʼs Aron Murillo. Acevedo defeated Irvineʼs Nam Tran 11-1 in his finals match, and Arounvong beat Irvineʼs Scott Zane 11-5 in their rematch. Lowrie shut out Irvineʼs Jeff Melgar 7-0 in their finals match, and Newcomer beat Irvineʼs Adam Huey 6-2. Mills also topped an Irvine opponent, Julian Detmer, in a 6-4 decision. The Hawks had two more finalists, runners-up James Heidenreich (140) and Logan Evert (189). Max Viczian (152) and sophomore Jordan Murphy (171) placed third with pins in 35 and 16 seconds respectively. The entire LHHS team will advance to the CIF Coastal Division competition February 19-20 at Whittier High School.

This was the fifth time in the schoolʼs 32 years that Laguna Hills claimed 10 league champions. The school record is 11. Irvine had two champions, and Corona Del Mar and Beckman had one each. Team Scores: 1- Laguna Hills, 251. 2- Irvine, 196.5. 3- Corona Del Mar, 194. 4 - University, 78. 5- Beckman, 66. Three-year old San Juan Hills has not yet developed a wrestling team.

Laguna Hills JV and Freshman teams also won Pacific Coast League championships. The Hawks had 10 JV winners: Colin Helstien (119), Miguel Ramirez (125), Rudy Sanchez (130), Jon Bass (135), Hector Jimenez (145), Michael Ngo (152), Kurtis Bodrogi (160), Patrick Dowell (171), Sean Dougher (189), and Andrew Alcantara (215). 1- LH, 211. 2- Irvine, 135. 3- LH2, 122. 4- Irv.B, 113. 5- Beckman, 28. 6- UNI, 11. 7- CDM, 2.

Eleven LHHS freshman champions were: Alejandro Rosario (98), Austin Sorensen (103), Josh Yoles (112), Robert Lombardo ((119), Hunter Cirino (125), Joe Applegate (130), Andre Cabrera (135), Dakota Woolworth (145), Tristan Lennertz (152), John Borrego (160), and Ryan Denton (189). 1- LH, 214. 2- LH2, 110. 3- Irvine, 106. 4- Beckman, 73. 5- CDM, 61. 6- Irvine2, 36. 7- UNI, 26. 8- CDM2, 21.

Additional freshman medalists in the PCL Finals were: Armin Gooya, 2nd at 103 pounds, Ariel Urbano, 2nd at 125, Alejandro Collazo, 2nd at 130, Jon Clary, 2nd at 135, Alberto Vargas, 2nd at 171, Omar Almandili, 3rd at 112, Ray Cardona, 3rd at 119, Alex Sacharske, 3rd at 130, Jay Preston, 3rd at 145, Joe Marx, 3rd at 152, and David Kellstrom, 4th at 98 pounds.

 

January 23, 2010

Hawks Win Laguna Hills Invitational

The Hawks won the 24-team Laguna Hills Invitational for the 8th consecutive season, earning 256 team points from 13 medalists including champions Frankie Arounvong (112), Blake Lowrie (119), Juan Jaime (125), MVP Bobby Morales (130) and Luke Ross (135).

Frankie Arounvong, one of 8 Hawks ranked in the Top 5 at their weights in Orange County, was the 112- pound champion at the Laguna Hills Wrestling Invitational. LHHS then beat Irvine 58-6 to extend their Orange County record to 23 consecutive league championships. The Hawks cruised through the Pacific Coast League by a combined score of 259 to 30, and they have not lost a league match since 1987.

Blake Lowrie, ranked 2nd in Orange County at 119 pounds, was one of five weight champions for the Hawks as Laguna Hills won its Invitational Tournament. It was the 8th consecutive season that LHHS won the 24-team event. The team is ranked #1 in Orange County for the 4th consecutive year.

 

January 16, 2010

Morales Wins 5 Counties Tournament

 

“Only the Strong Survive” is the motto of the Five Counties Invitational Wrestling Championships. Also called “The Beast in the West”, the tournament is rated as the nationʼs third toughest high school wrestling event. In its 45th year, it attracted Californiaʼs top teams and more than 700 competitors to the Fountain Valley HS gym on Jan. 15-16.

Bobby Morales won the 130-pound championship and the Lower weight MVP award to solidify his ranking as #1 in the state at his weight. Morales was undefeated but seeded third behind two who placed higher than his 7th at last seasonʼs State Championship Tournament. He followed a 15-0 technical fall with pins in only 1:29 and 1:46, then a 12-9 win in the the quarter-finals. In the semis, Morales won a 10-2 major decision over Jorge Barajas of St. Francis HS. With five takedowns, he won a 10-5 victory over Chris Calcagno of Clovis North in the finals. He is only the second Five- Counties champion from Laguna Hills in 32 years of wrestling. Mitch Newcomer was the first last season when junior teammates Morales and Juan Jaime were 5th and 7th.

Now a senior ranked 4th in California, Jaime finished 3rd at 125 pounds. He started with a 21-3 technical fall and major decisions 19-7 and 12-2. In the quarter-finals, he pinned Chris Martinez of Clovis West who placed 5th at State last year -- ahead of Jaime who was 8th.

In the semis, Jaime dropped an 8-4 decision to Gilroyʼs Jesse Delgado who was last yearʼs State Champion at their weight. He rebounded with another win over Martinez, this time 3-2. With just 10 wrestlers in the 14 weight classes, Laguna Hills still finished 11th among the best teams in California (and four from Nevada, one from Colorado).

At 112 pounds, junior Frankie Arounvong was the only other Hawk to go undefeated in his three matches on the first day. He had a pin at 1:09 and wins by 7-1 and then 6-4 over Vince Moita of De La Salle who was 3rd in State last year. At 119 pounds, junior Blake Lowrie won 8-2 and 6-4 before falling 6-3 to Santa Anaʼs Richard Vargas who is now ranked #1 in Orange County.

Luke Ross dropped a 2-1 decision at 135, and James Heidenreich lost to Selmaʼs Nathan Zarate who placed 5th at State last year. Freshman Wyond Mills won 7-5 before running into Desi Rios of Chicoʼs Pleasant Valley HS who was 6th at last seasonʼs State Championships.

Senior Logan Evert enjoyed another quick pin in 27 seconds before falling to San Clementeʼs Preston Quam who placed 4th. James Shoop was edged out 7-5 at 215, and senior teammate Noel Molinaʼs 4-1 win was followed by a loss to Serviteʼs Wyatt Baker who made the finals at heavyweight. The rivals were ranked #1 and #2 in Orange County.

Selma edged Santa Anaʼs Calvary Chapel for the team title, breaking Powayʼs string of five wins. LHHS assistant coach Nathan Morgan was a 2010 inductee into the Five Counties Hall of Fame. He was an undefeated 4-time champion for Bakersfield HS in 2001-04.

 

January 9, 2010

Hawks Repeat at Superchamps

Laguna Hills High School dominated the Super Champs Tournament at Nogales HS again with four individual champions and 13 of 14 starters placing in the top five at their weight. The Hawks earned 326.5 team points for a wide margin of victory. West Covina, 2nd with 201 points, had three champs. Northview, ranked 2nd in Division 1 of the CIF-Southern Section, also had three champs to take 3rd with 194 points.

Bobby Morales (130 pounds), ranked 2nd in California, had five more pins while earning his 3rd tournament championship of the season. He beat Behood Katebian of Thousand Oaks 7-2 in the finals. Morales is undefeated at 27-0, and his 20 pins so far have tied the schoolʼs record at 107 in a varsity career.

Juan Jaime (125), ranked 4th in California, added four pins while earning his 3rd tournament championship of the season. His only loss of the year was to a State qualifier at the Clovis Shoot-Out. He pinned Ryan Thompson of Moorpark in the finals. Jamie and Morales are both top-ranked in the Southern Section, and the seniors have wrestled up a weight until this weekend.

Senior football teammates Noel Molina (heavyweight) and James Shoop (215 pounds) were also individual champions. Molina, undefeated and ranked 4th in the Southern Section, pinned Martin Gonzalez of Montclair in the finals. Shoop followed three first-period pins with a 14-3 major decision over Jesus Vargas of La Puente who was ranked 7th in the Southern Section.

Blake Lowrie, a junior ranked #1 in Orange County, made his 3rd tournament finals of the season. His three pins and 6-5 win in the semi-finals at 119 pounds were followed by his first loss of the year to section-ranked Edward Ruiz of Simi Royal.

Senior James Heidenreich earned his first finals of the season at 140 pounds. He followed a pin with wins by 10-8, 5-1 and 4-3 before losing to Northviewʼs Frank Martinez who is ranked 1st in the section and among the stateʼs best.

Junior Frankie Arounvong recorded three pins and wins by 16-0, 5-3 and 1-0 for 3rd place at 112 pounds. Ruben Acevedo enjoyed three first-period pins, a 19-3 technical fall and a 10-0 major decision for 4th at 103. Freshman Wyond Mills was 4th at 145, losing only 5-4 to West Covinaʼs champion, Brad Ojala. At 189 pounds, Logan Evert earned 4th with four more pins, including three in a minute or less.

Three Hawk starters finished 5th. Luke Ross lost only 3-1 to Moorpark champion Saul Garcia at 135 pounds, Max Viczian had four wins at 152, and sophomore Jason Newcomer returned to action with four wins and a loss by 4-2 to the 160-pound champion, Montclair;s Omar Vega.

Junior Andrew Alcantara used four pins to earn 6th place at 215 pounds, helping a small LH Team 2 to place 25th out of 64 teams. Alex Zhukov (119), Miguel Ramirez (125), Joe Applegate (130), Jon Bass (135), and Hector Jimenez (145) added victories for LH Team 2.

LHHS has finished ahead of 100 other schools in dual matches and tournaments midway through its campaign for a 6th consecutive CIF Division Championship. Ten Hawks are ranked in the Top 5 of their weights in Orange County, and the team is ranked #1 for the 4th consecutive season.

 

December 24, 2009

Laguna Hills Dominates Mann Classic...Again

By DAMIAN CALHOUN, OCVARSITY.COM

Five Laguna Hills wrestlers entered the finals of their respective weight classes at the Mann Classic Friday at CS Fullerton. All of them left with individual championships. Frankie Arounvong (112), Blake Lowrie (119), Juan Jaime (125), Bobby Morales (130) gave the Hawks four consecutive weight titles, and Noel Molina (285) finished the tournament with another. They all posted perfect records, leading LHHS to their fourth consecutive team championship at the tournament. Laguna Hills recorded 295 points with 12 individual place-winners. Atascadero again finished second -- with 188.5 team points and 8 placers. Only 3 of the 64 teams had more than 5 medal winners. There were teams from the counties of Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Kern and Fresno, plus Regis Jesuit from Colorado.

Jaime might have had the toughest finals match when he faced Chris Mecate of Redlands East Valley. It took him all the way to the third overtime period to wrap up the victory. The match was scoreless after regulation and two overtimes before Jaime scored on a reversal in the third overtime for a 2-0 victory. "I prepared myself for this match," Jaime said. "I told myself that I had the tools to beat. I just had to take my time. At the end, I was able to get that bump. I put my hand across his head and I went for it," It was the third time that Jaime had faced Mecate in his career. They had split their first two meetings. Mecate was ranked 1st or 2nd in California rankings, while Jaime was ranked 4th. Jaime also recorded a pin and wins by 18-4, 7-2 and 15-0. Jaime shared lower weight MVP honors with Morales who pinned all five of his opponents. Morales, ranked 2nd or 3rd in California, enjoyed a pin in only 15 seconds in the quarter-finals. He pinned CIF champion Matt Guevara of Citrus Hills in the finals. "I'm pleased with the way theywrestled," Laguna Hills coach Cliff Jarmie said of his team. "Not just winning matches, but a lot of grit coming back ... kids who got in heartbreakers, came right back and wrestled their tails off. That's what it takes."

Arounvong dominated with two pins and wins by 17-0, 12-3 and another tech in the finals over Andrew Mestas of El Modena, Lowrie was equally dominant with a pin and wins by 22-7, 10-2, 11-6, and a 17-2 tech in the finals over Jose Arroyo of Coalinga. Noel Molina followed a 52-second pin with another in 1:07 and a third in 3:12. He won 7-1 in the semi-finals before battling to a 1-0 win over Spencer Smith of Los Alamitos in the heavyweight finals. Molina is ranked 2nd in Orange County. Luke Ross was 3rd at 135 pounds with a pin, a 15-0 technical fall, and wins by 8-1, 5-3, 5-3 and 9-2. His only loss was 5-4 to CIF champion David Meza of Buena Park, ranked #1 in Orange County. Ross is ranked #3 in the county. James Heidenreich was 6th at 140 pounds, freshman Wyond Mills took 6th at 145, James Shoop was 6th with four pins at 215, Max Viczian placed 7th with four pins at 152, Logan Evert was 7th with four pins at 189, and Jose Navarro took 8th at 160.

 

December 19, 2009

JV Wins Villa Park and Magnolia Tourneys

Laguna Hills won the 28-team Villa Park JV Tournament with 217 team points and 12 medalists in the 14 weight classes, including four champions: Abel Ramirez (125), Chris Keh (130), Andrew Alcantara (215), and Aaron Jaime (285).

Four Hawks placed third: Jacob Savage (120), Hector Jimenez (152), Jordan Murphy (160), and Roberto Mejia (189). Patrick Dowell (171) earned 4th, and Jon Bass (135), Rudy Sanchez (140), and Kaveer Kapoor (145) finished 7th.

1-30-10. Laguna Hills sent two teams to the Ocean View JV Tournament, and took second and third with 12 wrestlers placing in the top three at their weight. Five Hawks won championships: Alex Zhukov (119), Chris Keh (130), Brian Gonzales (140), Jordan Murphy (160), and Andrew Alcantara (215).

Four more Hawks made the finals, but placed second: Jacob Savage (120), Jon Bass (135), Roberto Mejia (189), and Aaron Jaime (285). Taking third were: Colin Helstien (119), Rudy Sanchez (140), and Michael Ngo (152).

 

December 5, 2009

Hawks Win Carter Invitational Again

Logan Evert and Juan Jaime (l-r) were two of Laguna Hills High Schoolʼs four individual champions at the Carter Invitational Tournament at Rialto on Dec. 4-5. The Hawks were team champions for the third consecutive season, the best of 40 teams with 255.5 points to 198.5 for runner-up Northview, also a defending CIF Division champion. LHHS had 11 medalists in the 14 weight classes, while Oak Hills had 9, Northview, Canyon Springs, West Covina, Alta Loma and Upland had 7 each. Evert earned the MVP Upper Weight award with four quick pins, including at 1:15 in the 189-pound finals over Gabe Arriola of Hesperia.

Jaime was the MVP Lower Weight for three pins, a 20-4 technical fall, and a 5-1 win in the 130-pound finals over Jacob Depraect of West Covina. The senior who placed 8th in the State Championships last season was wrestling up a weight. Bobby Morales, who placed 7th in the State Championships last season, was equally dominant while wrestling up a weight at 135 pounds. He followed his pins with a 14-5 major decision over Eli Mack of Alta Loma in the finals. Blake Lowrie, a junior starter for the first season, celebrated with the championship at 119 pounds. The 4th seed recorded a pin and decisions by 10-3, 5-4, 5-0 and 6-2 over Northviewʼs Gilbert Nakatani in the finals. After losing 9 starters to graduation, the new Hawks lineup still showed depth with placers at the first 9 weights.

Junior Frankie Arounvong was a finalist at 112 pounds with three pins and an 8-3 win before falling 3-0 in the finals to top-seed Ray Delgado of Oak Hills. Freshman Wyond Mills, the youngest son of 25-year assistant coach Dan Mills, made the finals at 152 pounds after pinning top-seed Brandon Cruz of Upland in the semifinals. Mills lost 4-2 to Northviewʼs #2 seed, Pedro Rodriguez, in the finals.

Other new starters, junior Ruben Acevedo, sophomore Miguel Ramirez, and seniors Luke Ross and James Heidenreich, placed 4th at 103, 3rd at 125, 4th at 140 and 5th at 145 pounds respectively. Andrew Alcantara was 8th at heavyweight, and Jon Bass added a 5th and Erick Montes a 6th for a partial Laguna Hillsʼ Team 2 which was 16th with 75 points.

The Hawks had no wrestler at 215 pounds, but they will have four varsity wrestlers returning from the football team next week. They include CIF heavyweight champion Noel Molina and 215-pound CIF medalist James Shoop, both seniors. Laguna Hills, ranked #1 in Orange County for the third consecutive season, will host OC #6-ranked Edison HS in the 2nd Annual Dinner Duel on Wednesday, Dec. 9th at 6 pm. LHHS is working for their 6th consecutive CIF Division 1 Championship and to extend their Orange County record to 23 consecutive league championships.