CdM transfer out of wrestling competition

Tucker Armstrong, a 130-pound wrestler who transferred to Corona del Mar High from Ohio last month, did not compete at the two-day CIF Southern Section Coastal Division individual tournament, which finished Saturday at Whittier High.

Armstrong’s goal of becoming a CIF State champion has ended due to not competing in one of the two required qualifying postseason events before the state tournament in Bakersfield.

The junior was slated as the section coastal division tournament’s No. 1 seed at 130 pounds after claiming the Pacific Coast League championship on Feb. 7. Armstrong wrestled six times for the Sea Kings, going undefeated.

Paul Orris, the school’s athletic director, said he had no idea on Saturday whether Tucker had been ruled ineligible to wrestle this season by the CIF Southern Section.

“To make sure we did everything right, we worked really closely with CIF, in what we needed to do,” Orris said of making sure Armstrong would be allowed to wrestle for the Sea Kings this season. “They directed us. We filled out the paperwork and they told us what to do.”

Armstrong won a 125-pound Ohio State Division II title last season at Graham High in St. Paris.

Earlier this month, Armstrong said he moved to the area in December to live with his father, Dave, who got a job with an oil company. Armstrong said he enrolled at Corona del Mar in January.

Armstrong made his Sea Kings’ debut at the Raul Huerta Memorial Tournament Jan. 30-31, when he claimed the 135-pound title, beating Poway’s Conrad Snell, 5-2. Snell was, at that time, ranked No. 3 in the state by TheCaliforniaWrestler.com.

Corona del Mar Coach Gary Almquist did not return phone calls.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza