Wrestling: Ayres shines for Barons
Before the teams in the Sunset League ever met for a dual meet this year, the buzz was that the 145-pound weight class would be stacked.
There were question marks along the way.
Fountain Valley High’s Karson Ayres, a three-time league champion, needed a successful recovery from an ACL tear. That happened.
Newport Harbor’s Xander Moreno, an exciting junior transfer for the Sailors, dealt with a nagging knee injury. He was good enough to go.
Add Marina’s John McCoy and Huntington Beach’s Josh Harrison to the mix, and the showdown was set for a quartet of very deserving CIF candidates.
But only three could qualify, so there would be high drama, both for the title and the final CIF berth in Thursday night’s Sunset League Finals at Edison High.
At the end of the day, Ayres reigned supreme, king of his craft for a fourth and final time as a league champion.
The Barons senior became the first wrestler in school history to win an individual league title in all four of his seasons. It is a remarkable accomplishment considering the fact that Fountain Valley has produced two Olympians.
“People have been talking about this ever since I won my freshman year,” Ayres said. “It’s just awesome to finally be here.”
Ayres defeated McCoy, 5-3, in the final. It took longer than anyone would have expected, but not because of an anticipated fall. McCoy’s nose bled throughout the match.
By the conclusion, the Vikings stalwart looked as though he were auditioning for the role of Imhotep in “The Mummy,” as he had been taped up on several occasions and was pushing the five-minute limit allowed for bleeding on the mat.
It was a special week for Ayres, who also saw his Barons win a league title as a team when they beat Marina, 32-26, on Tuesday in their dual meet finale.
“That team league championship, keeping the streak alive with No. 6, that’s awesome,” Ayres said. “It means a lot to me because it’s not just our team, but it’s the teams before us.”
“Today, becoming the first four-time league champ, it’s just awesome to have both of those in the same week. It’s a lot of emotion.”
In the third-place match, Moreno found himself down, 3-2, early in the final period before he rallied to extend his season. The junior pinned Harrison with 31 seconds left.
“I get nervous before every match,” Moreno said. “I’d be scared if I wasn’t.”
Asked if he felt his fear was heightened when he trailed in the potential final two minutes of his season, he appeared to agree.
“I told myself, ‘If I don’t pull him down right here, that’s the end of the match.’ I was pretty shocked, actually.”
Harrison recorded the first takedown against Moreno this season, but it was small consolation for not advancing to CIF.
Teammates Michael Craft, DJ Van Oostendorp, and Ethan Zimmerman advanced for Newport.
More highlights were had for Fountain Valley, with brothers Merrick and Jack O’Donnell taking titles in their respective divisions.
In the 126s, Jack saw a rematch of Tuesday’s dual meet against Marina’s T.C. Mizukami. The Barons sophomore fell, 11-10, in their last meeting, but he returned the favor with a 10-3 decision at the league finals.
With Merrick pinning Van Oostendorp early in the first frame of the 182s, Jack can take pride in sharing a memorable league finals with his brother.
“That’s awesome that I got to wrestle with him for my first two years,” Jack said of competing with Merrick. “This is it. We’ve got to make those memories.”
Marina took home the most titles with four. Mike McCoy (106s), Joshua Herrera (113s), Wyatt Been (170s), and Tyler Skidmore (195s) claimed those.
Host Edison won two divisions, with Braden Stubbert (120s) and Garrett Weichman (285s) defending their top-seed designations.
Gustavo Ancona (152s) and Jack Oehling (160s) took the first-place position on the podium for Huntington Beach.
A first time league champion and CIF qualifier, Ancona reversed Fountain Valley’s Trenton Ching in the closing seconds to earn the victory, 10-9.
“I kind of wanted [the season] to be over just so that I could eat,” Ancona joked. “I’m happy to go to CIF. It’s my first time, and we’ll see how far I can make it.”
Championship Matches
106 – Mike McCoy (Mar) maj. John Chandler (FV), 10-1.
113 – Joshua Herrera (Mar) dec. Bryce Nozaki (FV), 4-3.
120 – Braden Stubbert (Ed) pins Michael Craft (NH), 3:00.
126 – Jack O’Donnell (FV) dec. T.C. Mizukami (Mar), 10-3.
132 – Sean Amberry (Los Al) dec. Christian Hernandez (FV), 9-3.
138 – Joseph Pedregon (Los Al) dec. Chanson Ching (FV), 7-5.
145 – Karson Ayres (FV) dec. John McCoy (Mar), 5-3.
152 – Gustavo Ancona (HB) dec. Trenton Ching (FV), 10-9.
160 – Jackson Oehling (HB) pins Jerry Rosales (FV), 2:58.
170 – Wyatt Been (Mar) pins Kainoa Suguitan (Ed), 4:00.
182 – Merrick O’Donnell (FV) pins DJ Van Oostendorp (NH), 0:30.
195 – Tyler Skidmore (Mar) dec. George Sykes (FV), 4-3.
220 – Ethan Bakker (Los Al) pins Phillip Cardoza (FV), 0:51.
285 – Garrett Weichman (Ed) dec. Daniel Escamilla (Mar), 5-4.
Third Place Matches (Winner Qualifies for CIF)
106 – Max Cass (Ed) pins Thomas (HB), 0:46.
113 – Toben Torres (Los Al) dec. Mason Shear (HB), 7-0.
120 – Kobe Kim (Los Al) dec. John Finney (Mar), 2-0.
126 – Hayden Peterson (Ed) pins Neil Happoldt (Los Al), 3:35.
132 – Duke Garcia (Ed) dec. Luke Glover (Mar), 3-2.
138 – Jacob Iida (Ed) dec. Jesus Ortiz (Mar), 9-4.
145 – Xander Moreno (NH) pins Josh Harrison (HB), 5:29.
152 – Cameron Gonzales (Ed) wins by forfeit.
160 – Ethan Zimmerman (NH) dec. Andres Osborne (Los Al), 6-4.
170 – Jacob Taub (FV) pins Miguel Licona (NH), 4:25.
182 – Billy Emery (Mar) dec. Noah Thiel (Los Al), 8-3.
195 – Cullen Murray (Los Al) pins Austin Osumi (NH), 0:58.
220 – Ricardo Alcala (Mar) pins David Crisp (Ed), 3:27.
285 – Ruben Martinez (Los Al) pins Andrew Altamirano (NH), 2:00.
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
