Tars claim consolation

CORONA DEL MAR — One wrestler called the entire Newport Harbor High team over to the bleachers, where a nearby table displayed awards for the wrestlers and coach.

Each wrestler received a transparent plaque for helping the Sailors win the consolation championship at the Battle by the Bay tournament Saturday.

But one wrestler, Josh George, a 140-pound senior, saw nothing.

As did another, but Eddie Garcia’s wasn’t missing like George’s award. The junior lost his award after Coach Dominic Bulone ordered him and Byron Palafox to compete for it. Not wrestling on a mat, just in a childhood game, rock, paper, scissors, after Garcia and Palafox split time at 135 pounds.

Garcia showed rock, and Palafox wrapped it up with paper.

Garcia frowned before George, who joked that someone swallowed his award because some wrestler must have been hungry after cutting weight.

Bulone then told Garcia and George that he’d get them prizes next week. After all, the two deserved one after hammering out huge pins late to finish undefeated in the tournament and allow Newport Harbor to get revenge by beating University, 42-35, in the consolation final.

The duel wrapped up the two-day, 17-team event at Corona del Mar High in which Western easily won for the second straight year by beating Cypress, 54-24, in the championship match. Western, last year’s CIF Southern Section Division VI champ, boasted four wrestlers with 7-0 records in the tournament, including 112-pound senior Adam Sabene, who said this was just a season-opening warm-up for the Pioneers.

Capistrano Valley edged out Foothill, 37-36, for third place.

Even though the Sailors went 3-0 in their pool Friday and were knocked into the consolation bracket Saturday after losing, 42-39, in the opening round to University, they battled back. Newport Harbor beat Knight of Palmdale, 52-20, ended cross-town rival Corona del Mar’s day earlier than expected by winning, 36-33, and also edged El Toro, 34-32, to reach the final.

“It was a nice way to finish the meet,” Bulone said. “Before we beat [University], I told the guys ‘This is your payback.’ Some of the guys had the same results as the first time [against Uni].”

One exception was Newport Harbor 189-pounder Guillermo Perez, as he left his second encounter bleeding. The referee ejected the University wrestler for biting Perez in the hand early in the match, giving Newport Harbor six points and taking three team points away from University with 10 matches left.

The incident for some wrestlers brought back memories of Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield’s ear in a 1997 boxing bout.

“It hurt so bad,” said Perez, who improved to 7-1 in the tournament. “They disinfected everything.”

So the Sailors kept wrestling. With three matches left and the score close, Bulone advised George and Garcia. The two were scheduled to wrestle back-to-back, with 145-pounder Nathan Dickey going last. Dickey was pinned in the first meeting with University.

“Coach told me that I needed to pin [my guy], or we would lose,” Garcia said. “It was intense because he wouldn’t let me pin him the whole match. I think I tired him out.”

In the third and final period, Garcia recorded the pin to finish 5-0.

George’s pin was smoother, so were most of the handful he recorded during the tournament in which he went 8-0. Before Bulone congratulated George for his stellar performance and praised the efforts of unbeaten heavyweight Cameron Rausch and 215-pounder Aaron Labrano, who only lost once, George asked for one thing after not receiving his prize.

“I want his pens,” said George, referring to the two pens Bulone received for guiding the Sailors to the consolation title.

Coach Gary Almquist believed his Sea Kings were bound for a title, especially after being hosts to the Battle by Bay along with the Sailors for the third straight year.

But as tough as it was to pronounce the tournament’s original name, “Newrona del Marbor,” a combination of the two school names, so was competing without two seniors and three freshmen. The Sea Kings were without 145-pounder Scott Eskew (kidney stone) and 215-pounder Max Prescott (knee) and they had to forfeit three weight classes because three freshmen competed in a tournament at Esperanza.

Still, CdM fought, giving itself a chance to advance to the consolation semifinals after getting knocked out of the winner’s bracket by Cypress, 42-29, in the second round.

In the way, rival Newport Harbor. But with seniors Cole Shepard (130 pounds), Andrew Halladay (160) and Scott Lineback (189) each winning to improve their records to 6-0, the Sea Kings were in the thick of it until Newport Harbor squeaked out a three-point win for the chance to face El Toro.

“Had we had those three boys we would’ve beaten [Newport] Harbor,” said Almquist, referring to the three freshmen who helped the Sea Kings place fourth at the freshmen tournament at Esperanza. “We were supposed to win the tournament and we didn’t.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].