Wrestling: Barons too much for Sailors
Dynasties are not built on the back of a single person.
Hence, it is clear to see why Fountain Valley High’s wrestling program has thrived in recent years.
Top to bottom, the Barons present a competitive lineup, and it was on display in the team’s 63-15 victory over Newport Harbor in a Sunset League dual meet at Fountain Valley High.
In pursuit of their sixth straight league title, the Barons have opened that portion of their schedule with victories over Huntington Beach and the Sailors (6-9, 0-2 in league).
Fountain Valley notched the first 33 points of the match, in what was as much a testament to the team’s discipline as its depth. By meeting their weights across the board, the Barons automatically gained 30 points on five forfeits.
Julian Bayless (113s - decision), Jack O’Donnell (126s – pin), and Colin McGlinchey (132s – pin) scored lower weight wins for Fountain Valley.
Newport Harbor’s first points of the match came from captain Ernesto Martinez (145s). He produced his fourth takedown in the second round, ending his bout against Ian Wilfert at the 3:41 mark.
“He did take some shots, but I tried my best to not get taken down,” Martinez said of his opponent. “I did a pretty good job of that.”
It had been a tough beginning for Martinez this season, but he has come on strong as of late. He said training with Xander Moreno has helped spark his turnaround.
“I’ve been drilling against him in all of our practices, as soon as he joined our team up until now,” Martinez said. “It’s really been helping me a lot.”
“He’s taught me a lot of different moves. He’s pushing me, and I try to push him, but he’s mostly doing the pushing.”
Moreno, a talented junior transfer from Clovis North, was unable to compete on Tuesday evening after sustaining a minor lower body injury in the John Glenn Tournament over the weekend.
With the potential star-studded tilt between Moreno and Fountain Valley’s Karson Ayres sidelined until league finals, the 182s became the main event.
Merrick O’Donnell brought Newport’s DJ Van Oostendorp to the mat after an explosive opening 15 seconds, never giving an inch in a dominating victory. He ended the match in 43 seconds, as Van Oostendorp was unable to escape after the takedown.
“I felt him make a little mistake when he reached up for my head,” the Barons senior said. “I just capitalized on it, and I finished it as fast as I could. I wasn’t going to let him back up. I was going to keep him there.”
It will be a busy week for O’Donnell, who now awaits some top-flight competition in this weekend’s Five Counties Tournament.
“I just didn’t want to waste my gas tank,” O’Donnell added of his quick pin. “It’s going to be a tough tournament. It’s definitely going to show me where I’m at.”
“Hopefully, that is a tournament that I peak at. I feel like I am prepared for it physically and mentally.”
Barons Coach Brad Woodbury was impressed with the aggression that O’Donnell competed with.
“He got him right to his back, so that was a great win,” he said. “[Oostendorp] is a good kid, and I know he didn’t want to end up there, but Merrick wanted it. They’ll wrestle again.”
George Sykes (195s) and Phillip Cardozo (220s) also came away with wins for Fountain Valley.
The other two wins for Newport Harbor were notched by Ethan Zimmerman (160s) and Andrew Altamirano (285s).
Zimmerman went the distance against Trenton Ching, securing a near fall in the final round for a come-from-behind win.
Woodbury offered his compliments to Zimmerman after a hard-fought battle.
“That was a crazy match,” Woodbury said. “[Zimmerman] was starting to throw him. He was head hunting. We had our opportunity. We didn’t take it.”
“That kid wanted it. Trent is ranked in Orange County right now, so he beat a good kid.”
Fountain Valley squares off with Los Alamitos next week, while Newport Harbor will draw Edison.
