It’s all on the line
The week ahead will decide a lot.
By next Thursday, a wave of wrestlers will have punched their ticket to the CIF Southern Section Individual Championships.
It all begins with the Pacific Coast League Finals, which will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning at Irvine High.
The host Vaqueros figure to have a big showing after they went undefeated in league dual meets.
Corona del Mar’s lone league victory came against Northwood, but don’t count the Sea Kings out of the running when it comes to sending some wrestlers to CIF.
After the weekend, the heat gets turned up in the Sunset League. The team title will be on the line when Fountain Valley visits Marina on Tuesday.
The five-time defending league champion Barons will be the favorite again, although both teams will enter the matchup undefeated in their league competitions.
No rest will be afforded to the weary, as the Sunset League Finals will take place two days later at Edison High.
The top three wrestlers in each weight class will advance to CIF.
Newport Harbor’s Xander Moreno has been inactive due to a knee injury for most of January. He was good enough to go against Huntington Beach, but he sat out Wednesday versus Marina.
The talented 145-pounder has monitored his health carefully, but he must compete in the league finals to participate in the postseason meets.
With both Moreno and Fountain Valley’s Karson Ayres in the 145s, it has been thought that Marina’s John McCoy will attempt to compete in the 138s.
Vikings Coach Chris Rasmussen said that remains a “realistic possibility,” but it’s far from a given.
“The kids are going to have to do a lot of weight cutting between now and Tuesday of next week,” he said. “It’s very difficult for the guys to do.”
“Weights are always up in the air, but the lineup that we wrestled [on Wednesday against Newport Harbor] is the same lineup that we have wrestled all year.”
League weight titles and a berth in CIF aside, there will be more on the line for some when their league championships convene. The meet represents a chance to avenge defeats suffered during their regular-season dual meets.
Newport Harbor’s DJ Van Oostendorp hopes that is the case the next time he meets Fountain Valley’s Merrick O’Donnell in the 182s.
O’Donnell made quick work of the Sailors senior in their earlier meeting, pinning Van Oostendorp in 43 seconds.
“He caught me in a mistake, and he just capitalized right off it,” Van Oostendorp said of the earlier bout. “Next time I see him at league finals, it’s going to be a whole different story.”
Van Oostendorp is performing at a high level recently. He won by major decision in his match against Marina on Wednesday. Over the weekend, he won the 182s in the Segerstrom Tournament. He had two pins and a technical fall for his three victories.
Upcoming League Finals
Saturday, Jan. 28 – Pacific Coast League Finals, at Irvine High, 10 a.m.
Thursday, Feb. 2 – Sunset League Finals, at Edison High, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 7 – Orange Coast League Finals, at Estancia High, noon.
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Golden West League Finals, at Santa Ana High
May the hottest team win
In-city ice hockey rivals Edison and Huntington Beach are screaming toward the playoffs.
It’s a good time for the teams to be streaking, as the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League Division 3 playoffs enter all of the league’s teams into a single-elimination tournament.
Edison (9-2-0-1, 28 points) shut out Santa Margarita, 5-0, for its third win in a row and fourth in its last five. Ryan Osterkamp had a hat-trick, with Jake Gealy and Ethan Jones notching the other goals.
Savannah Gutierrez recorded the shutout, although the Chargers’ defense made sure she had limited work to do.
Huntington Beach mirrored Edison’s feat, blanking Long Beach Prep, 4-0. Josh Marin made 27 saves for the Oilers (4-7-1-0, 14 points).
Andrew Stapleton, Noah Gealy, Tommy Lang, and Nick Andruss scored in the victory.
The Oilers have won three straight games. They have won five or their last seven after beginning the season on a five-game losing streak.
Edison and Huntington Beach will face off on Feb. 11 at The Rinks Lakewood Ice.
Saturday features Santa Margarita (6-5-0-1, 19 points) at Huntington Beach, at The Rinks Anaheim Ice, noon.
