Hoover, La Cañada wrestling earn CIF at-large berths

It wasn’t long ago when the Rio Hondo League only had one entrant in the CIF Southern Section Dual Meet Wrestling Championships due to the league’s perceived weakness.

Such a perception doesn’t appear to exist anymore as league runner-up Hoover and third-place finisher La Cañada earned at-large bids to Saturday’s Western Division Championships at Long Beach Millikan High.

The No. 10-ranked Tornadoes (11-4) will face No. 9 Mission Valley League champion Arroyo, while the Spartans (12-7) will take on Suburban League champion and No. 3 seed Mayfair (7-0) at 11 a.m. in the first round of the 16-team, four-round single-day tournament. Rio Hondo League champion San Marino is the division’s top seed.

“It feels good, especially because I was a little nervous about getting an open bid,” Hoover Coach Dave Beard said. “That’s just me, though, and I’m actually really excited to face Arroyo.

“We went to their summer league practices and we’ve been in their tournament for the last couple of years, so it should be good.”

The Tornadoes’ fate was in limbo after they lost, 58-18, to four-time champion San Marino on Tuesday in a match that decided the Rio Hondo League team championship.

Since only league champions are guaranteed postseason spots, there was no certainty Hoover would earn a selection until the pairings were released at 1 p.m. on Thursday by the CIF Southern Section office.

The Tornadoes earned second in league, the program’s highest-ever finish, while earlier defeating league contender La Cañada, 42-27, on Jan. 26 for the first time in program history.

Hoover finished fifth at the Gabrielino Duals, 17th at the tough Shark Tank Invitational and then added another program first when the team captured the Jim Bauer Memorial Tournament at Eastside High on Jan. 16.

Should Hoover secure the program’s first-ever postseason dual meet victory, the squad would then likely face second-seeded Long Beach Millikan (17-1), the Moore League champion and host, at 3 p.m. in the divisional quarterfinals. Millikan opens up against Almont League at-large entrant Montebello (8-4).

“You can’t really complain about the seeding because sooner or later you’re going to face a really outstanding team,” Beard said. “We’re just happy to be included.”

In 2013, outgoing La Cañada Coach Gavin Williams chose not to petition for an at-large bid due to his team’s lack of experience and the overall toughness of the tournament despite his Spartans placing second in league.

Third-year Spartans Coach Justin Luthey decided to apply for an at-large bid this season even though his team finished third in league and the move paid off.

“I thought we had a chance and I talked to some coaches and we submitted a bid,” Luthey said. “I thought our guys were deserving, but I also understand that not everyone gets in. I didn’t get too up, because I knew there was a good chance we wouldn’t get in, but I’m happy we did”

For Luthey, this will be the Spartans third straight trip to the CIF Dual Meet Championships and La Cañada has inched ever closer to notching an elusive win.

The Spartans took an early lead, but were defeated by West Torrance, 49-25, in the first round of the 2014 Division VI Dual Meet Championships at Redondo Union High.

At last season’s tournament, La Cañada lost to Mission League champion Gabrielino, 35-34, in the first round.

This season, the Spartans took third at the Gabrielino Duals, eighth at the Santa Ynez Battle of the Valley Tournament, 11th at the Arroyo Classic, 14th at the Blackwatch Tournament and 17th at the West Coast Classic.

La Cañada’s match-up with Mayfair will feature a showdown between teams representing the only two leagues with three tournament entries.

“We sneaked in so you can’t really complain about who you’re wrestling,” Luthey said. “We know that Mayfair is an excellent team and we’re going to have a great challenge.”

Should La Cañada defeat Mayfair, it would face Del Rio League champion Santa Fe or San Gabriel Valley League at-large entry Warren (17-3) in the quarterfinals.

In last year’s bracket, Downey defeated Rio Hondo League champion San Marino, 33-31, for the title.

While Saturday will mark the end of the team tournament portion of the season, Hoover and La Cañada won’t have much time to rest as the squads will travel to Monrovia on Wednesday for the Rio Hondo League individual wrestling championships.