Hoover wrestling falls in attempt to win Rio Hondo League title
Hoover High wrestling had its Rio Hondo League title hopes pinned by San Marino on Tuesday.
SAN MARINO — A regular season full of accomplishments ended Tuesday afternoon for the Hoover High wrestling team with a bit of a reality check.
The Tornadoes entered the final Rio Hondo League dual meet of the season with an opportunity to win the program’s first-ever league crown.
That accomplishment will have to wait for another day, as defending league champion San Marino turned in a truly dominant effort via 58-18 victory.
With the win, the CIF Southern Section Western Division top-ranked Titans improved to 5-0, secured their fourth consecutive league crown and claimed the league’s lone automatic bid to Saturday’s Dual Meet Championships at Long Beach Millikan High.
“We just wanted to come out here and battle and we knew what we were up against,” Hoover Coach Dave Beard said. “It was our best against their best and there’s a difference. We have some of the best wrestlers in the area and they have some of the best wrestlers in the state.”
While the Tornadoes dropped to 11-4 overall and 4-1 in league, there is still much to celebrate.
The team’s second-place finish is the highest in the program’s five-year history and allows Hoover to petition for an at-large berth to the Western Division Dual Meet Championships.
The CIF Southern Section office will announced postseason pairings on Thursday at 1 p.m. Should Hoover be selected, it would mark the first time the program has advanced to the Dual Meet Championships, which begin Saturday at 11 a.m.
“I think we’ve done enough to earn a spot,” Beard said. “I’m a little nervous. We’ll see how it goes.”
As for Tuesday, the Tornadoes’ three victories came without a fight.
Hoover’s Cesar Aviles (113 pounds), Chris White (220) and Azad Markosian (heavyweight) picked up forfeit victories for 18 points.
Outside of those three bouts, San Marino was utterly spectacular.
The Titans allowed only one reversal and one takedown in the other 11 bouts combined. Hoover’s only other points came via escapes or locking-hand violations.
The Tornadoes forfeited at 106 pounds, but picked up a forfeit win at 113 pounds to tie the match early at 6.
From that point on, the Titans won 10 consecutive matches in racing to a 58-6 lead.
Through those 10 bouts, San Marino notched six pins, including a fall in 16 seconds at 160 pounds by Evan Wick, a state fourth-place finisher last season. Wick was one of four state placers wrestling Tuesday for San Marino.
The toughest challenge may have come at 132 pounds, where Hoover’s Jessie Martinez avoided pins in all three rounds in losing to defending state champion Julian Flores, 14-4.
In terms of competitiveness, Hoover’s Allen Melikyan came the closest to winning Tuesday.
The 182-pounder rallied from a 4-1 hole with a reversal and trailed, 5-3, after two rounds. Melikyan picked up an escape to close within, 5-4, but never pulled even in losing by that score to San Marino’s Adrian Liron.
“I wrestled my style of match and did not get pushed around,” Melikyan said. “I wanted to be happy with my performance win or lose. Honestly, I think that guy wanted it a little more.”
Despite a dominant effort, San Marino co-Coach Joe Gallardo thinks Hoover can be competitive, should the Tornadoes nab an at-large berth.
“Our guys really stepped up today with the expectation of Hoover being a good team,” Gallardo said. “They are a good team, they beat La Cañada and we knew they could be a threat. I guess they just brought out the best in us.”
