El Camino Real Romps to City Wrestling Title

To the surprise of no one, El Camino Real High ran away with the City Section wrestling championships Friday at San Fernando High.

The Conquistadores, who finished with 204 1/2 points, clinched their second City title during the afternoon preliminaries, making the evening finals a mere formality.

“I think every one of our kids had his best match tonight,” El Camino Coach Milton Goffman said. “They peaked at the right time.”

Wilson finished a distant second with 132 1/2 points, and defending City champion San Fernando placed third with 110 1/2.

“We’re not used to finishing out of the money. It’s a strange feeling for us,” said San Fernando Coach Sam DeJohn, whose teams have won the City title six times. “But El Camino did a hell of a job. I think this is the best team Milt has ever put on the mat. Their kids are very disciplined and very tough.”

The Conquistadores placed wrestlers in 10 of the 13 finals and won four individual titles.

El Camino lost its first four final matches before Jason Emard recorded a 7-4 decision against Bobby Jung of Chatsworth in the 138-pound championship.

The Conquistadores’ other titlists were: Jee Kim, who decisioned Franklin’s Jose Chavez, 4-3, in the 154-pound class; Tylyn Cook, who defeated Kurtis McCaskill of Canoga Park, 4-2, with a third-period reversal in the 175-pound class; and Troy Thomas, who escaped for a point with one second left in the third period to edge San Fernando’s Felipe Guerrera, 6-5, in the 191-pound class.

San Fernando, runner-up to El Camino Real in the Valley League this season, won three individual championships: Danny Andrade pinned Chatsworth’s Nigel Stout in 2:22 of the 119-pound final; Sal Duran took a 7-1 decision from Elmer Martinez in the 126-pound class; and Mario Varela defended his 165-pound title with a pin of El Camino Real’s Mike Weiss in 3:05.

Varela was named the most outstanding wrestler of the tournament, which delighted DeJohn.

“I’m proud of that kid. As far as I’m concerned he’s the class of the City,” DeJohn said. “He’s my hope to get a state medal.”