West Torrance Takes 2nd in 3-A Wrestling Tourney

The West Torrance High School wrestlers have a odd ritual after they win a match. They kiss Coach Kent Wyatt’s gray eelskin cowboy boots for luck.

After some early-round disappointments Friday in the California Interscholastic Federation 3-A wrestling tournament at Valencia High, the Warriors weren’t doing much smooching.

Fortunately for West, Saturday was a different story. The Warriors rebounded to finish second with 123 1/2 points to 135 1/2 for Victor Valley.

It was the highest West had finished in a CIF tournament since 1976, when it also was second.

“It was like a roller-coaster ride,” Wyatt said. “Yesterday we were at the bottom, but we rode it back up to the top and got off.”

The Warriors’ championship hopes faded Friday when West, the No. 1-ranked team, slipped to seventh place. Victor Valley, ranked No. 2 before the tournament, had three wrestlers make it to Saturday’s finals.

“I can go home with second place with no second thoughts about the season,” said Wyatt, who had 12 wrestlers entered in the CIF meet. “I’m very pleased with it because we wrestled to the best of our capacity.”

On Saturday, the Warriors had six wrestlers in the consolation bracket and only one in the finals--senior 105-pounder Steve Lee.

But after winning three matches, Lee was pinned in the division final with nine seconds remaining in the second period.

Perhaps one of the biggest upsets of the tournament was when West heavyweight Josh Gormley was defeated Friday in the championship semifinals by Walnut’s Jason Wall, 4-2. Gormley, a favorite to win the division, finished fifth.

The top five finishers in each division qualified for the Masters Meet next weekend. Besides Lee and Gormley, West will send four wrestlers to the Masters: David Ishii (112), who finished fifth; Scott Herman (132), who finished fifth; Demian Botero (145), who finished third; and Dan Chaney (175), who finished third.

But after Friday it looked like West would have just one advance.

“I wish I could explain yesterday,” Wyatt said. “It was disappointing. We could have folded our tents after yesterday, but we didn’t.”

West won 18 matches Saturday, including 10 of 12 in the second and third consolation rounds.