HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING CITY SECTION FINALS : El Camino Real Wins 5th Championship in 7 Years

The City Section wrestling championship again belongs to El Camino Real High, which hardly outmuscled but outpointed nine other schools Saturday in the section finals at San Fernando High.

The championship is the Conquistadores’ fifth in the past seven years and first under Terry Fischer, who replaced longtime Coach Milt Goffman this season.

El Camino Real finished with 144 points. Canoga Park (134), Bell (122 1/2), defending champion San Fernando (116) and Wilson (97) followed.

Only two El Camino Real wrestlers--Matt Austin (160 pounds) and David Duran (112)--won individual championships. San Fernando and Wilson each claimed a tournament-high three titles, and Canoga Park and Bell each won two.

“This is the ultimate team championship,” Fischer said. “I don’t know if anybody ever won the City championship with only two champions.”

A hold here or a fall there, and the Conquistadores might have had none.

Duran came from behind to defeat Jorge Rodriguez of Fremont, 9-8. Austin trailed Miguel Sotelo of Bell, 6-2, after one period and was on the verge of being pinned before making a dramatic reversal move to record a pin 2 minutes 36 seconds into the match. “I pinned a guy earlier today with that move,” said Austin (35-4), who, like all tournament winners, will advance to the state meet this week in Stockton.

In the two bouts preceding Austin’s win, El Camino Real’s Matt Tuttle, who entered the 145-pound match with a record of 32-3, was upset by Rudy Orona of Wilson, 6-3, and teammate Andy Roth (152) fell behind Wilson’s Pascual Moreno and eventually was pinned in 5:14.

It was the third consecutive City title for Moreno, who was voted the tournament’s most valuable wrestler.

In other matches, San Fernando’s Nate Green (171) defeated Juan Contreras of Chatsworth, 10-4, and teammate Manuel Anaya (130) defeated Jesus Mata of Fremont, 10-4.

The tournament ended on a controversial note when San Fernando heavyweight Gerardo Anaya upset Canoga Park’s Keith Jardine, the defending City champion, 3-2, 1:28 into overtime.

Jardine led, 3-2, but was penalized for stalling with 16 seconds left in the third period and Anaya was awarded a point to send the match into overtime. Anaya was awarded the deciding point when Jardine was penalized for grabbing Anaya’s shirt.