Agoura’s Burns Is Trying for Section Title This Time : High school wrestling: Marmonte League champion, at 171 pounds, not hampered by injuries as he was last season.

Senior Sean Burns of Agoura High will place his 171-pound body on the mat and his 36-0 record on the line today when the Southern Section Division I wrestling finals begin at El Monte High.

The two-day tournament, including 63 wrestlers from Marmonte and Channel league schools among a field of 351 entries, begins at 3 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude Saturday at 9:30 p.m.

The Division IV finals, including 43 area wrestlers among 90 entries, will take place at Glenn High in Norwalk following an identical schedule.

Burns, a three-time Marmonte League champion with 20 pins this season, is seeded first among 27 competitors in his weight class. Burns has placed first at the Newbury Park, Schurr, Quartz Hill and Alemany tournaments.

Last week, Burns defeated Camarillo’s Darren Hatch, 7-0, for the league title. The result was typical: Burns has not been scored upon in 31 bouts.

Burns missed most of last season because of injuries, but still managed to advance to the second round of the Southern Section finals.

“I think I would have won the Southern Section championship if I wasn’t injured,” Burns said. “Because the guy who won it, I know I can beat him this year.”

He won’t have the chance. Eric Escobedo of Huntington Beach, last season’s 171-pound champion as a sophomore, will compete at 160 pounds this weekend.

Burns will be joined by 12 other Marmonte League champions and 10 area champions from Channel League schools.

Marmonte League members include: Jerry Escoto of Channel Islands (103), Ray Estrada of Channel Islands (112), Chad Payne of Agoura (119), Cisco Gerardo of Simi Valley (125), Joe Chavoya of Channel Islands (130), Fred Birckhead of Thousand Oaks (135), Tim Bonebright of Thousand Oaks (140), Matt Stump of Camarillo (145), Darren Genstil of Newbury Park (152), Roy Oliver of Newbury Park (160), Andy Crips of Westlake (189) and Jason Labarthe of Westlake (heavyweight).

Channel League champions include: Mike Roman of Oxnard (103), Ernie Nunez of Hueneme (112), Bobby Roman of Oxnard (125), Jay Proffitt of Ventura (130), Jason Carmody of Ventura (135), Justin Jackson of Ventura (145), Tom Nelpord of Rio Mesa (152), Mario Corona of Oxnard (160), Robert Magina of Hueneme (171), and Sean Burdick of Ventura (heavyweight).

Top wrestlers in the Division IV finals include: Mission League champions James Castaneda (109) and Willie Arreola (152) of Alemany, David Rauser (119) and Tom Hyung of Chaminade (145), and Cameron Reilly of Harvard-Westlake (140).

Mark Farris of Antelope Valley, 36-4, is the Golden League’s champion at 160 pounds.