SOUTHERN SECTION MASTERS WRESTLING MEET : Fifty-Nine From County Will Seek State Berths Today

From league championships to Southern Section individual and team championships, to section dual team titles, to this.

Most of the road leading to the State wrestling championships has been covered. But today’s stop, the Masters meet, is the most critical part of the journey.

Masters competition, where the top eight finishers from each weight class advance to next week’s State finals in Stockton, begins at 9:30 a.m. today at Fountain Valley High. Fifty-nine Orange County wrestlers will vie for State berths in this double-elimination tournament.

The county qualified the most athletes in Division I (29). Recently crowned section team and section dual-team champion El Modena placed Juan Alvarez, Brad Carlson, Chris Jaime, Teak Sato and David Wells and two alternates in today’s meet.

Santa Ana, which finished third in the team competition, advanced Ronald Hernandez, Roger Santiago and Miguel Valencia and fourth-place San Clemente advanced Kevin Burgess, Aaron Greco and John Witting. Two wrestlers from Capistrano Valley, Edison, Mission Viejo, Savanna and Villa Park also earned berths.

Eight local wrestlers compete in Division II, including El Dorado twins Rob and Rich Harvey and Tom Noel. Los Alamitos qualified Marc Albert and Steve Trammel and Katella qualified Chris Marquez and Eric Schirmacher.

Calvary Chapel, with eight representatives in Division III, qualified more than any other team in any division. Only Division II Moreno Valley Canyon Springs and Hemet, which each had five wrestlers qualify, came close to the Eagles’ output.

Of the other 22 Division III competitors from the county, Buena Park (Vince Virgin, Wali Sibrie), Irvine (Justin Meier, Steve Ruiz) and Woodbridge (Tim Lee, Jesse Ghotbi) advanced two wrestlers to Masters.

The county appears strongest in the 171-pound weight class, in which nine wrestlers will compete. There are six heavyweights participating and five each at 130, 135, 145 and 189 pounds.

Finals are scheduled to begin between 4 and 7:30 p.m.

The qualifiers from the county:

DIVISION I 103--Dan Jurado (Magnolia), Roger Santiago (Santa Ana); 119--Randy Bowers (Savanna), Lloyd Coleman (Fountain Valley); 125--Miguel Valencia (Santa Ana), Jason Bress (Orange); 130--Ronald Hernandez (Santa Ana), Teak Sato (El Modena); 135--Juan Alvarez (El Modena), Matt MacFarlain (Villa Park), Mark Ponegalek (Edison); 140--Darryl Christian (Canyon), Alfred Frausto (Edison), David Wells (El Modena); 145--Jeff Barney (Ocean View), Aaron Greco (San Clemente), Chris Jaime (El Modena); 152--Andy Tibbits (Mission Viejo), John Witting (San Clemente); 160--Emer Alarcon (Santa Ana Valley), Alec Laidlaw (Capistrano Valley); 171--Reuben Droughns (Anaheim), Eric Escobedo (Huntington Beach), Sal Guttierez (Savanna), Mike Pope (El Toro), Terry Tuzzolino (Capistrano Valley); 189--Scott Rojo (Mission Viejo); Hwt--Kevin Burgess (San Clemente), Mark Rommel (Villa Park).

DIVISION II 103--Rob Harvey (El Dorado); 112--Rich Harvey (El Dorado); 130--Tom Noel (El Dorado), Chris Marquez (Katella); 135--Richard Meza (Loara); 171--Marc Albert (Los Alamitos); 189--Eric Schirmacher (Katella); Hwt--Steve Trammel (Los Alamitos).

DIVISION III 103--Joe Calavitta (Calvary Chapel); 119--Tim Lee (Woodbridge), Shane Valdez (Calvary Chapel); 125--Justin Meier (Irvine), Dane Valdez (Calvary Chapel); 130--Vince Virgin (Buena Park); 135--Mauricio Mora (Calvary Chapel); 140--Danny Robinson (Calvary Chapel); 145--Josh Holiday (Calvary Chapel), James Stephenson (University); 152--Ed Mosley (Calvary Chapel); 160--Chris Edwards (Newport Harbor), Steve Ruiz (Irvine); 171--Shawn Ghotbi (Tustin), Broc Loza (Trabuco Hills), Matt Van Hook (Calvary Chapel); 189--James Gomez (Century), Jesse Lui (Woodbridge), Charles Wallace (Whittier Christian); Hwt--Jim Ambriz (Saddleback), Wali Sibrie (Buena Park), Mark Zolikoff (Laguna Hills).