HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING ROUNDUP : Harvard Regains Grip on the Mission League

It began and ended with a bang. But in between, Harvard-Westlake High delivered a slow and steady pounding to Chaminade in a Mission League wrestling match Thursday night at Chaminade.

Harvard rolled to a 57-9 victory, winning eight of nine bouts while piling up significant point advantages in almost every one. Harvard recorded three victories by forfeit.

The Wolverines (9-2, 3-0 in league play), who manhandled Alemany, 51-18, on Tuesday, appear to be muscling their way back to league supremacy after a two-year hiatus. Harvard won four consecutive league titles from 1989-92. The Wolverines finished third last season.

Even more impressive, the Wolverines wrestled without key starters Brandon Roth (119 pounds), Josh Eisenberg (171), Eugene Chang (125) and Jon Sakoda, all sidelined with injuries.

“We’re just really experienced this year,” said Harvard Coach Lew Roberts, whose lineup includes nine seniors. “Plus, the guys work very hard.”

Yet not always for very long.

The match began with Harvard freshman Eric Myerson (103) pinning freshman Brad Melekian in 45 seconds. Less than an hour later, it ended with Harvard senior heavyweight Hersh Davis-Nitzberg flattening junior Robert Flannery in 47 seconds.

“I just psyched myself up for the match so that I knew I was going to win before I even went in,” said Myerson, who ran his record to 10-8 with four pins. “I always go out with the attitude that I’m going to kill the guy.”

Ditto for Davis-Nitzberg, who lifted Flannery and slammed him to the mat seconds after the opening whistle. Flannery never recovered.

“I think he thought I was going to shoot low,” Davis-Nitzberg said. “But I did a hip throw.”

Davis-Nitzberg, who was voted most valuable wrestler among upper weights at the Whittier tournament last Saturday, has an 11-1 record that includes eight pins.

“I knew they were loaded coming in,” Chaminade Coach Greg Behrens said. “But honestly, getting beat this bad will not affect our kids. They’ll be back.”

Chaminade (3-10, 1-2) managed only one victory (excluding one by forfeit).

In the most-tightly contested bout, senior Will Reeves (189) of Chaminade defeated junior Brian Choi, 7-6, earning the deciding point on an escape maneuver with 12 seconds remaining. Choi trailed, 6-1, after two periods before pulling even with 20 seconds remaining.

Granada Hills 60, Fremont 4--Brothers Viken and Melcon Melkonian pinned their opponents for the Highlanders (11-8, 1-0) in a Central League dual meet.

Melcon (189 pounds) needed only 54 seconds to register his pin. Heavyweight Viken took 5:18. Jeremy Siro (140 pounds) and Joel Whiteman (160 pounds) also pinned their opponents.

Six Granada Hills wrestlers won by forfeit.

Bell 46, Monroe 21--Alfonso Brizuela and William Jackson added to their impressive victory totals, but the Vikings lost eight of 12 weight classes in the Central League match against the defending City Section champions.

Brizuela (22-1), the 1994 City champion at 125 pounds, won his 132-pound match, 13-7.

Jackson (24-3) pinned his opponent at the 1:36 mark of the 173-pound match.