HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING : Calvary Chapel Struggles to First-Day Lead

If defending state champion Santa Ana Calvary Chapel was expecting a little respect at the state wrestling championships, the Eagles were in for a rude awakening.

It was apparent from the outset of the two-day competition, which began Friday at the University of Pacific’s Spanos Center, that Calvary Chapel was not going to have an easy time winning its third consecutive team title.

Although the parochial school leads the competition with 58.5 points, San Jose Independence is close behind with 53. Also in the hunt is Union City James Logan with 43 and San Diego Poway with 39.5.

If there was a match that best illustrates Calvary Chapel’s uphill fight, it would be the 171-pound match between Mike Aguirre and Zdravko Divjak of Poway. Calvary Chapel’s Aguirre was ranked first in Orange County and fourth in the state and took seventh last year in state. But Divjak, who was unranked, hung on for a 6-2 upset victory.

The loss was big for Calvary Chapel, which was counting on Aguirre to reach the finals. In addition to Aguirre, 189-pounder Matt Van Hook was upset by Hemet’s Barney Padgett in the quarterfinal round.