Ruling, Loss Spoil Day for Aztecs

For Esperanza Coach Steve Marshall, the Southern Section Division II Dual Meet Championship final was bittersweet.

Just to be in the finals against defending champion Temecula Valley was pleasing to Esperanza.

That and the fact that the Aztecs defeated Irvine to reach finals.

So what was more painful? The Aztecs’ 35-21 loss to host Temecula Valley or a controversial call in the 171-pound match?

The Aztecs were ahead, 21-20, going into the 171-pound match. Marshall thought his wrestler, Matt Steinmeyer, would have little trouble against Tyler Winslow.

But Winslow used a headlock on Steinmeyer to get a takedown in the first minute of the match. Steinmeyer passed out for a brief second and the referee determined the hold was legal, giving Steinmeyer an injury default and Winslow the victory.

“He clearly passed out because he appears to have been choked,” Marshall said. “And it says in the rule book, if a hold causes stoppage of breathing, then it is illegal.”

Marshall said when the referee stopped the match, he immediately ran to ask the referee why he did so.

“He [referee] told me he [Steinmeyer] blacked out. I asked him why he passed out and he said it looks like he was choked. If that’s so, we should have gotten the points and won that match,” Marshall said.

“The last thing I want to do is take anything away from Temecula Valley. They deserve to be champions. But I think we should have gotten those points. And who knows, it might have turned out differently,” Marshall said.

Marshall said he plans to file a protest next week.

Up until the 171-pound match, the meet was close.

Esperanza’s Jeff Schmidt defeated Justin Perryman, 5-2, at 103 pounds. But Temecula Valley followed with four victories from 112 through 130 pounds.

But when it seemed Temecula Valley had the upper hand, the Aztecs came back. Scott Grigoruk pinned Ryan Kane in 3 minutes 21 seconds in the 135-pound match. Noah Culp beat Sean Burg at 140 pounds, 11-1, and Tyler Monson defeated Jason Rienford at 145 pounds, 16-1.

Esperanza used those victories to lead, 18-16, going into the 152-pound match. But Temecula Valley’s Adam Mejia defeated Mike Novell, 11-2, to take the lead briefly before Esperanza’s Jamie Smith put his team back in front with a 1-0 decision over Adam Kutchuk at 160 pounds.

After the 171-pound match, Temecula Valley won the last three matches. However, when Steinmeyer lost, it appeared Esperanza had lost all its momentum when Steinmeyer lost.

In Division III:

Santa Ana falls in semifinals--Santa Ana lost in the semifinals to Riverside Norte Vista, 34-28. The turning point of the meet was at 145 pounds, when Octavio Oliveres held a one-point lead, but gave up a reversal with five seconds remaining.

Laguna Hills defeated Chino Don Lugo in the first round, but fell in the second round. Troy lost in the first round to Alta Loma.

In Division IV:

Santiago falls in semifinals--After winning two blowout matches, Santiago lost to Palmdale Highland, 37-29, in the semifinals. Santiago defeated Webb, 80-0, in the first round and pounded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 68-6, in the quarterfinals.

Santiago’s Jimmy Ruvalcaba (119) improved his record to 42-0 with three victories and Carlos Garcia (145) improved to 40-2 with three pins.