Athletes Find 64-Team Field Challenging

Calvary Chapel senior Josh Saul watched the action on the nine wrestling mats spread over the gym floor at Fountain Valley High Friday.

He could only shake his head at the competition.

“As tournaments go, they say this is the second toughest in the state,” Saul said. “I believe it.”

Saul and more than 600 wrestlers, took to the mats Friday in the first of two days of the 64-team Five Counties Invitational.

Saul and two teammates advanced to the quarterfinals, which start at 10 a.m. today. Saul beat Clint Wallbecker of Clovis, 12-3, in the third round match at 219 pounds.

Said Saul: “I never wrestled that guy [Wallbecker] before in my life. But you can’t take any match lightly. You have to treat every match as its your last. One mistake and you can get beat.”

Take Calvary Chapel’s Arsen Aleksanyan, for instance.

He had a bye in the first round and then breezed though the second round at 164 pounds with a 17-2 victory. Aleksanyan, second seeded and ranked No. 1 in the county, appeared to be on a roll. However, he was upset by Madera’s Noel Perez, 7-4, in the third round.

“This tournament is grueling,” Fountain Valley Coach Mike Provenzano said. “You have an average of seven state finalists competing in each weight class.”

Of the 150 Orange County wrestlers that started the meet, only 18 remain in the championship round.

No. 6 Brethren Christian, led by Pat Cadwallader (seeded second at 144 pounds), had four wrestlers advance, the most of any county school. Mike Simpson (107), Larry Rodriguez (129) and Jarod Bryant joined Cadwallader.

Simpson, ranked No. 1 in the county at 112, will face second-seeded Tony Perez of Santa Ana today in the quarterfinals.

Adam Bones (116) and Mike Bigrigg (193) of Calvary Chapel advanced. Along with Perez, Santa Ana advanced Jose Najera (116) and Jose Leon (123).

Other county wrestlers to advance were Newport Harbor’s Rigo Pinon (123), Irvine’s C.H. Rush (139), Brea Olinda’s Ray Walker (149), El Modena’s Charlie Williams (156), Fountain Valley’s Matt Oden (156), Laguna Hills’ Mike Quesnel (164) Anaheim’s Tim Dye (175).