Villa Park Doesn’t Fold Under Pressure

After finishing a surprising second at the El Dorado tournament last weekend, Villa Park, ranked second in the county, was tested again Wednesday against Temecula Valley.

Although the Spartans won seven matches, Temecula Valley, the defending Southern Section Division I champion, prevailed, 36-25.

“I think it shows a lot for our kids,” Villa Park Coach Steve Stewart said. “To come into Temecula Valley’s gym and win seven matches. . . . It’s a tough place to wrestle with the size of the crowd and noise. We weren’t able to get some big wins, but I’m very proud of this team.”

Villa Park had impressive victories by Willie Parks, ranked first in the county at 152 pounds, and Tommy Peralta, ranked second at 112 pounds. But the 119-pound match between Spartan Doug Yadon and Temecula Valley’s Tyler Moran provided the evening’s biggest excitement.

Moran, a state finalist, defeated Yadon, a junior who took third at the Southern Section Division I finals last year and is ranked first in Orange County, 1-0.

“It was a great match,” Stewart said. “It was two great wrestlers going at it. There were a couple of questionable calls by the refs, but that’s the way it goes.’

Stewart welcomes the chance to wrestle the top teams.

“[Temecula Valley Coach] Arnold Alpert is a good friend of mine,” he said. “We wrestled together at Esperanza. So when we had the chance to schedule a dual match between each other, we jumped at the chance.”

For Stewart, the tougher the opponent the better.

“You can’t run with the big dogs unless you schedule them,” Stewart said. “Besides, my wrestlers would rather wrestle in a contest than go to practice. The matches are way easier than a regular workout. So when they compete, it’s like getting a day off.”

HONORING PENA

The 13th Vaquero Classic tournament, scheduled Saturday at Irvine High, has changed its name to the Andrew Pena Classic, Irvine Coach John Phillips said.

Pena, who wrestled at Irvine from 1994 to 1997, was a three-time Sea View League champion and won the Southern Section Division III title at 119 pounds when he was a sophomore.

Pena died in February after suffering a brain aneurysm. At the time of his death, Pena was a sophomore at San Francisco State, where he also wrestled.

“I can’t think of a better way to honor Andrew than naming our tournament after him,” Phillips said. “He loved the sport. He was a great kid who was going to go a long way in life.”

LIKE A ROLLING STONE

Calvary Chapel’s wrestling schedule looks more like a rock band’s tour.

The Eagles open their season today at the Clovis Shootout at Fresno Clovis West High. They travel to Temecula Valley on Dec. 17 for a dual meet, then leave the next day for the Tournament of Champions in Reno.

On Jan. 5, the Eagles hit the road for Norfolk, Va., to compete in the Virginia Duals. On Jan. 28, they’re on the road again for the Moreno Valley Canyon Springs tournament.

“The kids get really excited about these trips,” Eagle Coach John Azevedo said. “It’s nice to get out of the state and wrestle against teams you’ve never gone up against.”

Of Calvary Chapel’s seven scheduled events, two are dual meets. The rest are tournaments.

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