AT A GLANCE

The Proven: The region’s best team is Ventura, which reached the Southern Section Division I team semifinals last season. The Cougars return three section place-winners--Joaquin Real, Bobby Taylor and Justin Rivera. Taylor (171 pounds) finished second at the national age-group Greco-Roman championships last year. . . . Thousand Oaks has won or shared the last three Marmonte League titles. First-year Coach Kerry Lyne has nearly 100 wrestlers daily at practice. Juan Maldonado (130 pounds) is a Marmonte champion and Andy Maldonado and Will Velasquez (152) were league runners-up last season. . . . Only a tie with Royal kept Simi Valley from claiming a three-way share of the title with Thousand Oaks and Agoura for the Marmonte title. The Pioneers return one of the region’s best heavyweights, Dan Kunkes. Kunkes and 215-pounder Ryan Matheson are defending Marmonte champions. . . . Agoura showed it’s up for another title run by tying Thousand Oaks, 34-34, on Thursday. League 189-pound champion Ted Gooch leads the way for the Chargers. . . . Highland has won eight consecutive Golden League titles and is 39-0 in varsity and junior varsity competition since joining the league in 1992. The Bulldogs return four starters, including senior 103-pounder Mike Estrada. Estrada, a Southern Section Masters meet qualifier as a sophomore, has a career record of 113-25 with 64 pins. The bulk of the lineup will consist of members of last season’s junior varsity. Some, however, earned varsity experience last season. Chris Culotta (152 pounds) was 19-2 in spot duty and took third at the San Fernando tournament. . . . Caleb Bautista, second in Division IV at 119, leads Rio Mesa, which is the early favorite to win the Pacific View League. Mike Dominguez is the defending league champion at 215. Coach Todd Stoke hopes Anthony Arrebalo can make an impact at either 103 or 112, two classes the Spartans have struggled. Rio Mesa failed to win a match at 103 pounds. . . . Camarillo, defending Pacific View champion, has had the core of its returning nucleus sliced by either academic ineligibility or lack of interest. Hank Robles, a two-time Southern Section masters meet qualifier, is academically ineligible but Division IV 189-pound champion Ralph Garcia is back.

The Promising: San Marcos has reinstated wrestling, allowing for the reformation of the Channel League. League realignment two seasons ago resulted in the creation of the Pacific View League and a fracturing of the Channel, which was left with three schools--Buena, Dos Pueblos and Ventura--that fielded wrestling teams. Oxnard agreed to temporarily join the three schools to form the Pacific View North, which competed in Division IV. Oxnard is now back in the Pacific View. . . . Fillmore 145-pounder Benny Ibarra is a two-time Frontier League champion but missed last season’s Division V individual finals because of cauliflower ear. He finished third at the Newbury Park tournament last week. . . . Ben Liebeskind, Matt Fleming, Derek Dummit and Wilson Pollock were a combined 100-9 last season for Harvard-Westlake. However, Coach Gary Bairos has struggled to find athletes to compete at 189 pounds and up. . . . Chris Newling of Quartz Hill had his season end prematurely when he broke a leg in a dual meet against Highland last year. He was 24-7 at 152 last season and moves up to 160. . . . Hueneme 215-pounder Ramiro Ruiz missed last year’s Pacific View League finals because of a death in his family, but he won an at-large bid and was able to finish fifth at the Division IV finals.

Fast fact: The Rio Mesa Rotational will be held Dec. 22-23. The tournament will feature some of the top programs in the Western United States.