Calvary Chapel Wins Seventh Title, Breaks Scoring Record

Records fell Saturday night as Calvary Chapel won its seventh state wrestling title in front of an announced crowd of 6,433 at University of Pacific’s Spanos Center.

Advancing a school-record four wrestlers to finals--with three winning individual titles--the Eagles scored a record 170 points, 26.5 more than their score from last year.

Calvary Chapel and Clovis each had won six state titles going into the two-day meet.

“We had a team meeting after we ate Friday night and then we prayed,” Azevedo said. “The rest was up to the Lord.”

Calvary Chapel had the title by the end of the semifinals, piling up 152 points and dashing any hopes second-place Bakersfield might have had of catching up.

“I think we just put it away,” Azevedo said after Eagle wrestler Conan Williams defeated Wyatt Howard of Santa Ana in a 189-pound semifinal, 7-0. “We’ve never had four in the finals. I guess I’d have to call this the best team I’ve ever taken to state, and I’ve had some good teams.”

Bakersfield finished with 129 points, Vista Rancho Buena Vista was third with 85 and Poway was fourth with 84.5.

Senior Anthony Rodriquez started Calvary Chapel’s run, winning the 112-pound championship match with a single-leg takedown in the last 20 seconds to beat Logan Ingram of Clovis Buchanan, 4-3.

“This is the third time I’ve wrestled him and the third time I’ve beat him, but he’s a competitor and he came out hard today,” Rodriquez said. “I’ve been working four years for this. My goal has been to make it to state and win a state title for myself and my family.”

Steve Esparza’s 130-pound match was equally exciting. The Calvary Chapel senior was down 2-1 with 15 seconds left but managed to pull out an 8-3 victory over Andy Kim of Poway.

“It’s called a mixer,” Esparza said. “It’s my favorite move. I work on it 10 minutes every day.”

The mixer was Esparza’s savior as he caught Kim going one way, which created an opening for him to take him down and score six points in 13 seconds.

“He’s a solid wrestler,” Esparza said. “And he seemed even more solid than the other times I wrestled him. But I worked hard for this.”

Williams gave the Eagles their third gold medal in another tight match, beating defending state champion Chris Lopez of Covina Northview, 3-2, in double overtime.

“I can’t describe the feeling,” said Williams, grimacing in pain because of a dislocated shoulder. “But the feeling of winning is indescribable. I’ve wanted this since I was a little boy.”

The match was decided by Williams breaking away from Lopez, who needed to ride out the Eagle senior for 30 seconds.

Williams had pinned Lopez last week at Masters.

“I knew it was going to be a different match,” Williams said. “I knew he would come out for me.”

Calvary Chapel’s Willie Parks almost pulled out a victory but Ryan Halsey of Oceanside Buena Vista scored on a reverse in the last 10 seconds to win, 8-5, in the 171-pound final.

Other state champions were Gerrard Contreras (103 pounds) of Buchanan; Darrell Vasquez (119) of Bakersfield; Tommy Vargas (125) of San Bernardino Pacific; Juan Mora (135) of Vista Rancho Buena Vista; Miguel Gutierrez (145) of Bakersfield Foothill; Sean Sheets (152) of Bakersfield Centennial; Kenneth Cook (160) of American; Kennett (215) of Lakewood Mayfair and heavyweight Lionel Apeniru of Barstow.

Besides the championship finals, the Eagles also had four wrestlers place: senior Frank Gill (135), fourth; Mario Estrada (103), fifth; John Jackson (125), fifth, and Joe Williams (160), fifth.

Brian LaMay of Capistrano Valley, who was ranked first in the county for most of the season, held off Dustin Tillman of Fremont American to win, 5-4, in the third-place match at 145. LaMay lost in the semifinals to Keith Kroeger of El Cajon Granite Hills, 6-4.

Masters champion Frank Richmond of Kennedy never lost control of his third-place 152-pound match, beating Poway’s Matt Cook, 7-2.