Moreno Is Veteran of Wins

Brian Moreno is literally in a class by himself.

Last year, the 103-pound wrestler from Santa Ana Foothill was one of only three competitors to finish first in the state and the Masters meets, but he was the only sophomore to win a title at either.

Moreno took home both trophies despite having only two years of wrestling experience.

“Most kids that are really good wrestlers that young started wrestling in junior high or even younger,” Foothill Coach Russ Caldwell said.

“I mean, the second year he’s ever wrestled he wins state? I have never heard of a kid winning state after only two years of wrestling. That shows incredible dedication and a lot of natural talent.”

Moreno is ranked eighth nationally at 112 pounds by Win magazine and Wrestling News.

He has a varsity record of 58-4 dating to last year and is 13-0 this season, including a first-place finish at the Huntington Beach Edison tournament on Saturday.

His last loss was to Brett Land of Bakersfield in the Five-Counties tournament in January. It was the only time he has been pinned.

“That was a wake-up call for Brian,” Caldwell said. “Brian wrestled varsity as a freshman, and even then, nobody pinned him. Once that [loss] happened, something in him changed.”

Said Moreno: “I had lost right before that [pin] on points to [eventual tournament winner] Hugo Guzman [of Santa Ana]. When that happened, I got mad. My next match against Land, I was wrestling angry and that’s why he pinned me.

“Since then, I changed the way I wrestle. I just focus on my wrestling and don’t get mad, and that’s been the difference.”

Last year, Moreno enjoyed the anonymity of inexperience. This year, he’s a marked man.

“Nobody knew me last year,” he said. “Yeah, it’s different now.... I’ve got a big target on my back.”

Moreno has moved up to the highly competitive 112-pound class, where his main competitors figure to be Matt Bautista of North Torrance, Steven Saric of Temecula Valley and Ishmael Armendariz of Downey.

Moreno hasn’t had any trouble so far, pinning nine of 13 opponents, including an impressive victory over Anaheim Canyon’s Jeff Labs at Foothill’s 10-way tournament on Dec. 6 ... in the 119-pound weight class.

“Brian hadn’t been seeing much competition [at 112] so I had him wrestle at 119 just to give him a test,” Caldwell said. “Labs took him down in the first round and it was funny. Brian kind of looked confused. But then he shook his head, got focused and pinned [Labs] in the second round.”

Caldwell, however, is reserving judgment on his top wrestler.

“The Reno Tournament of Champions [Friday and Saturday] will be the real test for Brian,” Caldwell said. “If he wins that, then he’s for real.”

But Moreno has been down this road before. After all, he’s a veteran at only 16. “I’ve wrestled the best already,” he said. “Once I get on the mat, it’s all over.”

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Although Downey is not ranked in the top 10, the Vikings are worth keeping an eye on this season.

Downey finished 25-5 last season but surrendered the San Gabriel Valley League title to Downey Warren.

Viking Coach Gordon Weisenburger was still smiling at season’s end because two of his wrestlers, sophomores Armendariz and Gabe Lemus, had each won 50 matches and qualified for the state tournament.

“We were licking our chops when both those kids qualified,” Weisenburger said.

Armendariz took second in the Masters at 103 pounds last season but lost in the first round of state. Lemus placed eighth at the Masters and advanced to the second round of state.

The Vikings, with four other league champions returning in junior Alex Solis (119) and seniors Mark Hernandez (130), Jonathan McDonald (171) and Frank Marquez (heavyweight), are 12-0 in dual meets with victories over Alhambra, Lakewood, Bellflower St. John Bosco -- their first defeat of the Braves in six seasons -- and a 34-32 dual-meet victory over Los Alamitos on Thursday.