Youth Scene: Muchnick a champion

Justin Muchnick, a Harbor Day School seventh-grader, won the championship in the 98-pound weight class at the California Age Group Wrestling Assn. tournament at Santa Ana High this past weekend.

Muchnick, 12, was one of two champions for the Corona del Mar Sharks Wrestling Club.

Chris Camarillo, 12, who attends Corona del Mar Intermediate, earned third place in the 98-pound division.

Muchnick battled against a tough, undefeated opponent in a grueling final match, which saw Muchnick gutting out a 2-1 victory to win the championship.

Camarillo showed his skill and intensity in winning his first two matches before falling in the semifinals.

Coaches Ric Camarillo and Mitch Wexler, who run the Sharks wrestling program, provided support to their wrestlers.

— Reader submission

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Downing wins tennis tournament

Chaz Downing, a seventh grader at Corona del Mar Middle School, captured the Copper Bowl tennis title over the weekend in Tucson, Ariz.

The Copper Bowl is an United States Tennis Assn. regional tournament. Downing was unseeded in the boys’ 14 singles draw, but he beat top-seeded Gregory Anderson of Tucson, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the semifinals before dispatching No. 3-seeded Max Schell of Goodyear, Ariz., 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, in the final.

Anderson is ranked No. 35 nationally in boys’ 14s, and Schell is No. 78.

— Matt Szabo

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CdM starts out at 3-0

The Corona del Mar eighth-grade boys’ basketball team went 3-0 halfway through the Coastal Athletic League season.

The CdM boys started out in first place with a big comeback win over Sowers, 44-43.

After two strong performances to open the season, 43-18, over Dwyer and, 42-13, over TeWinkle, the Seaweeds headed into the showdown with last year’s defending league champion Sowers with something to prove.

However, the CdM team started the game very slow and fell behind 13 points at halftime. With nothing falling for the Seaweeds, they trailed by as many as 12 points with four minutes to go in the final period.

A furious comeback led by the stout defense of Ryan Stone, Brett Greenlee, Ben Humphreys, Max Kline and Kevin Fults culminated with key three-pointers from Stone and Humphreys in the final minutes and converted big steals from Kline, Humphreys and Greenlee to tie the game with 32 seconds to go. Fults grabbed a big rebound off a Sowers miss and hit one of two free throws to seal the game in the final seconds.

Harrison Carter, Austin Ridge, Logan Miller, Parker Chase, Augie Miller, Trevor Schwartz, Hagen Truninger and Chad Redfearn all played roles in the big win over Sowers who had won the last two meetings dating to last season.

The CdM team is coached by Scott Stucki.

— Reader submission