La Cañada High wrestling prepares for Coastal championships

It would figure that a week of rest in a physically demanding sport is just what the doctor ordered for the La Cañada High wrestling program.

Yet, Spartans second-year Coach Justin Luthey doesn’t feel the break is what’s best for his team as it prepares for Friday’s opening day of the CIF Southern Section Coastal Division Individual Championships at Lake Elsinore Lakeside High.

In fact, Luthey believes rest equals rust.

“There’s a lot of downtime between the last time we wrestled and CIF and as a coach you’re concerned for your team,” Luthey said. “As coaches, we’re trying to get the league to move the league finals to after the CIF duals. That still allows for rest if you want it, but cuts down on this inactive time.”

Such a proposal won’t be implemented until at least 2016.

In the meanwhile, the Spartans have been practicing on campus and at Alhambra High as they ready to take a slew of eight qualifiers and four alternates to Lakeside High.

Before the team even hit the road, though, the Spartans already suffered a setback as Luthey confirmed that Rio Hondo League 195-pound champion Russell Marki will miss the trip due to a previous school commitment.

“I respect Russell’s decision,” Luthey said. “He’s not an individual guy, anyway. He loves to wrestle for his teammates and never missed a dual meet.”

Marki’s departure means the Spartans now have only two active league champions in sophomore David Vardanian and senior Steve Naldzhyan.

Both enter Friday red hot.

Vardanian is 20-6 this season and 3-0 in the postseason with all wins coming by pin. His latest fall took place in 37 seconds against Gabrielino’s Jose Rodriguez in the Spartans’ tough 35-34 defeat to the Eagles at Long Beach Millikan High on Feb. 7 in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Western Division Dual Meet Championships.

Vardanian also pinned St. Paul’s Noah Ramirez in 46 seconds to win the league title at Monrovia High on Jan. 31.

As for Naldzhyan, the heavyweight didn’t have the benefit of one regular season bout as it took the football player two months to slim down to an acceptable wrestling weight.

Naldzhyan made his debut at league finals and pinned three competitors, including San Marino’s Max Abughazaleh in the finals for the title. Naldzhyan picked up a forfeit victory against Gabrielino.

“I don’t know if we have a guy like last year with Alex Bache or Guillermo Padilla that we expect to advance to Masters,” Luthey said. “I think we have three or four guys capable of doing that, though.”

A wrestler at the Costal Division finals will need to finish in the top five to advance to the CIF-SS Masters Meet at Ontario’s Citizens Bank Arena on Feb. 27.

One wrestler who may very well make a splash is senior Jesse Leamon (17-2).

The 138-pounder did not participate at league finals due to an injury, but was voted as a league representative by the league coaches.

Leamon did see action against Gabrielino and defeated Zachary Lopez, 4-2.

The Spartans have a pair of league runner-up finishers in Andrew Aghadjanians and Daniel Badie.

Aghadjanians, champion of the Eagle Rock Tournament, enters with an 18-13 record with one defeat being a second-round pin to San Marino’s Isaiah Mora in the 120-pound league final.

As for Badie, the senior showed grit at the dual meet championships in defeating Gabrielino’s Kent Gallegos, 8-0, while Badie battled through a wrist injury.

A week earlier, Badie (23-5) was unable to finish the league’s 182-pound final versus San Marino’s Tino Maese.

La Cañada has three league third-place finishers competing in 106-pounder Jacob Barsom (14-14), 126-pounder Tim Skaggs (8-12) and 160-pounder Chris Harb (20-11).

Luthey is also bringing league forth-place alternates in 113-pounder Lucian Ishibashi, 145-pounder Rodrigo Torres, 152-pounder Jared Garcia and 170-pounder Ryan Loveless.