By Ed Piper
La Jolla head coach Kellen Delaney talked straight to 160-pounder Jack Hathaway after his 3-0 win Wed., Jan. 27.
"Jack, you just cost us three points by turning your opponent," he told his wrestler, going on to point out the particular move that lost a potential pin that would have won his team six points instead of the three he got for his 3-0 decision.
Hathaway was fully attentive and looking his coach right in the eye. The one-way exchange took place on the edge of the red home mat, as soon as Hathaway left the center circle after the referee raised his hand to signify his win over Madison's Christian Carrizosa.
But this is what Jack signed up for. He has said he thrives on the support and interaction he participates in in the Viking wrestling program, a group he likens to a brotherhood, gaining mentoring and friendship he hadn't enjoyed anywhere else prior to his entering the program two years ago.
And Delaney and his staff talk straight stuff. Delaney is always mild-mannered and low-key, even as his eyes fairly burn as he calls out commands to his wrestlers in the heat of their matches, sitting alongside assistant coach Ryan Lindenblatt, with assistant Walter Fairley and others standing nearby.
The wrestlers seem to appreciate Delaney's calm demeanor. He's all business, but he means well. He isn't heard qualifying and softening his words, because he seems to believe his grapplers want to hear exactly what he means--not some soft-pedaled pap.
As a result, the Vikings have been able to field a nearly full slate of wrestlers this season, with 12 of the 14 weight classes filled in varsity dual meets. Though host La Jolla lost to the Warhawks, 45-27, there were no heads hung. No whimpering of "woe is me". This is the time they've waited for. This is what they enjoy.
As Lindenblatt called out to one of his wrestlers during a match, "Don't hang your head."
It's all upward from here, as the Vikings look from where they were--not fielding a viable varsity team for most of two seasons--to a newly built core.
Griffin Young starred again at 132 pounds with a pin of Madison's Shane Smith in the second period. Hathaway took away his triumph. In between, Brocke Bonnette pinned Eduardo Gonzales 47 seconds into their 138-pound faceoff.
Jake Harvey, the people's choice with a loud bevy of girl supporters yelling his every move, fought the good fight but went down, 8-5, in a three-period thriller to 152-pound Micah Wells.
In an exhibition, La Jolla's Austin Clerget pinned Nathaniel Loya at the beginning of the meet.
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