By Ed Piper
Kellen Delaney returned to competitive wrestling 15 years after his collegiate career ended. On April 15, 2023, he began competing in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling in the U.S. Open, an event with a Master's division (for older grapplers) in Las Vegas.
The La Jolla High coach greatly enjoyed the experience. He was coached by a friend and teammate on his high school team way back at Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Missouri, Brian Graham.
"I lost my first match," recounted Delaney, who with his wife Brenda has bought a house and settled down in Clairemont as he grows and matures, now age 37. "I led 4-0 in the first period (of two).
"I tried to do things I shouldn't have done. The guy I lost to went to the finals. I lost, 10-5."
A major theme from Kellen's experience in the Open was having a plan and staying within that plan. When he strayed from it, he didn't always have the strength or flexibility he might have had as a younger wrestler to come back.
What was fun was, Delaney was relating this to a reporter in the midst of the Vikings' pizza night at Joe Pace's place in Clairemont. Pace is the father of Noah, All-Eastern League 102-pounder this year as a freshman at La Jolla.
People were taking the prepared rolls of pizza dough, laying it out flat, and affixing sauce, pepperoni, peppers, and the like before setting it in a queue to be cooked in Joe's pizza oven, outside in the backyard. The results were yummy, speaking from personal experience.
There were other features to the Friday evening: Joe was harvesting artichokes from plants on the back hill--he's Sicilian, and artichokes are a big traditional food. The Lakers, a total surprise with their newly-acquired talent to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis (the latter sidelined much of the regular season), were featured on Joe's TV in the backyard bar versus Golden State. They won that series, then subsequently got swept in the NBA Western Conference Finals by Denver.
Back to Delaney: "In my second match, I won 10-2, a tech fall (if you are leading by eight or more points; the mercy rule). I stuck to my plan." This is where he mentioned his former teammate, Brian Graham, coaching him. Brian wrestled for the U.S. national team.
"The third bout, I didn't stay to the game plan. He (his opponent) caught me on my back. He won that, 10-0."
The pizza plan took over. Day 2, Las Vegas, in a succeeding installment.
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