LJ wrestling: Meet story 1/24

Beckler Durst pins Dijonai Bradford (left)

of Crawford in 3:30 in her first of three falls (pins)

on the way to the 137-pound title at the

City Conference Championships Sat., Jan. 24.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla senior Beckler Durst, who moved before her sophomore year from the South in the U.S., conquered the 137-pound bracket at the City Conference Championships Sat., Jan. 24, by pinning Aaliyah Martinez of Point Loma in 56 seconds.

The third-year Viking wrestler's semifinal performance was even briefer. Becca pinned Zoe Diaz Hay of Patrick Henry in a mere 22 seconds, as she continued her recent pattern of aggressiveness starting at the opening whistle. The competition was held at Canyon Hills High.

Durst moved from Georgia two and a half years ago and soon became part of the La Jolla wrestling "family", making quick friends, including with classmate Maddie Quach. The two are a constant presence at meets when they compete and even when they don't compete.

Becca tore her left ear lobe, requiring seven stitches, three weeks ago competing at the "Warriors of the West" girls meet at Clairemont High Jan. 3. Her headgear caused the injury. But that didn't slow her recent momentum.

Maddie Quach (top) placed second at 107 pounds.

Here, she pins Margaret Pryor of Patrick Henry

in 1:24, the first of two falls in a row.

Fellow senior Noah Pace, in his final City Conference Championships of his high school career, reached the title bout in his 122-pound weight division.

The annual tournament, dedicated to the memory of Lincoln wrestler Willie James Jones, Jr., a standout wrestler/valedictorian cut down by random gang violence years ago, comes at the height of the season--just before La Jolla's trip to the Holtville Tournament Jan. 30-31 and the CIF Section championships a week later.

Everything came together for Pace, the slim, blond veteran who takes his glasses off right before each bout. "I saw that he (second round opponent Angel Sardina of Hoover) was front-heavy, because he was putting his hands on the mat. So I knew that I could snap him really easily," the 12th-grader said after his 10-second pin, the fastest this reporter has ever seen.

Back on the girls' side, Quach reached the finals at 107 pounds. Her second fall was the quickest--59 seconds. Of her first-round pin in 1:25, she said, "Choose violence, but legally, obviously. Go hard, go strong, get it done." Quach is so good-natured, she has been coached by Kellen Delaney and others to do what is counter to her "kind" personality off the mat.

La Jolla's Victor Franklin (left) reached the

134-pound championship to place second.

On the way, the Temecula Valley transfer

defeated Abdullah Alshami (above) of

Patrick Henry, 17-2, a tech fall, in the

second round.