LJ wrestling at Army Navy

Viking wrestlers take a close-up view of Austin Clerget's

match at Army Navy. (Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

A La Jolla wrestling trip to Army Navy in Carlsbad had its moments:

--Captain Jake Harvey, a 152-pounder, danced to the pre-meet funk music blaring in the academy's gym.

--Coach Kellen Delaney came over to an attendee to ask him what Mexican food he had gotten down the street at Cessy's, the local hole-in-the-wall.

--An Army Navy administrator, dressed in military camouflage, introduced the Senior Night festivities.

--Student cadets, wearing the required khakis and shirt, walked about campus and in the little shopping village near the school while local kids in beachwear hung out, looking at videos on each other's phones.

It was a festive atmosphere as a soccer game concluded just outside the walls of the gym in the school's sports complex. A grandmother of one wrestling cadet, and families of others--their sons receiving a $37,500-per-year education at the military academy--pulled up and were slowly making their way into the Army Navy gym for the meet.

It only costs $22,500 a year if your son doesn't live on campus.

The lone bright spot in the first half of the meet for the Vikings was junior Christophe Naviaux's 11-2 win over Faisal Al-Sulaiman at 145 pounds.

Army Navy competed in the CIF dual meet championships two days later, so the Warriors had several capable wrestlers.

La Jolla is just getting over a recent rash of injuries--a broken toe to Joe Costa--and cases of ringworm. You can't get on the mat if you have an skin infection or rash. Costa traveled to Carlsbad for the meet, but he didn't dress out.

Harvey, before the match, wondered if some of the Viking wrestlers contracted skin issues at the recent tournament at Holtville.

Regarding getting down to weight, the senior said, "You deal with it." Would he weigh more if he wasn't a wrestler who had to maintain a certain weight? "Yeah, I'd be a big boy."

Wrestlers have to meet their weight class's required maximum pounds at weigh-in an hour prior to each meet. But then they're free to eat. Ryan Lindenblatt, one of La Jolla's coaches, said at an earlier meet that often wrestlers need to eat by then, because they have purposely avoided eating so as to make weight.