LJ wrestling: Holtville Invitational

By Ed Piper, Jr.

Maria and Francisco Jasso braved a harrowing trip over the summit near Mount Laguna to watch their son Joshua's matches in the Holtville Wrestling Invitational in Imperial Valley.

"We drove to the far left to avoid being blown into other cars," said Maria, sitting with her husband at an outdoor lunch table at Holtville High while Joshua and his La Jolla High teammates made their own sandwiches with lunch meat, pepper cheese, and lettuce Sat., Jan. 28, during a break in competition. Joshua, in his freshman year as a Viking, had already wrestled in four bouts over the two days of the tourney.

Along with gusts of wind up to 50 or more miles per hour on the summit, the Jassos--and the other eight wrestlers, with their four coaches--braved temperatures in the 40's from the recent storm system through Friday evening, when a chilly retreat to a motel in El Centro for coaches took place after the 9 p.m. finish to the first day's pairings. The opening session began at 1 p.m. that afternoon.

It was a grueling yet rewarding regimen over the two days of the enormous annual invitational, in its 54th year in the remote, rural community of Holtville. According to Maureen Strahm, an organizer at Holtville High, 355 wrestlers from 33 schools, including Arizona, trekked to the El Centro-area high school to compete in 14 weight divisions.

During lunch, the La Jolla wrestlers were able to enjoy some down time and regenerate after their demanding schedule. Hosted by Walter Fairley, Jr., a long-time former LJHS administrator and wrestling coach, the informal picnic was characterized by the usual intrasquad banter and kidding.

"Brocke, you'll remember your La Jolla teammates and having lunch at Holtville," jibed one teammate to sophomore Brocke Bonnette. The second-year wrestler, who competes at 154 pounds, is moving with his parents, both former military, to Guam later this year.

Senior Griffin Young, a 140-pounder, was talking about the team's stay Friday night--while the coaches stayed in a motel--at a family home in town nearby. "We had burritos," said the National Merit Scholarship finalist. "They had fresh tortillas." Were they homemade? "I don't know. They were still warm."

"They (the host family) had an L-shaped couch and put inflatable mattresses next to it." Does the family have any chickens or ducks? "They had a bunny. There was fencing outside to hold it." One family hosted 19 wrestlers for the night. Having chickens and other fowl in the backyard is not all that unusual in the Imperial Valley.

The younger Jasso, asked how much he ate of the burrito spread the night before, replied, "I don't like to eat that much." It sounded kind of funny at the time, since Joshua wrestles in the 184-pound weight division. Asked later about it, mom Maria said, "Oh, he doesn't want to go over his weight limit. That's why he's not eating as much."

During the midday munch-down, teenagers reached across the serving table to get mayonnaise, sliced tomatoes, and pickles to adorn their sandwiches with. "Come on, you guys. It's self-serve," said Fairley, himself once a star high school wrestler in San Diego who has been journeying to the Holtville tournament annually for decades. "Eat up."

Meanwhile, junior Elliot Austin, at 128 pounds, wasn't partaking. He was the sole member of the La Jolla nine still alive in the consolation bracket, and had at least one more bout to go.

"I have maybe three more matches to go today," said a somewhat-weary Austin, surveying his chances to come up through the consolation bracket to vie for one of the top places below first place Saturday night, after losing one match in the championship bracket Friday.

Austin ended up being fortunate, making it to the third-place pairing in the finals. He lost, but proudly earned fourth place.

This gained him an honored spot with past Viking wrestlers who have placed in the top six in their respective weight classes, including Juan Sanchez, who attended the tourney for the 21st straight year. He helps coach the La Jolla athletes. He also is able to relive memories of his "Outstanding Wrestler" award in the lower weight classes as a high school senior at 114 pounds in 1999.

Other heralded Vikings include Harry Wilson, a La Jolla assistant coach, Steven Andrews, Jose Dorantes, and Matt Vasquez, all top-six finishers at Holtville in 2013, when La Jolla won the Western League title.

Timmy Cundiff, Eric Gomez, and Vasquez were all top-six in 2012; Jordan Dyer, 2009.