LJ wrestling: Elliot the untouchable

Elliot Austin (in "Vikings" singlet) just before he
pins Wyatt Miller of Santana in the quarterfinals.
(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

After the opening handshake, Elliot Austin went on the attack immediately. At 132 pounds, the La Jolla senior is ripped. He has maintained the same wrestling weight he competed at a year ago.

His opponent in the quarterfinals of the Mira Mesa tournament, Wyatt Miller from Santana High, was defending against being pinned from the first moments of the bout. Austin, who practiced karate for six years starting as an elementary school student, made quick work of Miller, pinning him in one minute, 36 seconds.

It is the Briton's lightning quick moves that make him electric. The Viking captain tore through the 30th Annual Marauder Invitational Sat., Dec. 9, in his weight class, pinning all four opponents on his way to the tournament title.

In the semifinals, if you didn't keep your attention on his matchup, you would have missed the magic. Austin, who took up wrestling when he entered La Jolla High as a ninth-grader three years ago, pinned a defenseless Andy Nguyen from Mira Mesa in a mere 42 seconds in the first period.

"I see growth and improvement in Elliot every week," said Viking head coach Kellen Delaney, midway through Austin's march to the championship. "He is totally focused. He likes the sport. I think he could go on to wrestle in college."

Austin moved with his family to the United States from England. He maintains a fierce pride in his British background. He has fought to keep his distinctive British accent, while his younger brother has taken the assimilation route to blend in.

At the Marauder tournament, La Jolla fielded a team of six athletes: senior Christophe Naviaux at 170 pounds, sophomore Hunter Gilbert (138), sophomore Colton Westwood (152), sophomore Joshua Jasso (195), and junior Isaiah Torres (220), in addition to the assassin Austin.

Looking ahead, Delaney commented, "With the present group of sophomores, in two years they'll be seniors. Then we will have a (full) team." Viking coaches, including La Jolla trainer Ryan Lennard, a close friend of Delaney's, have been investing heart and soul into the La Jolla youth wrestling program to introduce and cultivate young athletes in the sport.