LJ wrestling: Rooney steps up

Viking 106-pound Jack Rooney (black singlet)
grapples with Cathedral's Michael Mistica
early in the opening varsity bout 
Jan. 22 on the Dons' mat.
(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

In the first varsity match of the evening, 106-pound Jack Rooney pinned Michael Mistica of Cathedral Catholic in 3:21.9 as La Jolla won a resounding 58-20 triumph on the Dons' home mat Wed., Jan. 22.

Rooney, a freshman, was still catching his breath as he described his successful fall to a reporter right after stepping off the mat to stand behind the Vikings' row of team chairs on the south side of the cavernous Cathedral gym.

"I saw him (Mistica) leaning back on his hip too much," said the slender but wiry Rooney of his approach in the second two-minute period. "I got a cradle. He broke the cradle.

"I kept putting pressure on him. I got perpendicular..."

The 106-pound La Jolla wrestler trailed 2-1 after the first period (of three scheduled periods). He tied the bout at 2-2 in the second period, then maneuvered for the pin, which the referee called with 38.1 seconds remaining.

Vikings teammates and coaches watch in
rapt attention as the dual meet with
Cathedral Catholic progresses.

Fellow freshman Caden Kestler followed with his own pin in 2:27 in the 113-pound match-up. By the time 126-pound Buzzy Bomberger completed the trifecta with a pin with 12.3 seconds remaining in the final period, La Jolla led the team score by a whopping 42-0, with forfeits already calculated for the entire 14 weight classes.

The final was 58-20, the Vikings' first dual meet victory after three losses, and first win in the Eastern League standings.

"The big win was good for the team," said fifth-year head coach Kellen Delaney afterward. "We didn't perform as well as we would have hoped in two meets (losses at home to Patrick Henry 51-24 Dec. 18 and at Point Loma 60-24 Jan. 15). If you remember, we beat Point Loma by three points last year."