Viking Matisse Pickett, at 113 pounds (far left),
defeated Dillon Canley of Canyon Hills (far right),
15-14, in three periods as La Jolla marched to the
league title with a dominating 57-24 win Wed.,
Jan. 18 on Senior Night.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Charles Dickens
Well, things are getting pretty good, as La Jolla's wrestling team steam-rolled its way to the Eastern League title with a momentous 57-24 victory over visiting Canyon Hills on Senior Night Wed., Jan. 18, in the Big Gym.
A decent crowd was in attendance, and alumni wrestlers and friends were hanging out behind the Viking bench. A celebratory atmosphere was definitely in the air.
After offseason work and trouble-shooting, and preseason and in-season hard work and navigating what has been left of the COVID hangover from 2020-2022--with its five-day quarantine and testing rule-- combined with a nasty cold/flu season that puts people down but not out the way COVID does, Coach Kellen Delaney's program returned to some of the glory it enjoyed earlier in the 2010's with the likes of Timmy Cundiff and Joshua Jasso, the latter who was in attendance enjoying the festivities.
Nerva Mugisha (120), on top, thoroughly munched
Canyon Hills' Andrew Buck (face grimacing,
center) in a 42-second pin right
after Pickett's win.
The people's choices during the long, nine-match exhibition part of the program which preceded the official dual meet against the Rattlers included Ari Katzenellenbogen and Axel Sanchez. Ari, gaining in experience but urged on even more as he caught his teammates' enthusiasm and support, pinned his Canyon Hills opponent with 38.5 seconds in the third period to the cheers of fellow Vikings.
Then, in the next bout, Axel likewise angled his body and did enough of what he has learned already in the Viking team room to pin his dogged opponent--with 1:05 left in the second period.
In the official part of the night's event, Viking 113-pounder Matisse Pickett hung in there through a full three-period match, trailing at different points to Dillon Canley of Canyon Hills. She came out with a classic 15-14 win in "girl-beats-boy" fashion that got a roar and will live in the annals of Black-and-Red wrestling lore.
Workhorses Gustav Rinaldi (160) and Jax Espinosa (158) recorded their own crowd-pleasing pins over Aiden Crossen in 1:45.9 and Dylan Krugh in 2:46, respectively, to highlight and punctuate the evening.
Tora Tranheim (131), with her
mother, was among the
eight Vikings who were
honored on Senior Night.
Delaney confirmed that the Vikings' league title was their first since 2012.
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