LJ wrestling: Five named All-Eastern League

Viking all-leaguer Charlie Long (top) works toward

a pin of Demetri Clark of Point Loma in the

first round of the Monte Vista Varsity Invitational

Jan. 14. Long achieved the fall in 2:45.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Five members of the La Jolla wrestling team received All-Eastern League honors, as the Viking squad continued to dominate the 2022-2023 season following a 5-0 sweep of league dual meets on their way to an Eastern League championship, now with five of the 14 weight divisions being allotted to La Jolla's highly successful unit.

Caden Kestler, at 145 pounds, pins his

Cathedral Catholic opponent Dec. 7

to help La Jolla to a 46-31 dual meet

victory, against their only close

rival in the Eastern League in 2022-2023.

Seniors Charlie Long (152 pounds) and Caden Kestler (145) took some of the middle weights with all-league honors, along with junior Gustav Rinaldi (160). Freshman Noah Pace picked up an expected title at 108 pounds.

Gustav Rinaldi (top, in red singlet) works toward

a quick pin in 3 min., 18 sec., versus San Diego

High Jan. 11. La Jolla took a 2-0 record

in league dual meets from that date.

The biggest surprise was Jack Long, a sophomore at 170 pounds, who filled a slot Coach Kellen Delaney tried to cover "by committee" early in the dual meet schedule with a rotating cast of characters from lesser weights who had to wrestle above-weight to earn points for the team. Jack came on later in the season to go to CIF. He is Charlie's younger brother.

The only other team in the league with five all-league awardees was Cathedral Catholic, which had some all-league placers in the lesser weights.

Future All-Eastern League freshman Noah Pace (right)

at 108 pounds has opponent Jason Brennan

of Mountain Empire in an almost helpless

situation, completely controlling him,

before a pin in 2:50.

The All-League selections cap a year of striving successful to triumph and come out of the COVID disaster, which dictated restrictions until this season over the past three seasons that prevented team members from working out together in the Viking team room and which definitely dampened the enthusiasm for getting into the hands-on, physical sport of wrestling--both as evidenced in lower numbers coming out and participating on the team from 2020 through 2022.

This season a major part of the squad's success has been the high number of varsity and junior varsity participants, as well as four girls making up the highest number of the female contingent in the history of the La Jolla High program.

Jack Long (left and behind) wins by decision, 13-7,

at Hoover High to start the dual meet season

with a Vikings' triumph on their way to a 5-0

Eastern League dual meet record.