LJ wrestling: Williams captains, cranks out a fall

Jayden Williams (left), at 175 pounds, looks

like he is about to twist Buc Chris Wheeler's

head off on the way to pinning him

in a mere 44 seconds.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

With team captain Matisse Pickett absent, fellow senior Jayden Williams filled the role, taking part in the pre-dual captain's meeting with the referees at Mission Bay Tues., Dec. 17.

But that was the least of Williams' feats in the dual. In the 175-pound match--with La Jolla narrowly leading, 30-24, and only two bouts left--Jayden, who had a successful season as a junior, wheeled Chris Wheeler of the Bucs around in a counter-clockwise circle, using a "cow-catcher" move to finally drive his opponent into a prone position on the mat.

The maneuver worked, and in a mere 44 seconds, Williams had his pin. It was quick, and it was dominant. From the start of the match, he had control and never gave it up.

In a rule change this season, high school wrestlers receive three points for a takedown. But a potentially unseen result is that in aggressive wrestlers' desire to pile up points with multiple takedowns, opponents can also gain points as their aggressor lets them go--one point for each escape.

If the 175-pounder had lost his hold on Wheeler, the Buc could have scored. However, Williams was apparently never awarded points for a takedown. Is that possible?

Said the La Jolla senior as he went to the drinking fountain for water after the win, "It was a cow-catcher, flipping my arm over his back."

*  *  *

Leading up to Williams' pin at 175, and Asher Sternberg's at 190, La Jolla had plenty of firepower generated to move into the lead at Mission Bay.

Starting the varsity dual (after two girls' bouts), freshman Ian Fleming won by pin in :58, and junior two-time all-league Noah Pace took only 50 seconds. Fleming's match was at 106 pounds over Gracie Moteauto. Pace, at 120 after a forfeit at 113, showed no mercy to Logan Koland.

Later, two Vikings took decisions: Liam Kressin (144), 9-3, then Patrick Fitzmaurice (150), 10-3, over Mason Morgan.

Before the Williams-Sternberg one-two punch to clinch the team win, La Jolla sophomore Ori Mor held Mission Bay's Nestor Bautista's shoulders near the mat long enough for a near fall ending the first period, then pinned him 1:04.2 into the second period (total pin time: 3:04).