Every year the Moore League wrestling finals bring new opportunities.
Grapplers can avenge losses from earlier in the season, win for the first time or continue building on legacies they’ve started during their time in high school.
On Saturday that was the case at Cabrillo as 14 athletes claimed their bragging rights at the Moore League Boys Wrestling Finals on the Westside.
Millikan freshman Anthony Avelar started the day with his first Moore League title as he defeated Wilson’s Dominic Cortez via pin in the 106-pound title bout.
“I’m really grateful for it,” Avelar said of winning. “I’m just happy that I got to be in this position. It was really hard to get up here.”
Long Beach Poly’s Knox Espinoza continued his reign as he won the 120-pound crown defeating Millikan’s Kai Backstrom for his third title in three years. Espinoza took the 113-pound title last year and the 106-pound title his freshman year.
“My goal today was to get another Moore League title,” Espinoza said. “And then next year to become one of the four-time champions. That’s the main goal.”
Millikan continued the back-and-forth with the Jackrabbits as Chase Antrobius avenged his loss in the final last year as he defeated Cabillo’s Jonathan Marcos by pin.
The Jackrabbits won the next two matches as Colin Ornelas (132) and Lincoln Chung (138) won titles. Chung defeated Millikan’s Jimmy Alvarez Jr. as the two have been matched up numerous times this season and could meet again in the postseason.
The Rams’ next winner won in one of the thrillers of the afternoon as Milad Sharif defeated Jayden Al Ekong for the 144-pound title in a sudden victory when Sharif was able to earn a point by escape when the match came down to a sudden victory period. Sharif desperately tried pulling his foot out from Al Ekong’s grasp across the mat before he finally managed the escape, sending him and his teammates and coaches into a state of pure elation.
“I still don’t think I’m down,” Sharif said of calming down after the adrenaline of his win. “That’s a moment where I’ll never forget that moment in my life. A lot of preparation has gone into this and I work super hard. I took a loss to him early in the season, so you know I respect him and his coaches – but I wanted it more.”
Sharif credited his coaches for working with him as they prepared for the finals to get him ready for his potential match against Al Ekong.
“I did a lot of game planning,” Sharif said. “Me and my coaches, one-on-one work and I put a lot of work outside of school for wrestling. My goals are to go far, go to state – do the best I can.”
Millikan’s Jason Fiala and Chris Anguiano made it three straight match wins as Fiala won his second-straight title earning the 150-pound gold medal. For Anguiano, it was the junior’s third title in a row as he earned gold in the 157-pound gold in a win over Long Beach Poly’s Alek Carrera.
“It’s very exciting being a 3-time champ,” Anguiano said. “Not a lot of people can say that they’ve gotten to do that. But, that’s just a stepping stone in my goal of going to state and I gotta keep taking them down all the way up until state. I plan to win CIF and go to Masters and show everybody that SoCal is where it’s at.”
Wilson senior Gannan Erickson made sure to make the most of his title appearance in the following match as he defeated Cabrillo’s Luis Garcia for the 165-pound title. It was a meaningful finish for Erickson after being a runner-up last season.
“Last year I came up short,” Erickson said. “But this year I got first and I’m really happy about that. I was trying pretty hard.”
Long Beach Poly’s Albert Olague was the next repeat champion as he defeated Lakewood’s Joseph Macias for the 175-pound title. Last season, Olague was the 182-pound champion. The Jackrabbits’ Jordan Dizon was the next repeat champion for Long Beach Poly as he defeated Millikan’s Tyson Dabu for the 190-pound title. Last year, Dizon won the 195-pound gold.
Millikan’s Daniel Escobedo was the Rams’ last champion of the day as he defeated Long Beach Poly’s Kevin Bennett for the 215-pound gold. Escobedo said it’s just the start for him after claiming his first Moore League gold.
“It means a lot, and we still got more work to do,” Escobedo said. “Time to get ready for CIF, I’m ready.”
In the final match of the afternoon, Long Beach Poly’s sophomore Supe Vai Timu defeated Millikan’s Teagan Rowsell by pin for the 285-pound gold. It was a meaningful win for the two-spot athlete after joining the wrestling team after football season.
“Throughout my two years of high school already I wasn’t a Moore League champ,” Timu said. “I’m just happy to see everyone smiling during Moore League and individuals. I’m just happy and I thank God for this opportunity.”
The wrestling season isn’t over for the top four placers in each weight class as they’ll now prepare for the CIF Individual Championships Friday and Saturday at Moorpark High School.
Final Results (Top 4 Qualify For CIF)
106-pound
1. Anthony Avelar – Millikan
2. Dominic Cortez – Wilson
3. Jeremy Arias – Cabrillo
113-pound
1. Martin Ornelas – Long Beach Poly
2. Daniel Cullen – Millikan
3. Christian Naples – Cabrillo
4. Joshua Rodriguez – Wilson
120-pound
1. Knox Espinoza – Long Beach Poly
2. Kai Backstrom – Millikan
3. Joshua Franklin – Cabrillo
4. Maddox House – Wilson
126-pound
1. Chase Antrobius – Millikan
2. Jonathan Marcos – Cabrillo
3. Jacob Cuevas – Lakewood
4. Chris Calhoun – Wilson
132-pound
1. Colin Ornelas – Long Beach Poly
2. Damien Orozco – Millikan
3. Jason Nguon – Wilson
4. Anthony Madrigal – Lakewood
138-pound
1 Lincoln Chung – Long Beach Poly
2. Jimmy Alvarez Jr – Millikan
3. Cameron McCormick – Lakewood
4. Malakhy Rodriguez – Wilson
144-pound
1. Milad Sharif – Millikan
2. Jayden Al Ekong – Long Beach Poly
3. Adrian Dominguez – Cabrillo
4. Michael Ramirez – Lakewood
5. Keanu Kubo – Wilson
6. Salvador Miramontes – Compton
150-pound
1. Jason Fiala – Millikan
2. Rocky Lo – Long Beach Poly
3. German Ampude – Cabrillo
4. Jowell Lazo – Wilson
5. Ithiel Flores – Compton
6. Ethan Romero – Lakewood
157-pound
1. Chris Anguiano – Millikan
2. Alek Carrera – Long Beach Poly
3. Earnest Davis – Cabrillo
4. Kevin Morales – Wilson
5. Kevin Gomez – Compton
165-pound
1. Gannan Erickson – Wilson
2. Luis Garcia – Cabrillo
3. Braxton Chung – Poly
4. Joseph Fields – Millikan
175-pound
1. Alberto Olague – Long Beach Poly
2. Joseph Macias – Lakewood
3. Mario Vanlizzen – Wilson
4. Malcolm Falls – Compton
5. Elijah Mejia – Cabrillo
6. Jacob Ramos – Millikan
190-pound
1. Jordan Dizon – Long Beach Poly
2. Tyson Dabu – Millikan
3. Jacob Lopez – Jordan
4. Miguel Ramos – Wilson
5. Rudolfo Velazquez – Cabrillo
6. Anthony Luna – Compton
215-pound
1 Daniel Escobedo – Millikan
2. Kevin Bennett – Long Beach Poly
3. Emmanuel Magallanes – Jordan
4. Andel Valencia – Compton
5. Nathan Karst
285-pound
1 Supe Vai Timu – Long Beach Poly
2. Teagan Rowsell – Millikan
3. Marvin Padilla – Compton
4. Jericho Rodriguez – Lakewood
5. Halil Pala – Wilson
