By Dick Sparrer
Independence, Oak Grove, Del Mar, Overfelt... the introductions took on a familiar tone.
But all of the finalists introduced at the Blossom Valley Athletic League wrestling finals last Friday night night weren't 76ers, Eagles and Dons--a couple of them were Warriors.
And Westmont's Tim Heinrich and Andrew Wadler certainly performed like warriors to get to the finals at the rugged BVAL tournament at Santa Teresa. In arguably the toughest league tournament around, Heinrich and Wadler were wrestling for individual championships.
Independence and Oak Grove certainly dominated the competition. The 76ers put eight wrestlers in the 14 championship matches on their way to the team title, and the Eagles put seven wrestlers in the finals. Overfelt and Del Mar put three men each in the championship round.
So the team scores came as little surprise--Independence won the tournament with 233 1/2 points with Oak Grove (223 1/2) second, Del Mar 142 1/2) third, Santa Teresa (110) fourth and Overfelt (102 1/2) fifth.
But thanks to the efforts and Heinrich and Wadler, Westmont managed a team eighth at the finals, and the Warriors will send a contingent of seven wrestlers off to the Central Coast Section tournament Feb. 21-22 at Santa Clara.
Heinrich lost a 4-2 heartbreaker to Shawn Hembry of Del Mar in the finals at 152 pounds, and Wadler lost by injury default to Dion Garza of Independence at 160 pounds.
The two second-place finishers, both seniors, will head up the contingent of seven Warriors who will compete at CCS this weekend (the top seven finishers in each weight class at the BVAL tournament qualified for the section tournament).
Heinrich returns to CCS after finishing second there was a junior 135-pounder. Freshman Tony Oka makes his first trip to CCS. Oka qualified by finishing fifth at 135 pounds at the BVAL tourney.
Finishing sixth for the Warriors were junior Luong Vuong (103), sophomore Phat Dinh, junior Aaron Garcia (119) and sophomore Greg Woodland (189). Prospect's Son Nguyen and Joe Mannina also qualified for CCS by placing in the top seven at the league tournament.
Nguyen, a senior, ended up fifth at 112 pounds for the Panthers and Mannina, a sophomore, was sixth at 130.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, February 19, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.