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The wrestling program at Willow Glen High School has come a long way in the past few years—and head coach Phil Luna is hoping to take another big step this season.
The Rams came out of nowhere to win a championship in the Santa
Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL) in the 199900 school year. And this year Luna expects his Rams to contend for the title in the rugged Mt. Hamilton Division of the BVAL and to rank among the best teams in the Central Coast Section (CCS).
"This should be one of the best teams I've had," said Luna. "We have seven seniors in the lineup with good underclassmen who should help."
"I'm hoping that we're in the top 10 in the section," he added.
That's saying a lot for a program that just a few years ago was floundering.
Willow Glen was a wrestling powerhouse back in the 1960s and early '70s. But the Rams fell off the pace for a couple of decades, and the program was struggling when Luna took over in the late 1990s.
He led the Rams to a second-place finish in the '9899 Santa Teresa Division season and to their first league championship since 1969 a year later.
Willow Glen moved up to Mt. Hamilton competition last year and finished the season with a solid 13-6 record overall. This year, though, Luna expects his Rams to compete with Silver Creek and Oak Grove for the league championship.
A solid corps of returners bolsters Luna's hopes, and heading up that list is defending BVAL champion Steve Lopez. The senior finished first in the league and 12th in CCS a year ago.
Seniors Adrian Morales and Amir Faraj-Perry and juniors Sam Olivas and Rueben Rodriguez all return after placing in the league tournament last winter.
Morales finished second in the BVAL, and Faraj-Perry was third in the league and 10th in CCS. Rodriguez finished fourth in the league tourney, and Olivas was sixth.
Sophomore Eugene Martinez is a top prospect for the Rams. He was first in the junior varsity league tournament last year and placed fourth in the state in Greco-Roman competition.
Seniors Frank Sarinana, Richard Salaz, Daniel Cousino, Joel Drescher, David Sabala and Joe Sparacino all return from last year's squad and will vie for positions in the starting lineup for the Rams along with juniors Ricardo Hernandez, Robert Oropeza and D.J. Faraj-Perry.
Seniors Phuc Nguyen, Tin Mai and Ashley Clinton and sophomore Ricardo Hernandez are other top prospects.
The Rams will jump right into the 200203 season when they host the Willow Glen junior varsity dual match tournament on Dec. 6, 3:30 p.m. and compete in the Ray Andree Invitational on Dec. 7.
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