The UCHS Varsity Wrestling Team had one of their best seasons in the history of UC High. The team went undefeated and became the Western League Champions for the first time since 2004.
The team’s biggest wins were against rival La Jolla and Saint Augustine High School, according to Senior Joseph Charles. They were perfect in League competition and many of their games were blowouts.
The team locked up the league title on February 8, 2012 against Saint Augustine High School. Head Coach Mark Harrington was so confident in his team he had League Champion T-shirts made before they even finished the match. They dominated the Saints, beating them by over 50 points. The win gave the team an amazing feeling of self confidence. Charles said, “The win was payoff for all of the team’s hard work and the coaches hard work.
After winning the match, Senior Michael Ahern was almost speechless. Ahern’s explained his only possible response was, “Daaaamn.”
The team is led by Head Coach Mark Harrington. This is his second season as head coach, and he coaches with an array of experienced assistants. Charles said, “Our dedicated coaches are helping the wrestlers learn and grow. The players do a great job of applying what they learn in practice.”
The Varsity Team has a number of seniors who have lead the team throughout the season. Charles said, “All of our seniors are great leaders.” Some of the seniors are Wrestlers Joseph Charles, Michael Ahern, Brandon Quintero, Conner Bingham, Eddie Misleh, Wayne Quesenberry, and Jiovanni Gonzalez. According to Charles, UC’s biggest key to success is their senior players. Senior Robert Lozano said, “Joseph Charles is our most valuable wrestler.”
Competing in one of San Diego’s best leagues, a Western League Championship was a goal from the beginning. According to Harrington, the Wrestling Team had been at the bottom of the Western League for the past few years but pulled through to win the championship this year.
According to Lozano, the toughest match of the year came against La Jolla High School. The match was away and La Jolla was ranked second in the county. The match was so close that it came down to the last match. Junior Daniel Tsai pinned his opponent for the win. According to Charles, another tough match came against Poway High School. Harrington said, “It was great because the kids really stepped it up in La Jolla.”
The team’s biggest tournament was the Holtville Tournament. Lozano said, “It [Holtville] is important because a lot of schools from California and Arizona come.”
For most of the team, their favorite part of the season was winning league. “Winning League was awesome because we’re League champions, Att’a baby,” said Lozano.
What does Lozano see as the reason for their success? “Team support and motivation were the keys,” said Lozano.