Lynn Dyche Classic

Nine Chargers answered the call to battle at James Lick Varsity Tournament and five made it to the medal stand at the end of the day. Chris Ezaz, Eddie Baumel, and Benny Lemus wrestled well but were knocked out of the tournament. Mario Srouji was on his way to placing but had to bow out due to injury. Laura Rocha earned her first varsity pin this year and placed 6th. Darren Hsu and Chris Nijmeh also earned 6th place medals. Kevin Choi wrestled very well but was beaten twice by the same opponent to earn a 4th. Nick Lee represented Leland in the final matches and fell to the wrestler from Lincoln earning silver. This was a fantastic showcase of determination style wrestling and will boost CCS individual rankings.
Go Chargers!

Fremont Varsity Tournament

Ten Chargers answered the call for our first Varsity tournament of the season. Unfortunately two were eliminated before they had a chance. Mario missed his weight and Ricky twisted his ankle in the beginning of the first match. Calvin, Tommy, Kevin Choi, Clarke, Marcus and Chris Ezaz all wrestled well but did not place in the top six. Chris Nijmeh tested the very limits of his skills to earn an honorable six place finish while team leader Maurice Alexander bested all of his opponents except the first place finisher to earn himself a 3rd place medal. This is a great start for the season that provides some intense mat experience and excellent individual feedback. Much more competition to come, see you on the mat.
Go Chargers!

Charger Wrestling Kicks Off the 2010-2011 Season

Our first weekend was very successful at both a JV team tournament on Friday and a F/S individual tournament on Saturday.
Friday the JV squad finished 4th at the Sobrato Bulldog Challenge despite only having 10 of the 14 weight classes meaning we surrendered 24 points even before the wrestling began. Tommy Hamamjy earned a top wrestler award for 5 wins with 5 pins. Additionally, the following members earned their first high school competition pins; Geronimo, Jackson, Pauer, Easton, Singh, and McCrary. Chris and Clarke also earned 5 victories in 5 matches.
Saturday 11 wrestlers attended the F/S Taz at Overfelt. Six medaled with Matt Faris going undefeated to earn 1st place @ 215s, besting Jack Loumena who took 2nd. Srouji took 4th @ 125s, Legassick 2nd @ 130s, Hamamjy 3rd @ 135s, Rocha placed 2nd in the female division losing only to last years girls CCS champion.
This is a great start to the season and I am very proud of everyone who competed.
Go Chargers!

Central Coast Section Results

This will be the Final Competition Post of the 2009-2010 season. On Friday and Saturday the three wrestlers who qualified by placing top 5 at League competed in the Central Coast Section Regional Tournament. This is such a tough tournament that one must win 4 out of 5 matches just to make it to the second day, with only the top 4 wrestlers out of a field of 30 moving on to state. While wrestling at the top of their game, the Chargers did not advance past the tournament. Maurice Alexander had two very legitimate opponents and was knocked out of the tournament in the second round. Sean Dickson had the very unfortunate position of wrestling the number one seeded wrestler in the first round. After wrestling back with two pinning victories Sean was edged out on points in round four. Sean Dalton went 3-2 just missing the cut for day two. His three victories were so decisive that they totaled a mere 2 minutes of mat time. His first loss was to the #1 in State (no shame in that) and the second to Palma in round 5.
The two lady Chargers Justine Macy and Laura Rocha both were knocked out of the first ever Girls CCS by the third round.
Congrats to the CCS wrestlers for representing Leland well and Go Chargers!

Varsity BVAL Finals

I am very proud of wrestlers who completed in finals this year. With 25 schools in our league there is some very tough competition to be found on the mat. Calvin, Jeff, Jeremy, and Chris met some tough opponents (aka high seeds) and were knocked out of the tournament in the second round despite valiant efforts. Nick and Jared both finished with a 2-1 record but not enough to place them on the medal stand. Waffles wrestled extremely well. He beat both the number 3 and 4 but due to bracketing placed 5th overall qualifying him for the Central Coast Sectional Tournament. Also qualifying is Dickson who found himself among a very tough weight class and took 4th and losing only to Chene from Leigh and the wrestler from Oak Grove. Sean Dalton made it all the way to the finals and took Licea from Santa Teresa down to his back only to be re-rolled and pinned with 3 seconds left in the round. Despite the loss, he was the highest placer at the tournament from Leland and gained entry into CCS as well. Great Finish to a strong year, Go Chargers!

JV League Finals

We had a very strong showing for the Junior Varsity team this year. Of 13 wrestlers, 7 earned a spot on the medal stand. Jordan Moezidis and Tom Boisvert placed sixth in their weight class, while Tommy Hamamjy, Tyler Faris, and Alan Highland won third. Both Rick Lee and Kevin Choi lost their finals match and took 2nd. Everyone wrestled well and showed great promise for the coming seasons!

Leland Upsets Branham 42-36

In a true team effort, the Chargers defeated the Bruins by one contest in a closely fought match last night. I am proud to say that Varsity finished the season with a winning record of 4-3 while JV dominated their division with a undefeated record of 7-0. Highlights include pins by Calvin Legassick, Rick Lee, Maurice Alexander, Chris Nijmeh, Sean Dickson, Nick Lee, and Sean Dalton. I also want to recognize those who fought hard and lost, but did not get pinned enabling the team to emerge victorious. Both Alan Highland and Jared Sandoval understood that every point counts and limited their losses to minor defeats. This win proves how each wrestler contributes and that every point counts. Go Chargers!!!

Leland Crushes Westmont!

In their last home match of the year, the seniors were honored and the Chargers got really fired up to unleash a hurting on the Warriors. With a 45 to 26 convincing victory, it was clear who came to wrestle. There were some amazing upsets that are worth mentioning here. Darren Hsu dropped weight (due to illness) and stepped up to the varsity spot at 114 to wrestle and pin his opponent in a very tough match earning his first varsity win. Chris Nijmeh used his very unorthodox, yet successful technique called the "Nijmeh Roll" to pin his top 20 Central Coast Section ranked opponent at 162. Also, Sean Dickson lost because he slammed his opponent to the point where the kid could not continue and therefore won by Sean's disqualification. The JV continued their dominance in our division improving their record to 6-0 with a 52-23 win. Varsity is now 3-3 and with a victory next week will secure their season goal of a winning record. Go Chargers!

Overfelt Wrap-up

As promised, the Overfelt competitions proved to be the toughest of the season. I would make the argument that this was tougher than League Finals will be.
JV: Running into out brackets due to the number of participants, Tommy and Kevin hit the 5 match rule and despite going 4-1 still only finished in 8th place. Devin wrestled very well pinning two opponents when he was down on points. Laura got her first pin and it was against a guy! Other highlights include pins by Beacher and Ezaz. Chris Nijmeh was robbed of his championship at 171s in the final match. As he was pinning his opponent, the kid 'choked' and the ref had to intervene. His ultimately lost by points but placed the highest finishing second overall.
Varsity: With three wrestlers unable to attend, and three more knocked out of the tournament with injuries it proved to be a tough day for the Chargers. No one placed emphasizing the intense competition. Most wrestlers at this tournament were ranked in the Central Coast Section. Fortunately, it was our last tournament so we can now focus on beating Westmont and Branham and preparing for BVAL Finals.
Let's finish this season strong. Go Chargers!

Chargers Dominate Outnumbered Pirates

Improving their record to 2-3, the Varsity Chargers wrestled well earning a 60-16 landslide victory. The Piedmont Hills Pirates put forth a good effort despite having only seven competing athletes but were no match for the depth in the Chargers' roster. Some highlights include pins by Calvin Legassick, Alan Highland, Maurice Alexander, and Sean Dalton. The JV Chargers had no opposition and continued their undefeated season run now at 5-0. Only two more dual meets left, Varsity needs to stay focused and we can still achieve our season goal of a winning record. Go Chargers!

Del Mar F/S and Wellington Fund Run

Despite a poorly run tournament in every aspect, the young Chargers wrestled well and got much needed mat experience. Highlights include Tyler Faris' pin against Lynbrook, and Devin Ridgway's 4th place finish at 189s.
The 2nd annual fund run was a success.
About half the squad showed up to complete the run and over 1500 dollars was raised. The luncheon afterwards at Freedom Burrito was delicious and much needed fuel. Lots of fun was had and the team benefited. We now need to decide what to puchase with the money. It is expected that those who did not attend still turn in their raised funds as soon as possible. Go Chargers!

Chargers Lose to Lincoln Lions

After having previously beat the Lions in a tournament dual at the beginning of the year the Chargers were soundly defeated last night. The absence of two captains and a serious warm-up were no excuse for the lack of mental focus and desire. It was clear which team wanted to win more. Varsity only had two wins not including forfeits, Benny Lemus edged out his opponent on points at 171s and Nick Lee wrestled great to come from behind and pin his opponent at 189s. Changes will be made at practice. Our goal of a winning season record is still obtainable if the Chargers win their last three matches. Current record 1-3. =(

Jim Root Tournament Results

The Chargers again brought home hardware with placings in the Jim Root Varsity Tournament over the weekend. Maurice Alexander was not feeling well and despite a bad beat in the first round was able to wrestle back and capture 7th place at 152s. Sean Dickson continued his reign on the medal stand by placing 3rd at 171s and Sean Dalton vaulted himself up the CCS rankings with a 2nd place finish at heavyweights. Another highlight was the 119 Calvin Legassick who went 3-2 as a freshman just missing the medal stand finishing top ten in his weight class. It is great to have such regular success on the team and proves that Leland is moving up in the Blossom Valley Athletic League. More wrestling to come this week, Go Chargers!

Defeated by Leigh

Despite a hard fought fight the Chargers fell to the Longhorns 53-26 Wednesday night. Inexperience and thinning numbers in the light weights hampered the Chargers ability to win the match. Additionally, illness and injuries plagued rest of the line up. Highlights include victories by Maurice Alexander, Kevin Choi, Chris Nijmeh, Sean Dickson, and Sean Dalton. Varsity is now 1-2 with 4 matches left. Junior Varsity maintained their undefeated run in the Santa Teresa division with a 36-21 win earning a record of 3-0. Devin Ridgway wrestled very well pinning his opponent. The rest of the points came from forfeits which illustrate the importance of having all of the weight classes filled. We have lots of wrestling left as we are about at the midpoint of the season. A 2 pound weight allowance goes into effect Jan. 15th for all weight classes. Stay healthy, focused and on weight. Go Chargers!

Watsonville Tournaments Wrap-up

Leland once again proved themselves that this year we are a force not to be underestimated. On Friday the team went 2-2 to place 8th overall in the team portion of the Tournament with victories over Pajaro Valley and Carmel High Schools. Some highlights include victories by Nick Lee, Chris Nijmeh, Benny Lemus, Cheyenne Yankish, Calvin Legassick, Kevin Choi, Jared Sandoval, and Sean Dalton who pinned the 7th ranked heavyweight in the Central Coast Section! Unfortunately Tyler Faris injured his shoulder but should be back in a few weeks.
On Saturday those not hurt, sick, or overweight went back to Watsonville for the Individual Tournament. Both Sean Dalton and Sean Dickson earned four key victories over very tough opponents to improve their records for the season. Dickson placed 2nd overall at 171 and Dalton placed 7th at HWT and effectively ranked himself in the Central Coast Section. I am proud of everyone who competed this weekend, Go Chargers!

Heartbreaking Loss to Willow Glen

Last night the Leland Chargers fell to the Rams by a TWO POINT SWING. That means that if any of the matches had resulted in a two point difference in our favor we would have won. There was some great wrestling by Sean Dickson, Sean Dalton, Nick Lee, Rick Lee, and others. Ultimately however, lapses in judgment on the scale and mat ended up costing us the match. One thing that needs to be addressed is the lack of attendance at practice. It was very clear that we need to COME TO PRACTICE! Don't expect to win without paying the price for it. Also it negatively affects your performance when you try to cut weight right before your match! Make weight the night before so you don't have to worry about it the day of and you can focus mentally on winning not making weight. Let us learn from this, put it behind us and move forward. Varsity is now 1-1, JV is 2-0. Go Chargers!

Silver Creek Throwdown Champion Benny Lemus!

Over the break Silver Creek High School hosts an invitational tournament where they invite the top four ranked wrestlers in the Central Coast Section and have them wrestle off for some key head to head matches midway through the season. If those wrestlers are not available they go down the rankings until the spots are filled. We had four wrestlers invited but only Benny Lemus and Sean Dalton could attend. Benny was a last minute replacement for Sean Dickson. Before the tournament was a great clinic put on by 1984 Olympic Champion Mark Schultz. Sean Dalton had a tough first match and was knocked out of the tournament. Benny was unranked in CCS and had not wrestled before this season due to a knee injury that occurred in football this fall. Much to his opponents surprise, Benny beat them soundly. In the championship match against the number 3 from Milpitas Benny threw his opponent so hard that he dislocated the kids elbow. Congrats to Benny Lemus the 2009 Throwdown Champion!