CCS Championships

Maurice "Waffles" Alexander was the only Leland Wrestler to enter the Central Coast Section Championship Tournament and he was outstanding placing 6th overall. This means that he is in the top ranks of the entire bay area at 160 lbs.

BVAL Varsity Finals

Only five Varsity Chargers entered the Blossom Valley Athletic League Finals after a rough season peppered with serious injuries. Unfortunately, Tommy Hamamjy did not make his weight and Jeremy Lee felt ill during his first match and withdrew from the tournament. That left three. Benny Lemus was wrestling up 25 pounds at 191 and defeated his first two tough opponents before hurting his rib and being forced to Injury Default his last two matches. Benny still placed 6th overall, which makes him an alternate for CCS. Nick Lee and Maurice Alexander both only lost to the #1 seeds in the tournament. Nick took 5th relying on his very effective modified head-and-arm throw to put away his opponents. Waffles placed 3rd drawing 'oohs' and 'awws' from the crowd with his exciting wrestling style. Impressive finish to a difficult season. Fantastic job team!

BVAL JV Finals

Eleven Junior Varsity Chargers entered the Blossom Valley Athletic League JV Finals on Friday and 6 placed! On top of that they also place 4th overall as a team! Tom Boisvert went 2-2, Lewis Van Diggelen went 1-2, Eddie Baumel went 0-2, and Darren Hsu got robbed by the ref twice to also go 0-2. Placers included Trent Geronimo at 5th, Christian Soto, Jack Loumena, and Devin Ridgway at 3rd, and Clarke Jackson bringing home the gold taking 1st. It was a great day of wrestling and congratulations to all who competed.

Dual vs Live Oak

The Chargers valiantly fought the Live Oak Acorns in their last home match and put on a great show but ultimately came up short by the score of 27-51. The three forfeits in the lower weights really hurt the teams chances of a winning season, finishing with a record of 3-4. Jeremy Lee 'went the distance' to win by points while Christian Soto, Chris Nijemh, Nick Lee and Marcus Lara pinned their opponents in grand fashion. Benny Lemus fought bravely but lost as did Darren Hsu, Mario Srouji, Trent Geronimo, Tom Boisvert, and Jake Pauer. The JV Team completed their season with a perfect 7-0 record for the second year in a row! Kevin Wu, Brent Easton, Lewis Van Diggelen, Eddie Baumel, Ian Sun, Jack Loumena, Clarke Jackson, Devin Ridgway, and Chris Ezaz all won as no opposing team dared to challenge them.
Go Chargers!

Dual vs Leigh

The Varsity Chargers fought bravely but were overcome by the experience of the Leigh Longhorns. As most of the Varsity team were sidelined with injuries the remainder of the squad stepped up to fill the open weight classes. In the end it was the difference in experience, not desire, that decided the outcome of the match. The Varsity score was a humbling 66-18. Jeremy Lee and Chris Nijmeh pinned their opponents to earn the Chargers only victories while Marcus Lara collected a forfeit. Darren Hsu, Brent Easton, Tommy Hamamjy, Christian Soto, Aaron Fletcher, Clarke Jackson, Devin Ridgway all were defeated in their bouts.
However, the JV team continued their division dominance and are one win away from an undefeated season for the second year in a row! Laura Rocha and Jack Loumena wrestled great and defeated their opponents. Hans Singh, Eddie Baumel and Ian Sun performed admirably but lost. Tom Boisvert, Matt Faris, Chandra Basu, and Chris Ezaz collected forfeits. The final score was 36-21 proving the old adage that there is strength in numbers.
Go Chargers!

Girls CCS 2011

Miss Laura Rocha (the only female member of this year's squad) entered into the second ever Girls CCS Wrestling Tournament, which qualifies for the first ever California Interscholastic Federation's Girls Wrestling Championships. The top 4 girls in each weight category (different from boys) move on to the state tournament. Held at Oak Grove High school in San Jose, there where over 150 participants, and 21 competitors Laura's 108 pound class. Overall she went 2-2 wrestling very well but failing to place top four. More importantly, Laura had fun making several improvements to her wrestling game and testing them out on her opponents. She pinned her first opponent from Lowell easily, but hit the #4 seed in her second match from Salinas and lost. Bouncing back, she pinned her third opponent from Mission SF with a far-wrist running arm-bar, a move she learned only the day before. The last match was very tough, Laura lost by minor decision. She walked away exhausted and a swelling black eye, but with a smile on her face. Congratulations to her for a great performance.

Dual vs Branham

The Varsity Team's season record has taken a beating just like the wrestlers have themselves this year. Now 3-2, the second loss of the season was to an incomplete Branham Bruins team. Our opponents were few yet tough and maneuvered their wrestlers' weight classes well to bring a final score of 30-47. The Chargers again gave up 12 points due to forfeits in the 105 and 114 weight divisions. Kevin Wu, Tom Boisvert, Clarke Jackson, and Marcus Lara fell to their opponents by fall while Jeremy Lee, Christen Soto, and Kevin Choi fought bravely but were behind in points when the time expired. Congratulations to Darren Hsu and Tommy Hamamjy on their pins and to Maurice Alexander, Chris Nijmeh, and Devin Ridgway for the team points. The Junior Varsity dominated again winning 54-6 to advance to 5-0 and moved one step closer to a league title. Great job to Lewis Van Diggelen and Aaron Fletcher for outstanding matches. Two more duals to go, let's finish the season strong.
Go Chargers!

Overfelt Varsity

The toughest tournament of the year showcased fantastic wrestling and sidelined another Team Captain. In Calvin Legassick's first match(he was winning), he suffered an injury to the left side of his chest. This however did not stop Calvin from returning to the tournament after the hospital visit to cheer on his teammates from the side of the mat. His status for the remainder of the season is unknown at this time. Benny Lemus did not make weight and could only film and coach from the sideline. On the bright side, Darren Hsu, Kevin Wu, Tommy Hamamjy (1-2), and Chris Nijmeh (3-2) all challenged themselves and fought great matches. Only Maurice "Waffles" Alexander made it to the medal stands. Currently ranked #1 in BVAL, #8 in CCS, Maurice continued to refine his mental game and execution skills against top quality competitors and earned the 5th place medal. Coach Wellington is proud of everyone who competed in all of the tournaments this year.
Go Chargers!

Overfelt JV Summary

Five brave Chargers accepted the challenge to compete at the Overfelt JV tournament; Trent Geronimo at 135, Jake Pauer at 145, Jack Loumena at 189, Chandra Basu at 215, and Chris Ezaz at HWT. The Overfelt tournaments are notoriously difficult and this one proved to be no exception. Trent pulled of an amazing 'shuck' maneuver taught only the day before, while Jake and Jack are continuing to show visible improvement every match. Both Basu and Ezaz surprised themselves by placing a very respectable 6th place and all wrestlers collected valuable mat experience in the early stages of their wrestling careers.
Go Chargers!

Dual vs Pioneer

The Chargers fell to their cross-town rivals the Mustangs on Wednesday by the score of 30-43. Due to a season of unprecedented injury, the team had to forfeit two weight classes (12 points, adjusted score 30-31) and bump up some wrestlers. Darren Hsu, Kevin Wu, Calvin Legassick, Jeremy Lee, Christen Soto, Jake Pauer were bested in their matches. Clarke Jackson, Nick Lee, and Marcus Lara won by forfeit. Great pins by Tommy Hamamjy and Maurice Alexander. The JV team however upset Pioneer by a score of 36-24. Brent Easton, Hans Singh, Tom Boisvert, and Ian Sun fought very tough opponents and lost. Laura Rocha, Trent Geronimo, Jack Loumena, Devin Ridgway, and Chris Ezaz collected much needed forfeits. Eddie Baumel had the lone pin and sealed the teams victory. It was a rough night, and tougher for those injured and not able to wrestle. However, without adversity we cannot grow stronger!
Go Chargers!

Del Mar F/S Tournament

Ten young Chargers attended the Freshman/Sophomore tournament at Del Mar High School. This tournament has been growing over the years and getting tougher as a result. Mario Srouji was beating his opponent in his first match when he suffered a shoulder injury and had to withdraw from the tournament. Hans Singh, Ian Sun, Matt Faris, Jack Loumena, and Darren Hsu all lost twice and were eliminated from the competition. Kevin Wu had a great pin over a Bell wrestler but ultimately went 1-2. Cristian Soto wrestled great and finished the day 3-1 with a 3rd place medal. This is outstanding because Christian has only wrestled 6 times! Team Captain Calvin Legassick easily beat all comers and took home a gold medal finishing undefeated for the day. Go Chargers!

Dual vs Lincoln

Your Leland Chargers continued to dominate the competition with a pounding victory over the Lincoln Lions. Team Captain Devin Ridgway led the JV team to a lopsided 48-3 victory pinning his opponent. Clarke Jackson wrestled the full match but fell short on points. The rest of the JV team collected valuable team points with Forfeits.
The Varsity match was exciting with Leland leading the entire time. Laura Roacha lost by Injury Default when she took a fierce slam during her match. She is doing fine and is expected back soon. Darren Hsu, Brent Easton, Calvin Legassick, and Jeremy Lee all were victorious as no opponents dared to challenge them. Christen Soto and Chris Nijmeh fell to their opponents. The most exciting match of the night, despite losing in the end, easily belongs to freshman Jake Pauer who fought until utter exhaustion. Nick Lee, and Marcus Lara pinned their opponents. Mario Srouji and Maurice Alexander truly exhibited the dominance of the Chargers by forcing Technical Falls(lead by more than 15 points)in their victories. The Team is now 3-0 for both Varsity and JV. Go Chargers!

Jim Root Results

Only seven Chargers answered the call to battle at the Jim Root tournament at Prospect High School. This was a very tough tournament that was a mid season proving ground for our varsity wrestlers. Darren Hsu, Calivin Legassick, Mario Srouji, and Tommy Hamamjy all wrestled well but were ultimately eliminated from competition. Clarke Jackson serendipitously made it to the Consolation Championship match (7th)and won by scoring first in overtime to defeat his exhausted opponent. Continuing this year's injury curse, Kevin Choi dislocated and chipped his left thumb while pinning his first opponent (who went on the earn 2nd) and had to leave to go to the hospital. He is expected to return before league finals. The highlight of the day was watching Maurice "Waffles" Alexander wrestle. His ability seems to improve with every match. Waffles earned a silver medal losing only to a member of the California National Wrestling team in the finals. Even in defeat, Waffles showed his unique style and made it an entertaining match by taking down and putting his opponent to his back multiple times. Fantastic effort by all, Go Chargers!

Dual vs Sobrato

Again the Leland Chargers bring home a double victory! Both Varsity and JV are now 2-0. The JV action was tough but our depth and tenacity earned us a 36-16 win. Great job goes to Hanz Singh, Brent Easton, Kevin Wu, Tommy Hamamjy, Jake Pauer, Jack Loumena, and Devin Ridgway. Congratulations to Hans Singh, and Chris Ezaz who won by pin!
Sobrato's best were no match for your Varsity Chargers with a final score of 38-28. Every member wrestled very well and it is clear the progress made this year on the mat already. Fantastic work done by Laura Rocha, Darren Hsu, and Christian Soto. Nick Lee and Calvin Legassick chose to battle tough opponents and earned a loss and victory by points respectively. The wrestlers who won by fall over their opponents were Mario Srouji, Jeremy Lee, and Kevin Choi and Maurice Alexander. No time to rest, it's on to the next!
Go Chargers!

Apple Cider Classic 2011

Friday Varsity Team
Due to the fact that this was a school day a incomplete and fresh Varsity Team traveled to Watsonville to take on all challengers. Victorious in only 1 of 4 matches, the Chargers left the mat bruised but gaining great mat experience against tough opponents from outside of our region. In the first match we beat Greenfield 46-24, then lost to Holliser 30-52, lost to Watsonville 21-51, and in a tragic defeat lost by criteria to Carmel, for the second year in a row, by 3 pins to 4 pins.

Saturday Varsity Individual
Returning before dawn the next day the Chargers braved a 13 hour tournament against 38 teams. Despite being victorious in his first match Kevin Choi had to withdraw from the tournament with a pulled hamstring. Kevin Wu, Jack Loumena, Darren Hsu, Eddie Baumel, Tom Boisvert, Josh Pederson, and Chris Ezaz wrestled very well but were ultimately eliminated from the tournament. Calvin Legassick went 2-2 with great pins over Mills and Pajaro Valley but missed the medal stand. Nick Lee placed 4th with slamming throws and lots of hand and head fighting. Maurice "Waffles" Alexander earned the bronze medal losing only to the same wrestler as in the last tournament (his only two defeats). Coach is very proud of all those who competed and wishes give a special thanks to Mrs. Noftz and the parents who brought food and came out to support the team.

Dual vs Willow Glen

Victory!
The Chargers won both JV and Varsity competitions making a statement in the season opener against the Rams. Mario Srouji, Brent Easton, and Kevin Wu lead the JV the victory with outstanding cradle pins! Tom B., Josh, Devin, and C. Ezaz gathered much needed team points with forfeits sealing the win.
The final Varsity score was 41-29. Double forfeits at 103s and 119s made it a very close match until the end. Rocha, Hamamjy, Baumel, Pauer, and Loumena fight valiantly but were defeated. Darren Hsu, Kevin, Choi, Benny Lemus, Maurice Alexander (tech fall), Nick Lee, and Marcus Lara all won decisive bouts (pin) and put on and thrilling show for the crowd in the stands.
Go Chargers!