Huntington Beach wrestling dethrones Newport Harbor for first league title since 1992
Huntington Beach High coach John Morgan figured that he was perhaps more nervous than any of his wrestlers as his team prepared to take on Newport Harbor on Wednesday night.
An alumnus of Huntington Beach himself, Morgan was all-in for the occasion with the Oilers chasing their first league championship since 1992. He donned school colors, complete with a thin orange tie over a black shirt.
Surely, he experienced a whirlwind of emotions as the Sailors opened the match with two major decisions and a technical fall.
Huntington Beach erased the early deficit, defeating host Newport Harbor 52-22 to clinch the Wave League dual meet championship. The Oilers finished 3-0 in the league.
“Words can’t describe it,” said Oilers senior Kolby Lane, who won the 170-pound match by fall. “We’ve been putting in blood, sweat and tears. You name it, all year, for this moment. When it finally comes true, it’s surreal. It feels great.”
Through the first three matches, Newport Harbor (9-5, 1-1 in league) absolutely dominated on the scoreboard within individual matches, but victories by fall proved hard to come by.
In the 138-pound match, Newport Harbor’s Luis Nateras also had his match in hand, leading 13-3 going into the third period.
William Krcelic turned the tide of the match, however, scoring a pin to put the Oilers on the board. Both benches erupted, with several of the Sailors convinced that the victory by fall had been awarded too soon after scoring a number of near-fall points themselves.
“I know that my opponent was getting pretty close multiple times, I’m not going to lie,” Krcelic said. “I feel like I got to a good balance where my elbow was sticking out, so my back wasn’t on the mat.
“At the very last part, when I pinned him, I feel like he was just really tired, and I just had more gas [left] in me to the point where I could pin him.”
Morgan said that high school sports are about moments that uplift people, even if it is just for a moment. He felt that the Oilers rallied around Krcelic and carried the momentum thereafter.
“To see how happy they were, it made everything,” Morgan said. “That is what high school sports are about. What William did, how he came back and won, it uplifted the team.”
Evan Bain followed with another pin at 145 pounds for Huntington Beach. Newport Harbor’s 13-0 lead to start had been narrowed down to 13-12.
Blake DeCourcy, a sophomore, delivered a second-period pin in the 160-pound match, which gave Huntington Beach its first lead at 18-16.
“I was ready for it,” DeCourcy said of wrestling with the league title on the line. “I had come off of a tournament, been tired, had bumps and bruises. Everyone on the team had bumps and bruises, but we all came in ready.
“We all worked over the break. We all got tournaments over the break. Johnny set us up for success, and we also set ourselves up for success with our work.”
The Oilers also got third-period pins from Tyson Finch (195) and Nicholas Lawrence (220).
Newport Harbor’s Jack Jones authored a victory by technical fall at 126 pounds. Giovanni Sabatasso (120) and Joshua Martinez (132) also earned major decisions for the Sailors.
“They fought off pins really well,” Sailors coach Dominic Bulone said of the Oilers. “We got some bonus points, but we were looking for a few more. Obviously, the Luis [Nateras] match was really in our favor through two periods.
“It was rough. After that, the wheels sort of fell off, match after match.”
With the league title hanging in the balance, Corona del Mar coach Mark Alex showed up not only to scout, but with a heavy interest in the fortunes of Newport Harbor. A Sailors win would have kept the Sea Kings in the running for a share of the league title when CdM hosts the Battle of the Bay match on Jan. 15.
The Sailors were dethroned as the Wave League champion, but they still possess the Golden Singlet, the prize that the Back Bay rivals wrestle for each season.
“We would like to keep it,” Bulone added.
Laguna Beach (0-3) also participated in the three-way dual meet at Newport Harbor. The Breakers had three wrestlers compete in freshman Laith Hoso (120), sophomore Sean Theron (126) and junior Ben Reimer (145).
Huntington Beach beat Laguna Beach 84-0. Newport Harbor defeated the Breakers 59-0.
Wave League
Huntington Beach 52, Newport Harbor 22
106 – Hernandez (HB) maj. Villasenor (NH), 20-7.
113 – T. Royster wins by forfeit.
120 – Sabatasso (NH) maj. Haakenson (HB), 12-1.
126 – Jones (NH) tech. fall Giese (HB), 17-1.
132 – Martinez (NH) maj. Yazdanniaz (HB), 16-7.
138 – Krcelic (HB) pins Nateras (NH), 4:55.
145 – Bain (HB) pins Gassel (NH), 2:52.
152 – Panasitti (NH) dec. C. Royster (HB), 6-4.
160 – DeCourcy (HB) pins Reynolds (NH), 3:00.
170 – Lane (HB) pins Castillo (NH), 2:59.
182 – Veyette (HB) wins by forfeit.
195 – Finch (HB) pins Marin (NH), 4:24.
220 – Lawrence (HB) pins Hernandez (NH), 4:33.
285 – Perez (NH) wins by forfeit.
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