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Crushers technically sound and aggressive
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Greg Hess/RegisterHeather Farace, ranked ninth in the state at 118 pounds, jogs before practice. | Buy photos -
Greg Hess/RegisterVintage’s Chelsi Aguayo looks up while wrestling with teammate Jean Raibiano during Tuesday’s practice. Nick Miller, right, takes a breather. | Buy photos
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CommentHeather Farace can’t wait until Friday rolls around.
The Vintage High School junior will be on campus, but she’ll be excused from attending her classes, which include algebra II, Spanish III, college prep chemistry, history, and language arts.
The Vintage High School junior will be on campus, but she’ll be excused from attending her classes, which include algebra II, Spanish III, college prep chemistry, history, and language arts.
Instead of being in the classroom, Farace will be in the school’s gymnasium, competing in the ninth annual ASICS Napa Valley Girls Classic, which is being hosted by Vintage. It’s a major two-day all-girls wrestling tournament featuring high school athletes from throughout the Bay Area, Northern California, Nevada and Oregon.
“It’s a huge tournament,” said Farace, the Crushers’ captain. “There’s a lot of good competition. It’s good for the team and everything. It’s a great experience to be there. You get to meet new people from all over. It can teach you new things. You get to understand what’s going on and how tournaments are run.
“It’s a huge tournament,” said Farace, the Crushers’ captain. “There’s a lot of good competition. It’s good for the team and everything. It’s a great experience to be there. You get to meet new people from all over. It can teach you new things. You get to understand what’s going on and how tournaments are run.
“It’s going to be hectic. But it’s going to be fun, really fun.”
Tournaments don’t come much bigger than the Napa Valley Girls Classic, which is sponsored by ASICS and has a double-elimination format. It runs from noon until 7:30 p.m. Friday and continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with wrestling taking place on three mats. There are 14 weight classes, ranging from 98 pounds to the heavyweight division. Individuals will medal to seventh place and place to eighth.
Tournaments don’t come much bigger than the Napa Valley Girls Classic, which is sponsored by ASICS and has a double-elimination format. It runs from noon until 7:30 p.m. Friday and continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with wrestling taking place on three mats. There are 14 weight classes, ranging from 98 pounds to the heavyweight division. Individuals will medal to seventh place and place to eighth.
“The competition is intense, because a lot of great state champion girls come here,” said Farace.
It’s the oldest prep girls tournament in the country, is the largest of its type and considered one of the marquee events in girls wrestling. Past attendees have included numerous state and national champions as well as several members of Team USA and the Olympic team.
Last year’s tournament drew 250 wrestlers. Organizers are expecting at least that many this year.
“It’ll be exciting,” said Farace, who wrestles at 118 pounds and was ranked No. 9 in Northern California at the end of last year’s season. “We have a lot of new girls this year, and a lot of them are in their first year. They’re all excited to wrestle and be in it. They’re all doing great this year. I’m very proud of my team. I’m proud to be captain of it.
“I have a lot of faith in this team. They don’t give up. They’re aggressive. They’re having fun.”
Said Aguayo: “It’s like a family.”
The Vintage girls team — which consists of Abra Saunders, Audrey Garza, Stephanie Garza, Megan Morton, Jean Rabaino, Sarah Michalek, Kayla Hudler, Chelsi Aguayo, Rebecca Medeiros, Alexandria Soto and Melissa Cortes-Garcia — will be joined by wrestlers from Napa and Justin-Siena, making for a large contingent of local entrants. Samantha Gardner and Alyx McChensey will represent Napa, and Cecilia Jojola and Luisa Jojola will represent Justin-Siena.
“It’s a big tournament with a lot of girls and a lot of high ranked people coming here, and everyone’s competing for a top spot,” said Aguayo, who wrestles at 126 pounds. “I’m going to try my hardest, be aggressive and work hard in practice.
“It’s an honor to host a tournament this big and to have people from so far away come here and wrestle.”
Vintage was sixth out of 24 teams at the NorCal Twilight Classic in Vallejo and fifth in a 22-team field at the Cougar Invitational at Newark Memorial High last week.
“We only have one senior this season, so next year we’re going to have one of our strongest teams in years,” said Vintage coach Jim Lanterman, the tournament director. “This team is working hard and trying to improve as quickly as they can. They have really bonded well.”
Garza, ranked fifth in the state, is having a very good year, placing first at the NorCal Twilight Classic, second at the North Bay Ladies Classic at Piner-Santa Rosa, second at the Cougar Girls Invitational, third at the Roger Briones Women’s Wrestling Invitational in San Leandro, and third at the Castro Valley Girls Classic.
“I’m really glad with what I’m achieving this year,” said Garza. “I’m pretty proud of what I’ve done. There’s always room for improvement.”
Napa coach Nacho Franco is pleased with the development of Gardner and McChensey, both first-year wrestlers.
“They’re definitely wrestling well,” Franco said. “They’re tough.”
Cecila Jojola is a “very technically sound wrestler,” said Roger Bubel, Justin-Siena’s coach.
The tournament will award two most outstanding wrestler awards as voted on by coaches and referees.
It’s the oldest prep girls tournament in the country, is the largest of its type and considered one of the marquee events in girls wrestling. Past attendees have included numerous state and national champions as well as several members of Team USA and the Olympic team.
Last year’s tournament drew 250 wrestlers. Organizers are expecting at least that many this year.
“It’ll be exciting,” said Farace, who wrestles at 118 pounds and was ranked No. 9 in Northern California at the end of last year’s season. “We have a lot of new girls this year, and a lot of them are in their first year. They’re all excited to wrestle and be in it. They’re all doing great this year. I’m very proud of my team. I’m proud to be captain of it.
“I have a lot of faith in this team. They don’t give up. They’re aggressive. They’re having fun.”
Said Aguayo: “It’s like a family.”
The Vintage girls team — which consists of Abra Saunders, Audrey Garza, Stephanie Garza, Megan Morton, Jean Rabaino, Sarah Michalek, Kayla Hudler, Chelsi Aguayo, Rebecca Medeiros, Alexandria Soto and Melissa Cortes-Garcia — will be joined by wrestlers from Napa and Justin-Siena, making for a large contingent of local entrants. Samantha Gardner and Alyx McChensey will represent Napa, and Cecilia Jojola and Luisa Jojola will represent Justin-Siena.
“It’s a big tournament with a lot of girls and a lot of high ranked people coming here, and everyone’s competing for a top spot,” said Aguayo, who wrestles at 126 pounds. “I’m going to try my hardest, be aggressive and work hard in practice.
“It’s an honor to host a tournament this big and to have people from so far away come here and wrestle.”
Vintage was sixth out of 24 teams at the NorCal Twilight Classic in Vallejo and fifth in a 22-team field at the Cougar Invitational at Newark Memorial High last week.
“We only have one senior this season, so next year we’re going to have one of our strongest teams in years,” said Vintage coach Jim Lanterman, the tournament director. “This team is working hard and trying to improve as quickly as they can. They have really bonded well.”
Garza, ranked fifth in the state, is having a very good year, placing first at the NorCal Twilight Classic, second at the North Bay Ladies Classic at Piner-Santa Rosa, second at the Cougar Girls Invitational, third at the Roger Briones Women’s Wrestling Invitational in San Leandro, and third at the Castro Valley Girls Classic.
“I’m really glad with what I’m achieving this year,” said Garza. “I’m pretty proud of what I’ve done. There’s always room for improvement.”
Napa coach Nacho Franco is pleased with the development of Gardner and McChensey, both first-year wrestlers.
“They’re definitely wrestling well,” Franco said. “They’re tough.”
Cecila Jojola is a “very technically sound wrestler,” said Roger Bubel, Justin-Siena’s coach.
The tournament will award two most outstanding wrestler awards as voted on by coaches and referees.
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