Crushers 16th in Classic

Garza’s fourth at 235 pounds leads VHS at 65-school event

By MARTY JAMES, Executive Sports Editor

Audrey Garza wasn’t about to let two injuries — a strained medial collateral ligament and bruised kidneys — and the pain that is associated with those slow her down.

“This is my house. This is Vintage,” said Garza. “I love wrestling and I’ll keep doing it. I’m not going to let that pull me back.”

Garza showed great courage and heart in taking fourth place — the highest finish by a local athlete — in the 235-pound division of the ninth annual ASICS Napa Valley Girls Classic at Vintage High School on Saturday.

After a bye, she pinned Cardelian Parker of Hogan at 4:23, lost by pin to Stephanie Rodriguez of Salinas at 1:38, then pinned Shawnita Beck of San Leandro at 39 seconds, and lost to Kristin Ramirez of Denair, 6-3.

“I can say is that I wrestled the hardest that I could, but it was just not my day,” said Garza, ranked fifth in the state by the California Girls Wrestling Association. “Just the conditions of my injuries, I’d say I’m proud of taking fourth. But if it wasn’t for these injuries that I have, I would have probably been a lot better.”

Garza was limited in her mobility, but continued to advance in her bracket and produce a 2-2 record.

“She’ll be back,” said Vintage coach and tournament director Jim Lanterman. “She’s tough. She’s a very tough young lady.”

A field of 190 wrestlers from 65 high schools in California and Nevada competed in 14 different weight classes over two days in the ASICS-sponsored all-girls double-elimination tournament, one of the largest in the country. Hogan won the team championship and Vintage, the host school with 11 wrestlers, finished 16th. Vintage, ranked 12th in California at the end of last year, has seven first-year wrestlers.

“They pay the price like everybody else does when they learn how to wrestle,” Lanterman said of his young team. “Right now they’re going against some veteran girls, and with something like this all the veterans show up because this basically is a standard for the rankings in the state right now.”

MVP awards were presented to Victoria Anthony, a 103-pound wrestler from Marina, and Marina Piccolotti, who wrestles in the 146-pound division for Terra Nova-Pacifica. Individuals medaled to seventh place and placed to eighth.

“It’s been really fun with having that many teams that showed up,” said Lanterman. “The word has gotten out that the tournament is run well, it’s efficient and it has amenities that they like in a tournament. It’s just grown.”

The tournament, the first National High School Federation event for girls in the U.S., was founded by Lanterman and Carl Murphree, a former VHS and Napa Valley Wrestling Club coach who is now the head women’s wrestling coach at Missouri Valley College. 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.

“These were two days of tough wrestling,” said Bob Musante, a Vintage assistant coach.

Two Napa High wrestlers, Alyx McChesney and Samantha Gardner, finished in fifth in their respective weight brackets. Vintage’s Rebecca Medeiros was sixth and Heather Farace was seventh.

McChesney, returning from MCL and anterior cruciate ligament injuries that kept her out for six weeks, went 4-2 at 138 pounds, one of the largest brackets. After a bye, she lost to Amberly Saferno of Wood by pin at 3:17, beat Kathy Cecelli of Etna 8-4, beat Holly Thein of Paradise 1-0, pinned Alexandrea Woody of Hogan at 1:26, lost by pin at 2:53 to Moriah Fernandez of Live Oak, and pinned Josara Pipetone of Salinas at 3:39.

“It was tough, but in the end I’m glad I got fifth,” said McChesney, a junior who also plays water polo. “It was really tough at the same time, because I wrestled against girls that have been wrestling four or five years, and this is my first year. I wasn’t sure what to expect — I just came in and tried my hardest. It was pretty intense. I knew there were going to be girls here from all over. I knew it was going to be hard.”

Gardner, a freshman, went 3-2 at 132 pounds. She won 7-3 over Monica Sanchez of West Campus, defeated Katrina Dajano of Milpitas 10-5, lost to Samantha Phillips of Manteca by pin at :50, lost by pin at 1:56 to Chelsea Grasseschi of Castro Valley, and won her last match, 8-5 over Angelica Westlake of Petaluma.

“I was surprised with how many girls came out,” said Gardner. “I didn’t think that many people would show up. The competition here was really hard. I’m excited. I can’t wait until next year.”

Medeiros lost by pin at 1:27 to Lulu Morrar of San Leandro, beat Lilana Gonzalez of Windsor by pin at 4:05, lost to Angela Vyvony of Del Campo by pin at 20 seconds, and lost by pin at 51 seconds to Holey Moala of Hogan at 189 pounds.

Farace drew a bye at 114 pounds, then lost by pin at 1:09 to Bailey Brandy of Spanish Springs, beat Crystal Estrella of Santa Monica 11-9, defeated Dhaynae Capurro of Pittsburg by pin at 2:50, and lost to Frankie Silva of Pittsburg by pin at 5:46.

For Vintage, Jean Rabaino (154) was 0-2, Melissa Cortes-Garcia (235) was 0-2, Stephanie Garcia (138) was 0-2, Chelsi Aguayo (126) was 1-2, Megan Mortan (122) was 0-2, Alexis Soto (114) was 0-2, Sarah Michlek (108) was 0-2, and Abrah Saunders (108) was 0-2.

Justin-Siena’s Cecilia Jojola (118) was 1-2 and Luisa Jojola (122) was 0-2.

Christine Alcantara (98) of Hogan, Victoria Anthony (103) of Marina, Brianna Hendren (108) of Rancho Cotate, Jazzy Green (114) of Santa Monica, Katrina Perez (118) of Buhach Colony, Haylee Childs (122) of Scotts Valley, Christina Hernandez (126) of Oceanside, Samantha Phillips (132) of Manteca, Angie Miller (138) of Vallejo, Marina Piccalotti (146) of Terra Nova, Monica Gonzales (154) of Hogan, Stevie Ratto (165) of San Leandro, Paloma Basulto (189) of Arroyo Grande, and Norma Garcia (235) of Hanford West won individual titles.

Vintage goes to the CIF Northern California State Championships Jan. 19-20 at Liberty-Brentwood and the California Girls Invitational Jan. 26-27 at Hanford West.

Those going to the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association NorCal Championships (March 3-4 at Springstowne Middle School-Vallejo) and the USGWA National Championships (April 1-2 at Churchill High of Livonia, Mich.) will represent the Napa Valley Wrestling Club.

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