Wrestlers Take Second at City Finals

Three Dolphins Win Their Weight Divisions and Qualify for CIF State Meet

It didn’t finish in first place Saturday at the City Section Championships, but the Palisades High wrestling team left Roybal Learning Center with a sense of pride knowing it had done its best for a coach that meant so much.

The Dolphins took second – their highest finish in the program’s four-year history – and three of them qualified for the state tournament – a testament to the dedication and teaching of Coach Randy Aguirre, who died of brain cancer in January. Prior to the finals, Aguirre’s parents were presented a commemorative plaque in their son’s honor and they awarded medals to the four placers in each division.

“He meant so much and paved the way for these young men to be successful,” said James Aguirre, Randy’s father. “It’s an honor to represent Randy. He would be so proud of what this team has accomplished.”

El Camino Real racked up 238 points for its 12th City crown, Palisades had 173.5 and Birmingham was third with 172. Assisting coach Aldo Juliano on the mat Saturday was Jonathan Aguirre, Randy’s younger brother.

In the 170-pound final, senior Brad Boorstin got a reversal against El Camino Real sophomore Luis Castilllo, then rode out his opponent for the final two minutes to pull out a 2-1 win, becoming Palisades’ first City individual champion.

“If there were five more seconds I was in a bad position so I’m just lucky time ran out,” said Boorstin, who earned a trip to the state championships March 6-7 in Bakersfield. “This is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life and I wish Coach Aguirre was here to share it with me.”

Aria Mahinfar pinned William Davis of Narbonne in 2:34 to take fifth at 220, Carlos Velado took fifth at 195  and Lofton Mason was fourth at 182 pounds. Marcelo Maya was fourth at 160 pounds, Sam Reedy got third at 152 and Anthony Teitelbaum pinned Bell’s Jorge Cortez in the second period to finish fifth at 145 pounds. Kevin Rosen took fourth at 138 and Samson Dorff was third at 120 for the Dolphins, who defended their regional title and were second at this year’s City Dual Championships.

Shortly after Boorstin’s triumph teammate David Rheingold went against Birmingham’s Miguel Ulloa in the 113-pound final. The match was tied when Rheingold escaped for one point. He was awarded another point on a stall and fought off Ulloa’s shots to win 4-2.

“It feels great because I lost in the finals last year and I’m a senior so this was my last chance,” Rheingold said. “It was Randy’s dream to have one of his wrestlers qualify for state so I feel good knowing I did it and I know he’s watching.”

In the heavyweight final, Palisades’ Kenny Jones was seeking to avenge last year’s loss to Birmingham’s David Hernandez. Jones scored on a reversal, an escape and a takedown to build a 5-0 lead. With 10 seconds left, Jones rolled Hernandez onto his back for a pin that won him match and vaulted the Dolphins into second place in the final team standings.

“It was really intense but I owed him one from last year,” Jones said. “The work we did on the mats paid off. When we go to state, we’re going to show them who we are.”

It was a bittersweet ending for senior Erik Miranda, who placed third at 106 pounds. After winning his first match by fall in 58 seconds, he lost a 2-1 decision to Birmingham’s Sam Camacho in the semifinals.

Miranda rebounded to pin El Camino Real’s Sako Avetisyan in the first period, setting up a rematch with Carson’s Gen Barcenas, who pushed Miranda to overtime at the City regionals the week before. This time, Miranda never gave his opponent a moment’s rest and won by major decision.

“I didn’t think about the true second possibility at all – it was potentially the last match for both of us so I wanted to go out strong,” Miranda said. “He was tough on top and rode me out, but the difference was that he couldn’t turn me and I could turn him. This is the best we’ve ever done as a team and we owe all of our success to Randy.”

In the girls’ tournament, Pali High’s Kaila Osorio went 2-2 at 189 pounds, pinning Narbonne’s Toni Gomez to win the fifth-place match.