The Palisades High wrestling team will set its sights on a promising future after finishing sixth out of 10 teams at City finals on Saturday at Roybal Learning Center.
Though they did not qualify any wrestlers for State finals, the Dolphins held their own against a deep and talented field.
Senior Holland Herzfeld posted the team’s highest finish, coming in second in the 195-pound weight class. Sophomore Kenny Jones wrestled in the 285-pound heavyweight class despite only weighing 210 pounds and finished third.
Sophomore Brad Boorstin, seeded first in the 145-pound class, had to settle for fourth place after an illegal slam in the semifinals. Sophomore David Rheingold (113), freshman Kevin Rosen (120) and senior Nick Ewbank (132) all finished fifth.
“It was an interesting season,” head coach Randy Aguirre said. “Most of our young squad is coming back next year, but we still have a lot of building to do. I think we’re on the right track, and we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in upcoming years.”
Aguirre pointed to athletes like Boorstin and Jones being instrumental next season, and also referenced several incoming JV wrestlers, including sophomore Kevin Monterubio and junior Joel Garcia.
In just the program’s second year, PaliHi went 6-5 overall and 3-2 in Western League matches. That marked significant progress after an inaugural season in which the Dolphins had to relinquish as many as 30 points per dual meet because they lacked competitors in five of the 14 weight classes.
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