LAGUNA HILLS – The Trabuco Hills wrestling team was finally able to replace the sting from last year’s dual with Laguna Hills with a more enjoyable feeling.
Sixth-ranked Trabuco Hills trailed by eight points heading into the final two matches of Tuesday’s South Coast League dual against fourth-ranked Laguna Hills. The Mustangs made up the deficit with pins by Ryan Halsey (182 pounds) and Luke Murray in the final match at 195 to secure a hard-fought 38-34 victory at Laguna Hills High.
“We’ve been trying to beat them,” Murray said. “We’ve been working hard for four years, and it is nice to see it finally pay off.”
Last year, the Mustangs lost to the visiting Hawks, 60-6.
“We wrestled like garbage,” Trabuco Hills coach Kurt Mithof said of last year’s dual. “We didn’t have any fire and we didn’t get after it at all. This (Tuesday) was awesome to watch because we competed and went after it. We didn’t wait for things to happen, we made it happen.”
The loss was just the third league dual loss for the Hawks since 1987.
The dual Tuesday started at 220 pounds.
Laguna Hills trailed, 26-22, after the 152-pound match, but recorded consecutive victories by fall from Jean Miranda (160) and Ramsey Cole (170) to take a 34-26 lead.
After a rugged start against Erick Gonzalez at 182 pounds, Halsey was able to get a second-period fall, cutting the Hawks’ lead to 34-32 and setting the stage for Murray in the final match.
Murray got the fall at 1:15 of the first period.
“Looking at the score, I could tell it might come down to the last couple of guys,” Murray said. “It is a great team, great environment. It is really nice to see everybody come together, especially at the end when everybody came together to celebrate. That’s probably the best feeling these four years.
“Every year, it has kind of been, is this going to be the year? This year was finally the year.”
They can still claim their 30th consecutive league title at the South Coast League finals later this season.
“It definitely stings now,” first-year Laguna Hills coach John Hayes said. “We’re going to grow from this. This isn’t the end of our season.”
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@scng.com
