LAGUNA HILLS – There is no resting on last year’s accomplishments for the Servite wrestling team.
The Friars, who started the season with a victory at the Cossarek Classic, opened their dual season in dominating fashion Wednesday night.
The top-ranked Friars won 13 of 14 matches in the seventh annual Dinner Dual against second-ranked Laguna Hills, leading to a 54-3 victory.
“I’m fortunate to have a great group,” Servite coach Alan Clinton said. “They’re hungry and they’ve set their goals. They know last year was a great year, but now can we do it twice? Can we become a state placer?
“They’re a self-motivated group. A lot of them feel like they could have done better last year, which is a nice thing. They’re very motivated.”
The match started at 106 pounds, with Liam Cronin (106), Matt Rodriguez (113) and AJ Silva (120) getting things off to a good start for the Friars.
Rodriguez won his match by fall. Cronin, ranked second in the county, edged third-ranked Dexter Viengvialey, 4-2. Silva also had a victory decision.
“Those first three started us off with a bang, and I don’t know if they (Laguna Hills) were expecting that,” Clinton said. “I thought each one of those young men wrestled very well.”
Wolfgang Bernal (132) and JJ Reed (145) also won their matches by fall. Reed has pinned five of his first six opponents this year.
The other matches featuring wrestlers ranked in the county came at 182 pounds with fourth-ranked Michael Vasquez of Servite pulling off a 5-3 victory over fifth-ranked Dominic Larraga.
At 195, second-ranked Parker Saltzman of Servite defeated fourth-ranked Edgar Ayala, 8-1.
Kyle Patterson (220) and VJ Leauta (heavyweight) closed the match with victories by fall for the Friars.
Phillip Zamora (138), ranked second in the county, had the only victory for the Hawks.
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
