By Rick Assad
It was super quick as the Rio Hondo League match took an hour for the Burbank High wrestling team to defeat host Hoover 69-9 on Wednesday night and raise its record to a stellar 3-0.
Of the eight contested matches the Bulldogs captured six and also picked up six forfeited matches.
Burbank head coach Jonathon O’Brien liked what he saw from the entire team.
“I was really proud of our entire lineup, including our girls, who made the commitment to make their weight class even though they knew the possibility of wrestling was slim,” he said of the dozen ladies on the squad.
O’Brien, who has been the coach for four years, was impressed by what he saw from a couple on the team.
“Roni Manas [at 106 pounds] and Artem Akimov [150 pounds] both earned their first varsity wins of their careers tonight,” he said. “They’ve been working hard for months so it was rewarding to see them get their victory.”
O’Brien added: “We also were pleased with the [exhibition] performance of [sophomore] Logan Rodriguez [215 pounds], who wrestled at an urgent tempo we felt matched the energy we try to bring to every match,” he said.
Freshman Manas won via a pin late in the first period and at 120 pounds, junior Kevin Krikor was also victorious by a pin in the opening period.
Junior Akimov won after three tough periods and sowed his grit and toughness.
At 165, senior Ronel Hakoupian emerged with a triumph via a pin and 1:37 left in the first period.
At 190 pounds, junior Andre Takhmasian won via pin with just twenty-seven seconds left in the first period.
At 285 pounds, sophomore Evan Der Galestanian prevailed with a victory by way of a pin as fifty seconds remained in the first period.
At 113 pounds, sophomore Kaiden Takeuthi won by forfeit, as did sophomore Alex Periera at 126 pounds. At 138 pounds, sophomore Arayik Vardnayan also claimed a win by forfeit.
At 157 pounds, sophomore Hovhannes Mkoyan won by forfeit and at 215 pounds, senior Albert Airapetian also won by way forfeit. Freshman Martin Aghabaday was a winner by forfeit.
At 132 pounds, senior Tyler Huo lost across three rugged periods while at 144 pounds, senior Narek Danielian lost via a three-period decision.
Assistant coach Romney De La Rosa is in agreement with O’Brien.
“Our entire team performed great tonight. I’m excited to have such a strong group of freshmen who are enthusiastic about wrestling for Burbank,” he said. “What we’re seeing is consistency across the lineup, which is exactly what our coaching staff expects.”
De La Rosa also shined a light on a couple of wrestlers.
“Two standout performers came from Artem, who earned his first win in his first varsity start, and Andre, who secured a pin. Andre continues to improve each week,” he said. “We’re very pleased with the progress he’s making, highlighted by his third-place finish at the Newbury Park Invitational last weekend.”
