At last, the Burbank High boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams found their way home.
The Bulldogs ensconced themselves inside the center of the school’s gymnasium, ready to compete Tuesday in front of family members, friends, school administrators, and fans with full knowledge or ready to learn more about the sport.
It turned out to be quite a smash hit for the most part for the first-year programs, as the boys’ split their two meets and the girls’ lost their dual meet in front of a noisy crowd.
Burbank’s boys’ team opened with a 60-15 victory against Webb before falling 54-24 to Canoga Park. On the girls’ side, Burbank suffered a 15-6 defeat versus Canoga Park.
“It really was an amazing environment,” said Burbank coach Jonathon O’Brien, who served as a coach at Belmont High in Los Angeles for the past four seasons. “You’re finally at home, and you’re getting all kinds of support from the administrators, family, and parents. They are getting their first experience of what it’s like, too.
“It was great to be out there. We’d been waiting for this time for a while.”
Burbank registered nine victories against Webb. The Bulldogs received wins from Nathan Hinojosa by pin in the 106-pound weight class. Also picking up victories by pin were Mark Petrosyan (120 pounds), Kai Sebastian (152), Narek Ghazaryan (160), and Anthony Vardumyan (195).
Among the Burbank athletes who won by forfeit were Jayden Dela Rosa (113), Logan Pinheiro (138), Maxwell Higginbotham (182) and Niko Hovhannisyan (285).
“It was amazing just to be out there, and we couldn’t wait to get going,” said Sebastian, who later won by pin in the 152-pound division versus Canoga Park. “For me, the adrenaline got me going in both of my bouts. You could hear the crowd screaming and cheering our team on. It’s a confidence boost for me to win twice.”
Edward Malkhasyan (132) and Vardumyan (182) won via pin against Canoga Park. David Danielian of Burbank won by forfeit (145).
In the girls’ meet, Irene Abramyan posted the lone win for the Bulldogs, winning by pin in the 150-pound weight division.
“It was great to win, but it was also stressful because all eyes are on you,” Abramyan said. “I did my best to stay calm, and I tried to listen to what my coaches were saying to me. In the end, it felt amazing to have your hand raised [by the referee] in victory.”
Burbank will compete in the Rio Hondo League. It will be joined by Hoover, La Canada, Monrovia, and San Marino.