An example in the transformation of the San Marcos High wrestling program stood in front of the audience at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
When coach Daniel Sifuentes asked junior Jake Carroll how much he weighed before the start of the season, Carroll replied 290 pounds.
“We got him down to 214,” Sifuentes said, proudly.
The leaner Carroll is one of three state-ranked wrestlers for the recently crowned two-time Channel League champions.
Sifuentes, who took over the program four years ago, said Carroll has not only made tremendous strides as a wrestler, he’s also done it in the classroom.
“Now we focus and look at the big picture and what he needs to be successful,” said the coach. “He’s getting better grades and he’s the lightest he’s ever been.”
Carroll had the Thunderhut going crazy in last Friday’s final bout against crosstown rival Dos Pueblos. Wrestling as a heavyweight, he tied the score 1-1 and then pinned his opponent with one second left in the final period.
“That was beautiful,” said Sifuentes.
“It’s been a crazy journey the last four years. We’ve come from a broken program to now being able to control the tri-counties. The boys have literally answered the call.”
Ambrose Partee is another member of the team who has taken his wrestling to another level.
Like Carroll, he wrestled up two weight classes against Dos Pueblos (162 to 184) and won by pin. The victory clinched the match for the Royals.
Partee was named the male Athlete of the Week.
Sifuentes said Partee has come on strong after an injury-plagued sophomore season.
“In the offseason, he was able to go to some tournaments,” the coach said. “We got him conditioned. That’s the one thing we really had to work on. Everybody is big and bad until their conditioning is gone. Then they go into survival mode.
“Ambrose has literally turned the corner, and I’m so proud at everything he’s done. He’s one of my co-captains this year and he’s leading by example. And he’s doing everything he needs to do to be successful.”
Senior Juan Torres (160 pounds) —“the heart and should of the team” — and junior Jacob Dominguez (106) — “he’s our little whippersnapper” — are the other state-ranked wrestlers for the Royals, said Sifuentes
San Marcos will learn its CIF-SS team duals draw on Thursday.
LAGUNA BLANCA GIRLS SOCCER
Coach Jose Rodriguez said the team is 2-2 going into Frontier league games against the first and second-place teams this week, Thacher and Bishop Diego.
He introduced sophomore Jordyn Garcia, a knowledgable attacking midfielder, and junior multi-purpose player Sadie Johnson.
“I can pretty much put her anywhere, and I’ve put her everywhere,” said Rodrigues of Johnson. “She does very, very well and wants to learn. And, she’s hungry for the ball.
DOS PUEBLOS BOYS BASKETBALL
The Chargers’ three games last week were a perfect example of how competitive the Channel League is this season. The Chargers beat Lompoc by one, lost to San Marcos by five and fell to Santa Barbara by one on a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
The last-second loss to Santa Barbara and the Green Bay Packers’ defeat against the San Francisco 49ers on a last-play field goal in the NFC Divisional playoff game made it a miserable Saturday for DP assistant coach John Slavin.
“I’m from the upper peninsula of Michigan and my hometown is 100 miles from Green Bay, so I’ve been a Green Bay fan my whole life,” he said. “So, I sat through that three-hour fiasco and saw (the Packers) lose at the end of the game.
“So, obviously, I didn’t sleep very well.”
On DP basketball, Slavin and head coach Joe Zamora are excited about the future with sophomores Christian Perez and Micah Goss on the varsity.
Perez was a starter early in the season before suffering an injury.
The 6-foot-3 Goss has been starting and producing for the Chargers in the post.
“He’s very competitive and ago-to player on defense,” said Slavin. “He’s playing well at offensive end. He secures rebounds and gets to the basketball.
“I hear he’s a good sand and indoor volleyball player.”
Micah’s father, Dave Goss, was a volleyball standout at San Marcos and Stanford.
The Chargers (13-7, 1-2) play a return game at Santa Barbara on Tuesday.
DOS PUEBLOS GIRLS SOCCER
Assistant coach Raul Baez introduced two young players who have made an impact on the team, sophomore Kate Peterson and freshman Ryan Calkiins.
Baez said he coached Peterson on a national runner-up club team. She plays defense and midfield for the Chargers.
Calkins is a starting midfielder.
“She’s been playing great,” said Baez. “She plays in the center of the field and works so hard.”
The Chargers (0-3-1 in league) play host to Santa Barbara on Tuesday.
SAN MARCOS BOYS SOCCER
Assistant coach Genaro Hurtado called senior Ronin Suzuki “one of the top defenders I’ve seen play all year. He’s a tough player, clean on the ball and really intelligent.”
On senior forward Juan Escobar: “He’s been awesome for us on top,” said Hurtado of the three-year varsity player. “An extremely physical player, he got the game-winning goal against Cabrillo.”
The Royals (11-3-2, 3-1) play host to Cabrillo in a Channel League game on Tuesday.
WESTMONT SPORTS
Sports Information Director Ron Smith reported that the women’s swim team honored seniors Holley Fellows and Olivia Huebner in the team’s final home meet of the season.
The Warriors will swim a non-scoring meet at UCSB on Friday and Saturday and seek to qualify more swimmers for the NAIA Nationals.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams travel to The Master’s on Thursday for key Golden State Athletic Conference games.
The men’s team got a boost from Cly Griffith Jr., a transfer from the University of Portland. He scored 24 points in a two-point loss against Arizona Christian.
The NAIA fifth-ranked women’s team had a full squad for the first time in a month in a 99-57 win over Arizona Christian.
The Warriors (15-3, 8-2) are tied for second in the GSAC.
Spring sports begin at Westmont this week, with the baseball team playing four home games, starting Thursday. The Warriors will host a track meet on Saturday.
SAN MARCOS BOYS BASKETBALL
Senior leaders like Shakir Ahmad and Julian Hicks have been huge in helping the Royals get through a Covid-impacted season, according to coach Jelani Hicks.
The team was without several players and Hicks during the last week of December because of health and safety protocols. The Royals played with six to eight players and had girls coach Tiffany Simms coach the games.
Ahmad and Hicks were instrumental in keeping things together.
“Having strong leaders with guys like this allowed us to continue the process,” said coach Hicks.
Hicks has eight seniors on his squad, which went 2-1 during the first week of Channel League play.
“The maturity and leadership just makes my job a lot easier, when I can do a little more focusing on getting us prepared for the games. And, we have the student leadership managing the team and making sure we’re where we need to be. So that’s been good.”
With the league being so competitive this season, Hicks said “every game going forward is a huge game for every team.”
San Marcos, Cabrillo and Santa Barbara are all 2-1 in league.
“One loss here and there can greatly change how the whole thing finishes up. And everyone is still fighting for playoffs and where we will seed.”
The Royals host Cabrillo on Tuesday and Lompoc on Thursday and travel to Dos Pueblos on Saturday.
“All teams are fighting for their spots, and I’m looking forward to it,” said Hicks. “There’s a lot of good competition, and it’s just fun to see the scores every night.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone finishes up.”
DOS PUEBLOS BOYS SOCCER
Coach Matt York has 12 seniors on the squad this season, and the group has meshed well.
“They have a great relationship with each other, they have good camaraderie, and you can tell when we lose a big game like (the 2-1 loss against Santa Barbara on Saturday) they have the maturity and the leadership to bounce back,” said York.
He introduced seniors Max Early, Fred Jones and Diego Garcia.
Early scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory at San Marcos.
“He’s the engine of the team in the midfield,” said York. “I think he logs the most miles per game than anyone we have on the team.
“He worked on his skills, his body and his fitness and it really shows on the field. He wins battles when he’s outnumbered.”
York called Jones “the centerpiece of our team.” The outside back makes things happen.
“When we get him the ball, we win games,” said York. “He’s our X factor, he’s our plus-one; he’s the guy that makes things go for us.”
Goalkeeper Diego Garcia is a leader on and off the field.
“He’s the one firing up the team in the huddle. At halftime, he does a lot of the tactical stuff with the boys,” said York. “He’s the voice and heart of the team.
“We wouldn’t have hardly the success we’ve had this year, keeping the boys together on the field and off. Super thankful to have some one like that in the program, on the field and definitely between the pipes.”
Garcia will be playing at Westmont in the fall.
Dos Pueblos plays a rematch with Santa Barbara on Tuesday at Peabody Stadium.
LAGUNA BLANCA BOYS SOCCER
The Owls returned to the pitch last week and went 2-1 in Tri-Valley League matches.
Aden Meisel scored two goals last week.
“He’s been involved in creating a whole lot of offense since moving to the forward position,” said athletic director Matt Steinhaus, speaking for coach James Kiffe. “He’s completely ignited the offense and has been a key guy in making sure the team has success.”
Kiffe called sophomore Josh Hanson “an incredibly smart player with a will to win at all cost. His physicality is key to the team’s success.”
The Owls are 2-1 in league and 3-1 overall.
SAN MARCOS GIRLS SOCCER
Evony Diaz, Becca Rodriguez and Kate Sheldon are returnees from last season’s CIF championship team.
“With all the seniors graduated, these girls have really stepped up this season,” said coach Brian “Ziggy” Ziegenhagen, through boys assistant coach Genaro Hurtado.
“Evony is always ready to take people on and (nutmeg) them. She is coming off an injury and it’s a relief to have her back.”
Sheldon is a four-year varsity player who helped lead the back line last season and won the Lady Royal Award. She suffered a season-ending injury this year, said the coach.
Rodriguez plays center midfield and is “the backbone of the team,” said Ziegenhagen. “She sets the tone every game and has the skills to back it up.”
San Marcos, 3-1 in league, plays at Cabrillo on Tuesday.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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