By Jonah Rosenbaum
After two “duel” matches, which are treated as scrimmages, the boysâ wrestling team heads into tournament play this Friday at the Rosemead Invitational.
The team is comprised of several inexperienced but talented wrestlers, and is anchored by Ben Kogan â11, Nick Truer â10, and Patrick Newman â10. Kogan went 9-0 at the Camarillo Duel and Truer finished 9-1.
Jake Sonnenberg â11 had a strong showing as well, winning eight of his nine matches.
“This is a learning experience for a lot of these kids, and Iâve been really impressed with them so far,” said Head Coach Gary Bairos. “Weâre a young, hardworking team that is going to keep getting better. A lot of these guys have never wrestled before and they are already competing at a very high level. Each time they wrestle itâs a good learning experience.”
First year wrestler Tennyson Turner â10 agreed with Bairosâ assessment.
“We have a lot of new guys like myself, but weâre progressing at a fast rate and hopefully our hard work will pay dividends by the time league play comes around,” Turner said. “We have strong leadership from Ben Kogan and Nick Truer, so even though we are a small team, I think we can be a force to be reckoned with.”
After the Rosemead Invitational, the team heads to Cerritos Dec. 29 for the Tournament of Champions.
